Use code SUMMERPRACTICE for a 25% discount on all On Demand Courses through August 31.

Two Wings to Fly – Cultivating Both Wisdom and Compassion

With Nina La Rosa recorded on July 25, 2021.

Found our teachings useful? Help us continue our work and support your teachers with a donation. Here’s how.

In traditional Theravada Buddhism it’s said that for one to truly experience freedom one needs to engage in the practices of both wisdom and compassion. Like a bird that needs two wings to fly, wisdom and compassion are two necessary parts on the path to a well-rounded enlightenment.

At first glance, practices that cultivate loving-kindness might seem quite different from those that develop insight. In this session we’ll explore a powerful practice that nurtures goodness in both the mind and heart.

Listen to the audio version below, or click here to download the mp3.

Discover more from the Dharma Library

  • Celeste Young

    Revealing The Heart’s True Nature: Resting in Metta

    In this session we will explore the Brahma Viharas: the boundless qualities of heart the Buddha taught. The more we practice, the more these qualities are revealed and expressed naturally through our being. They nourish not only us, but all those we come in contact with. Join us as we reveal the heart’s true nature…

    Read More

  • Lisa Ernst

    Skillful Ways to Work with Difficult Thoughts in Meditation

    There’s a misconception that thoughts are a hindrance to deep meditation and tranquility. Especially during this ongoing challenging time, certain thoughts may be persistent and difficult to release. Yet, thoughts themselves are not the problem; it’s our relationship to them that determines whether or not they impede our meditation. In this session, we will explore a number of skillful ways to work with difficult or persistent thoughts in meditation to support inner well-being and clarity.

    Read More

  • Daily Meditation Recordings, with Gail Aylward – Week of 09 March, 2026

    This week’s theme is: Kindness Begins Within

    This week, we will explore kindness as a gentle strength of body, heart and mind where we can learn to meet our thoughts and feelings, meet ourselves and others with warmth rather than judgment. As this inner kindness deepens, it naturally flows outward, shaping how we speak, listen, and move through the world.

    Our Dharma Library thrives through collective generosity. Your donation helps sustain this offering for our entire community.

    Read More

  • Practice as a Way of Remembrance

    Many are referring to this time as apocalyptic. Fair enough. It can seem as though everywhere we turn a dismantling of some sort is in the works. While we might intellectually feel able to embrace the change upon us, for many it can be easy to fall into overwhelm, hopelessness, even despair. What do the…

    Read More

  • Willa Blythe Baker

    The Art of Savoring

    In the practice of meditation, we are often focused on the task of getting to the cushion and paying attention, but how much of this task are we actually enjoying? To really enjoy ourselves in meditation, we need a practice that goes beyond attention and mindfulness alone. We need to find joy in the micro…

    Read More

  • Daily Meditation Recordings, with Ulla Koenig – Week of July 10, 2023

    This week’s theme is “The Compassionate Heart”. Karuna, usually translated as compassion, is our hearts’ ability to relate with care towards ourselves, others and experience in general. Living in a complex world with imperfect others and self, an attitude and practice of compassion can be an immense support. But when misunderstood, it can equally turn into pity, generate overwhelm, make us lose balance and create friction with the concept of responsibility. We will therefore dedicate this upcoming week to an indepth exploration into the concept of compassion.

    Read More