I use loving-kindness to mean the wish that all beings have not only happiness, but also full enlightenment—Buddhahood.

I call the Outer Buddha, is to see the Buddha before oneself with devotion. The second stage, which I call the Inner Buddha, is to find the Buddha’s unconditional love within oneself. The third stage, the Universal Buddha, is to awaken to the Buddha everywhere: the whole universe arises as his love. The fourth stage, the Ultimate Buddha, is to be in oneness with the Buddha’s love.

The first stage, which

On the other hand, if I couldn’t see or appreciate any qualities of loving-kindness in someone or something, but only related to them through negative feelings like hatred, greed, or jealousy, I never had a chance to manifest any loving-kindness in myself—not even for a moment.