Lovingkindness as a Buddhist concept (metta in Pali, maitri in Sanskrit) is not an act of doing something nice: it is a state of being focused on compassion toward self and others that is cultivated and maintained by practice (often meditation) and is thought to be essential to freeing ourselves from suffering. It is the antidote to selfishness, anger, and fear. Lovingkindness is also a term used in Judaism (chesed) to refer to kindness between people, devotion toward God, and the love or mercy of God toward humanity.