Of love for all living creatures,
Consider beings, excluding none,
Suffering in the three bad rebirths,
Suffering birth, death and so forth.
The" attitude of love" to which the text refers is the affection which sees all living beings as lovable. The stronger our affection the more easily compassion arises and the more intense and steadfast it is. Compassion can arise without it, but it will not be consistent. Unless we see all living beings as near, dear, appealing and beloved, we won't care what happens to them. On the contrary, we may even wish more suffering on those we dislike. That affection is what a doting mother feels for the apple of her eye, what a dog-owner feels for a beloved pet--a warm feeling that makes you want to hug and pat and say, "Adorable!"
At present our feelings of affection are restricted to those we like and, even then, vanish quite quickly if they do something that goes against our wishes. It's a tall order to ask us to feel affection toward all living beings. It doesn't come naturally, which is why we need to train ourselves to see them in a new way.
--from Atisha's Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment commentary by Geshe Sonam Rinchen, translated and edited by Ruth Sonam
