The four divine abodes, also known as the four immeasurable, or brahmaviharas in Sanskrit, are the emotions of the higher mind or higher mental states. They are: loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity.
These four give us a framework to cultivate positive behaviors and minimize harmful ones. These qualities are considered divine because they represent love and goodwill toward all sentient beings and lead to a sublime and compassionate state of being.
Loving-kindness (metta/maitri) is the sincere wish for the well-being, happiness, and safety of all beings, including oneself. Loving-kindness, involves cultivating a boundless and unconditional love that transcends personal biases, boundaries, and preferences. Practitioners extend loving-kindness towards all beings, regardless of their relationship or behavior. It can be simply accessed by these following statements- May I be safe, may I be healthy, may I be happy, may I live with ease. May you be safe, may you be healthy, may you be happy, may you live with ease. May we be safe, may we be healthy, may we be happy, may we live with ease.
In one way evoking metta toward ourselves or others is a form of aligning with the divine and praying together.