Mettā in the context of "Metta Sutta"

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⭐ Core Definition: Mettā

Maitrī (Sanskrit; Pali: mettā) means benevolence, loving-kindness, friendliness, amity, good will, and active interest in others. It is the first of the four sublime states (Brahmaviharas) and one of the ten pāramīs of the Theravāda school of Buddhism.

The cultivation of benevolence (mettā bhāvanā) is a popular form of Buddhist meditation. It is a part of the four immeasurables in Brahmavihara (divine abidings) meditation. Metta as "compassion meditation" is often practiced in Asia by broadcast chanting, wherein monks chant for the laity.

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👉 Mettā in the context of Metta Sutta

The Mettā Sutta is the name used for two Buddhist discourses (Pali: sutta) found in the Pali Canon. The one, more often chanted by Theravadin monks, is also referred to as Karaṇīyamettā Sutta after the opening word, Karaṇīyam, "(This is what) should be done." It is found in the Suttanipāta (Sn 1.8) and Khuddakapāṭha (Khp 9). It is ten verses in length and it extols both the virtuous qualities and the meditative development of mettā (Pali), traditionally translated as "loving kindness" or "friendliness". Additionally, Thanissaro Bhikkhu's translation, "goodwill", underscores that the practice is used to develop wishes for unconditional goodwill towards the object of the wish.

The other, also chanted by Theravadin Buddhist monks at times, extols the benefits of the practice of mettā (Pali) and it is found in the Anguttara Nikaya (AN 11.15). is also referred to as Mettānisamsa Sutta. This article will focus on the first version.

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Mettā in the context of Brahmavihara

The brahmavihārā (sublime attitudes, lit. "abodes of Brahma") is a series of four Buddhist virtues and the meditation practices made to cultivate them. They are also known as the four immeasurables (Pāli: appamaññā) or four infinite minds (Chinese: 四無量心). The brahmavihārā are:

  1. loving-kindness or benevolence (mettā)
  2. compassion (karuṇā)
  3. empathetic joy (muditā)
  4. equanimity (upekkhā)

According to the Metta Sutta, cultivation of the four immeasurables has the power to cause the practitioner to be reborn into a "Brahma realm" (Pāli: Brahmaloka).

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Mettā in the context of Sharon Salzberg

Sharon Salzberg (born August 5, 1952) is an author and teacher of Buddhist meditation practice in the West. In 1974, she co-founded the Insight Meditation Society at Barre, Massachusetts, with Jack Kornfield and Joseph Goldstein. Her emphasis is on vipassanā (insight) and mettā (loving-kindness) methods, and she has been leading meditation retreats around the world for several decades.

All of these methods have their origins in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, through teachings by Dipa Ma, Anagarika Munindra, Sayadaw U Pandita, and other Asian teachers. Her books include Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness (1995), A Heart as Wide as the World (1999), Real Happiness – The Power of Meditation: A 28-Day Program (2010), which was on The New York Times Best Seller list in 2011, the follow-up Real Happiness at Work (2013), and Love Your Enemies (co-written with Robert Thurman 2013). She runs a Metta Hour podcast, and contributes monthly to a column "On Being".

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LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Brahmavihara ← Brahma-viharas ← Metta Sutta ← Sharon Salzberg
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Sanskrit → Pali → Friendship → Brahmavihara → Pāramī → Theravada → Schools of Buddhism → Buddhist meditation → Laity →