Cultivating Loving-kindness

Permeating the Ten Directions with Loving-kindness

        (1) May I be free from danger and enmity. May I be always well and happy.

        (2) May my parents and teachers be always well and happy.

        (3) May all beings in my home be always well and happy.

        (4) May all devas in my home be always well and happy.

        (5) May all beings in my village be always well and happy.

        (6) May all beings in my town be always well and happy.

        (7) May all beings in my country be always well and happy.

        (8) May all beings in the east be always well and happy.

        (9) May all beings in the south be always well and happy.

        (10) May all beings in the west be always well and happy.

        (11) May all beings in the north be always well and happy.

        (12) May all beings in the south-east be always well and happy.

        (13) May all beings in the south-west be always well and happy.

        (14) May all beings in the north-west be always well and happy.

        (15) May all beings in the north-east be always well and happy.

        (16) May all beings in the upper direction be always well and happy.

        (17) May all beings in the lower direction be always well and happy.

        (While reciting "my parents", concentrate your attention on your parents. So also, while reciting "all beings in the east" concentrate your mind on all sentient beings living in the east.)

Eleven Methods of Cultivating Loving-kindness according to Metta Sutta

Cultivating loving-kindness on all beings

        (1) May all beings be always well and happy;

              May they be free from danger and enmity;

              May they live peacefully.

Cultivating Loving-kindness in pairs

        (2) May all beings, who can be frightened and who are fearless, be always well and happy;

              May they be free from danger and enmity;

              May they live peacefully.

        (3) May all beings, the visible and the invisible, be always well and happy;

              May they be free from danger and enmity;

              May they live peacefully.

        (4) May all beings, who are afar and who are near, be always well and happy;

               May they be free from danger and enmity;

       (5) May all beings, Arahats and Non-arahats, be always well and happy;

               May they be free from danger and enmity;

              May they live peacefully.

Cultivating Loving-kindness in groups of three

        (6) May all long, short and medium beings be always well and happy;

              May they be free from danger and enmity;

              May they live peacefully.

        (7) May all large, small and medium beings be always well and happy;

              May they be free from danger and enmity;

              May they live peacefully.

        (8) May all fat, thin and medium beings be always well and happy; May they be free from danger and enmity; May they live peacefully.

Cultivating Loving-kindness for the elimination of harmful thoughts

        (1) May all human beings be free from deceiving one another.

        (2) May all human beings be free from looking down one another.

        (3) May all human beings be free from causing miseries to one another.

The Four Sublime States

        (1) Metta=Loving-kindness and benevolence for the welfare of all beings.

        (2) Karuna=compassion on seeing miserable beings and wishing them to be liberated from sufferings.

        (3) Mudita=sympathetic joy on seeing happy beings

       (4) Upekkha=equanimity or equilibrium of mind without love or hatred towards all sentient beings

        Living in the practice of generating one of these four amounts to living in a sublime state. So these four kinds of living are called "The Four Sublime States" (Brahmavihara)".

Metta, Loving-kindness

        Loving-kindness (metta) is the opposite of hatred (dosa). Metta is the mental factor called Adosa (non-hatred) which wishes for the welfare of other beings, contemplating: "May all beings be happy; May they be free from I danger."

        Metta is generally understood as "Love". in Myanmar. There are three kinds of love:

               (1) mutual love between husband and wife (Tanhapema),

              (2) mutual love among the members of the family (Gehassitapema),

               (3) Loving-kindness, or benevolence for the welfare (metta).

        The first two kinds of love are not metta. They are lust, greed and craving.

        Metta is the pure form of love which can bring peace and prosperity to all beings.

How To Radiate Loving-kindness

        Developing and transmitting repeatedly one's benevolence for the welfare of others is called Metta Bhavana-cultivation of loving-kindness.

       Cultivation of loving-kindness should be given priority to oneself. By doing so, one develops one's sympathetic consideration for others wishing them to be happy and free from danger as oneself. Loving-kindness should not be radiated to the dead because they are unable to accept it.

        First of all, concentrate your mind on the form of the person whom you want to radiate loving-kindness, till you come to discern his figures from head to toe, just as looking at his photograph. Then, radiate your loving-kindness to him while contemplating repeatedly thus: "May he be happy. May he be free from enmity". This is the method how to radiate one's loving-kindness towards others.

        According to the admonition of some prominent and reverend teachers in Myanmar, to be more effective in radiating loving-kind ness, one should practise as follows:

              (1) First observe the moral precepts.

              (2) Sit cross-legged keeping the body upright. Place your palms one upon another facing upwards with the tips of your thumbs touching each other. Without drooping your head, sit still with steadfast mindfulness on the person to whom loving-kindness is being radiated.

               (3) Focus your mind on the person to whom you want to radiate loving-kindness visualising his personality. Then, contemplate in your rnind-eye, cultivate your loving-kindnss repeatedly and earnestly thus: "May he be happy and free from for at least fifteen to thirty minutes.

              (4) When you can successfully radiate loving-kindness to a particular person, can radiate your loving-kindness in the same way to many people, to the village, to the whole country and even to the whole world.

        When you are accustomed to that practice, it will not be difficult for you to radiate your loving-kindness to all beings in all directions..

The Benefits of Radiating Loving-kindness

        The benefits of loving-kindness are greater than those attainable from the practices of charity and morality. The benefits produced by cultivating loving-kindness for just a short moment are greater than those obtained by offering one hundred pots of cooked rice three times a day.

        A person who cultivates loving-kindness can enjoy eleven kinds of benefits according to the teachings of the Buddha.

1. He enjoys a sound sleep.
2. He wakes up peacefully.
3. He does not have bad dreams.
4. He is loved by human beings.
5. He is loved by non-human beings.
6. He is guarded by devas.
7. He is unaffected by fire, poison and weapons.
8. He can develop concentration quickly.
9. His face is serene and cheerful.
10. He never dies in bewilderment.
11. He may be reborn in the brahma realm when he dies.