Metta

The hardest stage for me in metta (self, near and dear, neutral, enemy, equalize and spread) is the neutral and equalizing. Hardest maybe isn't the word, I suppose I find myself frustrated I can't just flip a switch, and when that happens, I just know to listen with patience. 

Then that extends to the last stage where you equalize. I have such sticky affection, I see the world through how everything benefits me, how things function to my benefit. Even the enemy I've got something to chew on, they rubbed me the wrong way, harmed me, so I'm trying to look past that, and in a way it's an equalizing maneuver.

I did mudita with K on Thursday and just radiating good was his take. A sort of arupa jhana. I think about all the qualities in terms of other people, and again, I'm viewing it through my own small interests. I get kind of irritated by statements like, I can't get past my ego, but here I am, I feel like saying that. The ego is a good thing, it protects us from going insane, and we need to be sensitive to the fact that narcissism keeps some people sane, all the defensive traits we might hate, are basically keeping people off life support or worse. You can't flip a switch on that stuff either. There are long term projects in Buddhism. To see things clearly, to be creative instead of reactive. 

I have a picture of the grand canyon on my shrine. Aside from being a beautiful thing to see, I think about the erosion of years and years to get down deeper and deeper into the older and older rock. The same thing with meditation, we're getting deeper and deeper into the bedrock. 

I also think about computer code. There are layers and layers, and the bottom layer is the machine code. Your childhood gives you the bottom layer of code, and it's really hard to change that code.

Mettam Sutta: The Brahma-viharas (excerpt) translated from the Pali by Maurice O'Connell Walshe

"And how, monks, does a monk cultivate the heart's release by loving-kindness?[1] What is its goal, its excellence, its fruit and its outcome?

"In this case, monks, a monk cultivates the enlightenment-factor of mindfulness accompanied by loving-kindness and similarly the enlightenment-factors of investigation-of-states, energy, rapture, tranquillity, concentration, equanimity, accompanied by loving-kindness which is based on detachment, dispassion, leading to maturity of surrender. If he wishes to dwell perceiving the repulsive in what is not repulsive, he dwells thus perceiving the repulsive. If he wishes to dwell perceiving the unrepulsive in what is repulsive, he dwells thus perceiving the unrepulsive. If he wishes to dwell perceiving the repulsive both in what is repulsive and what is not repulsive, if he wishes to dwell perceiving the unrepulsive in both..., he dwells thus. If he wishes, avoiding both the repulsive and unrepulsive, to dwell equanimous,[2] mindful and clearly aware,[3] he dwells thus, equanimous, mindful and clearly aware, or, attaining the heart's release called 'beautiful'[4] he abides there. I declare that the heart's release by loving-kindness has the beautiful for its excellence. This is the attainment of a wise monk who penetrates to no higher release.[5]

"And how, monks, does a monk cultivate release by compassion? What is its goal, its excellence, its fruit and its outcome?

"In this, monks, a monk cultivates the enlightenment-factors of mindfulness... equanimity accompanied by compassion... [as above]... he dwells thus, equanimous, mindful, clearly aware or, by passing utterly beyond all perception of objects, by the going-down of perceptions of sensory reactions,[6] by disregarding perceptions of diversity, thinking 'space is infinite,' he attains and dwells in the sphere of infinite space.[7] I declare that the heart's release by compassion has the sphere of infinite space for its excellence. This is the attainment of a wise monk who penetrates to no higher release.

"And how, monks, does a monk cultivate the heart's release by sympathetic joy? What is its goal, its excellence, its fruit and its outcome?

"In this, monks, a monk cultivates the enlightenment-factors of mindfulness... equanimity accompanied by sympathetic joy... [as above]... he dwells thus, equanimous, mindful, clearly aware or, by passing utterly beyond the sphere of infinite space, thinking 'consciousness is infinite,' he attains and dwells in the sphere of infinite consciousness.[8] I declare that the heart's release by sympathetic joy has the sphere of infinite consciousness for its excellence. This is the attainment of a wise monk who penetrates to no higher release.

"And how, monks, does a monk cultivate the heart's release by equanimity? What is its goal, its excellence, its fruit and its outcome?

"In this case, monks, a monk cultivates the enlightenment-factors of mindfulness, investigation-of-states, energy, rapture, tranquillity, concentration, equanimity accompanied by equanimity[9] which is based on detachment, dispassion, leading to maturity of surrender. If he wishes to dwell... [as above]... he dwells thus, equanimous, mindful and clearly aware. Or by passing utterly beyond the sphere of infinite consciousness, thinking 'there is nothing,' he attains and dwells in the sphere of nothingness.[10] I declare that the heart's release by equanimity had the sphere of nothingness for its excellence. This is the attainment of a wise monk who penetrates to no higher release."

(Source: Access To Insight)

The Four Sublime States by Nyanaponika Thera

Quote from DN 13 (Sutta Central):

"It’s when a Realized One arises in the world, perfected, a fully awakened Buddha … That’s how a mendicant is accomplished in ethics. … Seeing that the hindrances have been given up in them, joy springs up. Being joyful, rapture springs up. When the mind is full of rapture, the body becomes tranquil. When the body is tranquil, they feel bliss. And when blissful, the mind becomes immersed.

They meditate spreading a heart full of love to one direction, and to the second, and to the third, and to the fourth. In the same way above, below, across, everywhere, all around, they spread a heart full of love to the whole world—abundant, expansive, limitless, free of enmity and ill will. Here the four brahmavihāras (“meditations of Brahmā”) stand in place of the four jhānas. Brahmavihāras are simply one of the means by which jhānas may be attained, chosen here to fit the stated goal of teaching the path to Brahmā. They were evidently pre-Buddhist, although they have not been traced as a group in pre-Buddhist texts. However, they are shared with later non-Buddhist texts such as Yogasūtra 1.33 and the Jain Tattvārthasūtra 7.11. | “Love” (mettā) is a universal positive regard and well-wishing free of personal desires or attachments.

Suppose there was a powerful horn blower. They’d easily make themselves heard in the four quarters. In the same way, when the heart’s release by love has been developed like this, any limited deeds they’ve done don’t remain or persist there. The mind in jhāna is so powerful that it effectively overrides any limited kamma, including ordinary good or bad deeds. Unless they have committed serious crimes with a fixed kammic result such as matricide, etc., the meditator will be reborn in a Brahmā realm.This is a path to company with Brahmā.

Furthermore, a mendicant meditates spreading a heart full of compassion … “Compassion” (karuṇā) is the quality of empathy with the suffering of another or oneself and the wish to remove it.

They meditate spreading a heart full of rejoicing … “Rejoicing” (muditā) is joyful celebration in the success of others or oneself, free of jealousy or cynicism.

They meditate spreading a heart full of equanimity to one direction, and to the second, and to the third, and to the fourth. In the same way above, below, across, everywhere, all around, they spread a heart full of equanimity to the whole world—abundant, expansive, limitless, free of enmity and ill will. Equanimity (upekkhā) is literally “close watching”, not interfering but standing ready when needed. It is not indifference, which is why it emerges only at the end, after the positive emotions are developed.

Suppose there was a powerful horn blower. They’d easily make themselves heard in the four quarters. In the same way, when the heart’s release by equanimity has been developed and cultivated like this, any limited deeds they’ve done don’t remain or persist there. This too is a path to company with Brahmā."

Karaniya Metta Sutta

"According to British scholar of Buddhism Peter Harvey, the Buddhist scriptures acknowledge that the four brahmavihārā meditation practices "did not originate within the Buddhist tradition".[12] The Buddha never claimed that the "four immeasurables" were his unique ideas, in a manner similar to "cessation, quieting, nirvana"." (Wikipedia)

Saṁyutta Nikāya 46.54. Accompanied by Lovingkindness:

"Avoiding both the unrepulsive and the repulsive, may I dwell equanimously, mindful and clearly comprehending"

"by completely transcending the base of the infinity of consciousness, aware that ‘there is nothing,’ he enters and dwells in the base of nothingness. Bhikkhus, the liberation of mind by equanimity has the base of nothingness as its culmination, I say, for a wise bhikkhu here who has not penetrated to a superior liberation.”"

Found this with my commentary in parentheses:

Here's the number of occurences of most mentioned practice names in the Sutta Pitaka:

mettaṃ (72)          (this is metta)
aniccasaññā (57)   (impermanence)
anattasaññā (46).   (no permanent self)
muditā (37)            (sympathetic joy)
asubhasaññā (33).  (not beauty--I think that one is to counter lust, maybe)
ānāpānassati (30).  (mindfulness of breathing)

Been looking into the origins of just sitting or Shikantaza: "Shikantaza is Dogen's Japanese translation of the Chinese phrase zhǐguǎn dǎzuò "just sitting." The phrase was used by his teacher Rujing, a monk of the Caodong school of Chan Buddhism, to refer to the meditation-practice called "Silent Illumination", or "Serene Reflection," taught by the Caodong master Hongzhi Zhengjue (1091-1157). In Japan, it is associated with the Zen Soto school. In shikantaza one does not focus attention on a specific object (such as the breath); instead, practitioners "just sit" in a state of conscious awareness." Wow, it is after Kukai's time, which is half way between us and the Buddha, in time.