Ancient expression of well wishing metta

The Sutra of Golden Light is estimated to have been accumulated around 2000 years ago, and contain an ancient well wishing and expression of metta (4.78-4.92):

May all the beings throughout every world

Become free of suffering and attain happiness.

May all those with incomplete faculties

Have their physical features made complete.

May beings with no protector, and bodies

Weakened by the suffering of their illness,

All have the suffering of their illness cease

And have improved faculties, color, and power.

May those to be executed for breaking the king’s law,

Who are tormented by many sufferings and in extreme misery,

Who are experiencing this unendurable suffering

Without having anyone to protect or save them‍—

And those who are struck by weapons and bound,

Whose bodies are tortured by various harmful instruments

And are experiencing countless thousands of miseries,

Their bodies in pain and without the slightest happiness‍—

May all of them become freed from their bonds,

From the beatings, suffering, and torments.

May the lives of those to be killed be saved

And all their many sufferings completely cease.

May beings who are pained by hunger and thirst

Obtain various kinds of the sublime, best flavors.

May the blind see forms, the deaf hear sounds,

The crippled walk, and the mute speak.

May poor beings obtain a treasure of jewels,

Have a treasury that increases and never diminishes,

And may all beings attain sublime, supreme happiness

And never experience suffering.

May they obtain a beautiful, sublime appearance

That all devas and humans will wish to see,

And may they directly experience limitless happiness

And possess pleasures, prosperity, and merit.

May there arise many kinds of perfect music

That are the exact music those beings wish to hear.

If they wish for water, may there appear perfectly cool pools

Upon which float flowers of gold.

May what those beings wish for‍—

Food, drink, clothes, thrones, and seats;

Gold, silver, and beryl jewels,

And every string of jewelry‍—perfectly appear.

May beings not hear anything unpleasant

And not see any disharmony between anyone.

May all their physical features be beautiful,

And may each being be kind and loving.

May they obtain, as soon as they think of them,

Every possession and requisite that brings happiness in the world.

May they find wealth and without ever being in need

Divide their possessions and give them to beings.

May incense and perfumes, powders and ointments,

Various flowers of every kind of color

Fall from the trees three times each day,

And may there be happiness from the enjoyments wished for.

May all beings make offerings to the jina lords

In the ten directions; to the three yānas,

The pure and sublime doors to the Dharma; and to the saṅgha of

Bodhisattvas, pratyekabuddhas, and śrāvakas.

May they never have a low rebirth

Or fall into the eight unfortunate states,

But gain a supreme human’s riches and freedoms

And attend on the buddhas in the ten directions.

The 8 unfortunate states are: (1) being born in a hell realm, (2) as an animal, (3) as a hungry ghost, (4) as a long-life god, (5) in a borderland or non-Buddhist country, (6) having wrong views, (7) as someone with impaired faculties who is unable to understand the teachings, or (8) in a time or place where no buddha has come.

I sometimes wonder when the path is all about entering the Dharmakaya, the unconditioned, non-dualistic realm, why well wishes are about conditions and conditionality. I think the emotion of wishing others well is crucial when you understand we're all connected, interbeing and all that. You are wishing people well as an act of insight and positive emotion development. 

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.

Metta

I can't remember when that retreat was.

I went on a Brahma Vihara retreat in 2002, and I fell in love with metta meditation. Lately I've really been liking anapanasati, so now I can empathize with people who feel like metta meditation is a chore. I don't get that feeling in my head like I'm coming out of warp speed. That feeling might be an illusion, a pleasurable experience I grasp at. 

Metta Monday is the way to go. At least once a week. Better yet, today I'll also do compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity. That's a lot of meditation. Sometimes I do an hour meditation where I do them all laying down. What a wonderful thing, 20 stages, 3 minutes each. I'm not really into complicated meditation apps that lose my data and are really designed as money makers, but you might have to resort to one of those for that meditation.

I'm working on self compassion with the Kristin Neff book. She's the expert. I like the way she put it, self compassion has all the good elements of working on self esteem, without the bad elements. Working on self esteem can easily go wrong, but compassion can't. Compassion is an aspect of metta. It's just a joyous feeling at others well being too. I think of myself sledding as a kid, I used to really enjoy that. Simple joy and well being. Wishing that on others and myself. 

A near and dear friend in this day and age can be hard. Society has gotten a little more reserved since Covid. That might be a good thing, in some ways. It can just be someone you'd like to get to know better too. There's plenty of those people around if you hang out with sangha. There's a natural tendency to focus on sangha folk. 

The neutral I call Rando. Someone at the grocery store, just to get an image, but then I start thinking about the grocery store, and that stirs up a lot of feelings. My grocery store doesn't stock the things I like, they run out of them. Things come in groups, and I just like the one thing, but they don't stock up the other parts. I like one kind of samosa, because it's vegan, but there are all these chicken ones. I like a vegan mac and cheese, but they don't stock it any more. And on and on. I think about how Thoreau's mother survived the summer without summer when she was pregnant, because she didn't drink coffee or tea. 

I call the sort of delinquent kid near me Malfoy. There are difficult adults, but I don't hold out much hope for their change, but I'm hoping my metta can get into Malfoy. 

Spreading metta around the world, and out into the universe. I try not to get all caught up in all the amazing photography. I think the reason we haven't been visited by aliens is the distance. Those scifi shots of space ships with stars whizzing by, well I don't believe them. They make the stars too close together. 

Brahma Viharas

The canon of present day books on the Brahma Viharas is pretty hard to track down, it's taken me some 20 years to collect books about this Buddhist topic.

I read Boundless Heart  (2017) by Christina Feldman.

Tara Brach's Radical Self-Acceptance is perhaps quite supportive.

Compassion and Emptiness in Early Buddhist Meditation by Analayo.

Heart by Vessantara.

Lovingkindness by Sharon Salzberg is another book.

Just found Love and Sympathy in Theravada Buddhism by Harvey Aronson (1980). Going to be trying that one out.

I also need to get through the Visuddhimagga.

Kamalashila book on meditation has a section on the meditation which was where I learned it. It talks about the near and far enemies to metta, karuna, mudita and upeksa. A friend in social work school like the idea of horrified anxiety that you get when you look at others suffering. The near enemy to karuna is pity.

Anyone else want to add books to the list about Brahma Viharas?

Someone added:

A Guide to Tranquil Wisdom Insight Meditation by Bhante Vimalaraṁsi

Awakening Loving Kindness by Pema Chodron

The Sublime Attitudes: A Study Guide on the Brahmaviharas, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu (here)

Audio meditations:

Bhikkhu Anālayo on Barre Center for Buddhist Studies.

Metta

(credit)

I wouldn't say I struggle with metta, because I do it, but I do think sometimes beginners might be harsh on themselves when wellsprings of metta don't just gush out of them. This is an attempt to build up from what's there.

Metta is sometimes translated as universal lovingkindness. A pretty high ideal. The amazing thing is that you can move towards that ideal. I find it useful to move towards that idea.

(I had a friend confronting some friends about places in America where you can't run for office if you're not a Christian. One person said, "if you're not a Christian I don't know your values." I would argue you don't really know someone's real values even if someone calls themselves a Christian. The idea that we can't have a secular or a non-Christian ethics, is Christian presumptive. Like they're the only ones who have developed morals. And even if you know someone's ideals, you don't know how successful they are at moving towards them. Even so, I think the use of ideals is important is being something more than a materialist or a nihilist.)

I like it that people are honest, when I am honest, and don't ape a spiritual personality by pretending that you are full of metta. Getting really close to the bone and seeing what's there is so important. A friend's recent reporting in impressed me in expressing the struggle to find a deeper metta.

I suppose it doesn't exactly feel triumphant to notice when you fall short, but in a way, metta practice can be about that. Reframing things in a positive way can avoid a heavy negative load.

In the first stage, I connect with just a basic desire to survive, if metta doesn't gush out, and I build on that.

In the second stage, I notice how in someone it's easy when you really like someone to have sticky affection--what do I get from them? I want to move more to a thou relationship, so I listen and hope for that.

In the third stage, I notice how I split. Either you're for me, or against me. I appreciate the various levels in which I do that, and appreciate the fact that I don't always do that, and I can take the larger perspective.

In the forth stage, I think about how I don't appreciate the circumstances enough to have seen why a person would be cast as an enemy. I resist reality in so many ways, and this is another example.

The fifth stage is the hardest for me, because spreading a lack of something, well, it's like trying to butter toast without enough butter. I can line all 4 people up and see if I can equalize the metta. I can also think about ever widening circles. Me, my household, my floor, my apartment building, my block, my neighborhood, my borough, my city, my metropolitan area, the surrounding states, the region, the nation, the continent, the other continents, the whole planet, the solar system, the cosmos. That feels like an academic exercise, but I do appreciate that there might be life outside of earth, and to just beam whatever positive feeling I can out into it. I can also think about all the different species on the planet, from the ones most related to me and beyond. (There's a funny and NSFW account of rebirth by Andy from Weeds.) I also notice how I get lost in this stage, that I have really found what really works for me in this stage, and that this is such a rich practice and that 11 years of practice doesn't really even begin to plumb the depths of it.

And as always when things get so airy fairy, I can also use that stage to reconnect back in with myself, how I'm feeling, and feel the fruits of the practice.

End note: For just sitting there, I think a lot about my todo list. Refining my todo list isn't the purpose of meditation, but it is a fruit, in my opinion.

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(Note: Sometimes it's hard to trace back to who actually posted a photo because people reblog things a lot on Tumblr. I'm working harder to credit the photos I post, and not post when people don't want their photos used by others. That would be taking the not given.)

While I was gone

I was away from my computer for almost a week. So there's a lot of amazing stuff that came out in a week.

Here's Norman Fisher:



Also Danny Fisher has a post about Buddhist books for children.

Here's a link about what appears to be offensive statements to Dalits.

Bodhi has a good post on the metta sutra.

More updates on NNBY.

Please go and donate money to support our all night meditation and youth in India.

I continue to be fascinated by what other Buddhist do on Xmas.

Thank you to the Tricycle blog for including me on their blog roll. I'm a little slow at catching these things.

By the way, as I drove 19 hours today and yesterday I listened to a bunch of awesome talks on Free Buddhist Audio!

The level 8 Buddhist has been working on a Kukai entry on Wikipedia. Cool.

Jayarava has a sexy post.

The Worst Horse found a new e-zine.