That chant just now is called the Karaṇīya Mettā Sutta because the
first words are* karaṇīya*, “what should be done.” The whole phrase
is, “what should be done by one skilled in aims.”
To be skilled in aims, you have to think about the long-term: What
would be conducive to a true, long-term happiness? Much of the sutta
is about goodwill. You …
… contemplation of the unattractiveness of the body, and
mindfulness of death. It sounds like a rather random collection and,
in the sense that they focus on different defilements, they are
diverse. Metta is usually used as the antidote to anger; contemplation
of the body as an antidote to lust; recollection of the Buddha as an
antidote to discouragement and nihilism; and recollection of death …
… For lay people, when you’re here in the relative wilderness of Metta as opposed to your homes, that reflection gets you started in the right direction. You see that the problem of suffering is not anything “out there.” It’s largely in the way you perceive things, the way you fabricate things. And the process of meditation is a progressively refined understanding of …
… When I came
back to Wat Metta after all those years in Thailand, it was hard to
get used to this, because over there, this is the time of evening when
the mosquitoes are out. And it’s not just a matter of not liking the
feel of the mosquito bite—the mosquitoes that carry malaria come out
at this time of day, too …
… Here at Wat Metta, we’re part of the forest tradition, but physically we’re widely separated from where most of the tradition is being practiced in Thailand. It’s by trying to maintain the culture of the noble ones that we maintain a sense of closeness to the rest of the tradition. The same holds true when you leave the monastery. Try to …
… That’s a huge misunderstanding that comes from the passage in the
Karaniya Metta Sutta about developing an unlimited mind of unlimited
goodwill for the world in the same way you a mother would protect her
only child. This doesn’t mean that you try to protect the entire world
as a mother would protect her child. There’s no way you can do …
… I’ve told you the story about the person who once complained about the
first line in the Metta Sutta, “This is what should be done by those
who want to aim at a state of peace.” He said, “Wait a minute. What’s
this ‘should’ in here? I thought Buddhism didn’t have any shoulds.”
The “should” there is conditional. If you want …
… Ajaan Suwat, when led the meditation here at Metta, would often say, “Start with a sense of pasada, that this is your way out. Stick with the practice with that sense of conviction, confidence, desire. If you approach the meditation in a desultory way, you’re going to get desultory results. You really have to be devoted to what you’re doing here.” Or …
… What do I do to cut this reflex? Should I use mettā in a systematic way?
A: One, use mettā. And two, remind yourself of all your many lifetimes in which you probably were born uglier and sillier-looking than those people. Really. You didn’t want people to mock you when you looked like that, right? And if it so happens that you …
Fix Your Views
October 27, 2021
There’s a line in the Karaniya Metta Sutta that’s sometimes translated as not holding to fixed views. I’ve been tempted to take that translation and send it in to the people who collect fake Buddhist quotes, because the word fixed doesn’t appear in the passage.
There’s no place where the Buddha says fixed …
… It’s even possible to work with metta or any of the brahma-viharas as the basis for your concentration. As long as you then use that concentration as a basis for further developing the factors for awakening—and in particular, discernment about what you’re doing as you create a state of mind—that, too, can be one of the pleasant ways of …
… Or when casting spells, they repeat the phrase, ‘Na-mettā, mo-karuṇā, da-love me, I won’t go, you come, omasavāha’ – they say that this makes a woman really fall for a man. This sort of thing disqualifies the phrase, even though its original meaning may have been something good.
But if we revere the Dhamma and make use of it through the …
… There’s that passage in the
beginning of the Karaniya Metta Sutta, “This is what should be done by
those who appreciate the state of peace.”
I once sat in on a class being taught by someone else on that sutta,
taking it apart line by line. As he got to the first line, a hand shot
up, “I thought there were no shoulds …
… Sometimes we think of metta as kind
of weak and namby-pamby. It’s not. It’s a power. This is the power
that the Buddha depended on in order to gain awakening, to teach his
teachings. After all, the four noble truths: What are they but an
expression of goodwill? Taking everybody’s suffering as the big issue
and showing how we can …
… There’s that first line in Karaniya Metta Sutta,
Karaniyam-attha-kusalena yantam santam padam abhisamecca: This is to
be done by one skilled in aims, breaking through to the state of
peace. No one is forcing you to aim at the state of peace. The Buddha
never set himself up as a god. But, he says, if you look at the world
the …
… Which is why that sutta we chant every now and then, the Karaṇīya
Mettā Sutta, talks about how to live in a way that’s actually in
harmony with universal goodwill. You’re easy to instruct. You don’t
have lots of activities going around that involve taking advantage of
other people. Your senses are under control. There’s a whole list at
the …
… The Sublime Attitudes
(Mettā – Goodwill)
Ahaṁ sukhito homi
May I be happy.
Niddukkho homi
May I be free from stress & pain.
Avero homi
May I be free from animosity.
Abyāpajjho homi
May I be free from oppression.
Anīgho homi
May I be free from trouble.
Sukhī attānaṁ pariharāmi
May I look after myself with ease.
Sabbe sattā sukhitā hontu.
May all living beings be …
… This is one of the reasons why when we translate mettā, I prefer translating it as goodwill and not as loving-kindness, because the Buddha’s not asking you to love other beings, but you can wish them well.
Ajaan Fuang tells the story of a time when a snake came into his room. Every time he entered the room, the snake would slip …
… Which is why that sutta we chant every now and then, the Karaniya Metta Sutta, talks about how to live in a way that’s actually in harmony with universal goodwill: You’re easy to instruct. You don’t have lots of activities going on that involve taking advantage of other people. Your senses are under control. There’s a whole list at the …
… Ajaan Suwat, when he was here toward the last year or two of
this time at Wat Metta: Up to that point we’d been doing the chanting
in Pali with Thai translations. He turned to me one day and said,
“It’s about time we started doing it in English around here.” So he
had me do the English translations we chanted just …
Q&A | Facing Aging, Illness, & Death
… What do I do to cut this reflex? Should I use mettā in a systematic way? A: One, use mettā. And two, remind yourself of all your many lifetimes in which you probably were born uglier and sillier-looking than those people. Really. You didn’t want people to mock you when you looked like that, right? And if it so happens that you …
Tough Goodwill for a Tough World
… Which is why that sutta we chant every now and then, the Karaṇīya Mettā Sutta, talks about how to live in a way that’s actually in harmony with universal goodwill. You’re easy to instruct. You don’t have lots of activities going around that involve taking advantage of other people. Your senses are under control. There’s a whole list at the …
