[Fiesialenp]

The first place to start in spiritual practise is Metta.

Metta means love, an unconditional love, not a love dependent on the condition of our personality or on the body, speech and mind of others. This love also expresses itself as limitless friendship and boundless loving kindness. The power of such love makes it a divine abiding; literally a divine way of Life.

The Buddha taught that if you want to be like a god, then live a life suffused with Metta. The Buddha urged us to live in the power of metta, of love, to bridge the chasm between oneself the others. This indeed is a Brahma Vihara meaning the Abode of the gods.

1. Unconditional love, 2. an immeasurable compassion, 3. all pervading appreciative joy and 4. unwavering equanimity reveal an extraordinarily expansive heart amidst the most challenging of circumstances in daily life. Equanimity means a deep inner peace when confronted with immensely challenging circumstances and this quality is equally important as we will inevitably meet with hurdles big and small.

Unconditional love is a powerful force that sweeps away negativity, pity, envy and indifference. It can only emerge out of deep realisations, insights in the nature of things and the authentic liberation of the heart for it goes beyond self, me or mine. It goes beyond my Religion, clan, creed, nationality or race. This love reveals itself equally in personal relationships as well as in great acts of selfless kindness towards others.

The Buddha pointed to us the powerful qualities of love, compassion, appreciative joy and equanimity challenging us to have the extraordinary capacity to go far beyond all limits and boundaries that the 'self' tries to set.

Practising Buddhists need to recognise the immense significance of these Brahma Viharas as the confirmation of the transformed heart.

If a person’s heart enters into Metta, the person will never be the same again. He or she won’t go back into the mundane realms of greed and hate, desire and aversion.


Karaniya Metta Sutta

This is what should be done
By one who is skilled in goodness
And who knows the path of peace:
Let them be able and upright,
Straightforward and gentle in speech,
Humble and not conceited,
Contented and easily satisfied,
Unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways.
Peaceful and calm, and wise and skillful,
Not proud and demanding in nature.
Let them not do the slightest thing
That the wise would later reprove,
Wishing: In gladness and in safety,
May all beings be at ease.
Whatever living beings there may be,
Whether they are weak or strong, omitting none,
The great or the mighty, medium, short, or small,
The seen and the unseen,
Those living near and far away,
Those born and to be born,
May all beings be at ease.
Let none deceive another
Or despise any being in any state.
Let none through anger or ill-will
Wish harm upon another.
Even as a mother protects with her life
Her child, her only child,
So with a boundless heart
Should one cherish all living beings,
Radiating kindness over the entire world:
Spreading upwards to the skies
And downwards to the depths,
Outwards and unbounded,
Freed from hatred and ill-will.
Whether standing or walking, seated or lying down,
Free from drowsiness,
One should sustain this recollection.
This is said to be the sublime abiding.
By not holding to fixed vews,
The pure-hearted one, having clarity of vision,
Being freed from all sense-desires,
Is not born again into this world.