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E-mail: bdea@buddhanet.net
Web site: www.buddhanet.net
Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc.
Ven. Dhammarakkhita
Metta Bhavana
Loving-kindness Meditation
Venerable Dhammarakkhita
Published for free diribution
isnx 9743441301
First cdition ,ccc copics
August acc.
nquirics:
Ms. Savanraya \ipatayotin (Nay)
hammodaya Mcditation Ccntrc
/. Mu Tambol Tanon Khat
Ampur Muang, Nakhon Pathom ,ccc, Tailand
Tcl. (66.) .c6a. Fax. (66a) a,.a6
Vcbsitc: http//www.rissir.com/dhammodaya
mail: dhammodayaChotmail.com
Cover design by Dhammarakkhita
with technical assistance from
Khun Sangthong Srikaewpraphan
Metta Bhavana
Loving-kindness Meditation
Venerable Dhammarakkhita
\cncrablc hammarakkhita is an Australian 8uddhist Monk
ol thc Myanmar Tcravada tradition. Hc has bccn a monk
lor about cight ycars. Altcr cxtcnsivc and intcnsivc practicc
in vipassanamindlulncss/insight mcditation in Australia
and Myanmar, his tcachcr \cncrablc Chanmyay Sayadaw
instructcd him to tcach vipassana in Myanmar, Singaporc and
ast and Vcst Malaysia. \cncrablc hammarakkhita spcnt
thrcc ycars succcsslully cstablishing a monastcry in South
Alrica. Tcsc days hc tcachcs by invitation in Myanmar, Japan
and Tailand and givcs talks whcrcvcr hc gocs.
If you truly love yourself,
youll easily love another,
If you truly love yourself,
youll never harm another.
v
Introducion
Tis short cxplanation on how to practisc Mctta 8havana or
Loving kindncss Mcditation was givcn as a thrccday wcck
cnd rctrcat at hammodaya Mcditation Ccntrc in Nakhon
Pathom in Tailand. Macchcc 8oonyanandi, a Tai 8uddhist
nun, has invitcd \cncrablc Chanmyay Saya daw ol Myanmar
to bc thc patron ol thc Ccntrc.
Macchcc 8oonyanandis daughtcr, Nay, a rcsidcnt and
coloundcr ol hammodaya with hcr mothcr, was my skilllul
translator. Tc talks havc bccn mcticulously transcribcd into
both nglish and Tai by Vidhanya (Khun Knot) and this
nglish vcrsion is cditcd by mc. Sincc this is my own work,
!vc takcn somc litcrary liccnsc and addcd somc morc points
which havc comc to light through my own practicc sincc !
gavc thc talks in accc. Howcvcr, thc body ol thc tcxt and thc
mcaning ol thc mcssagc rcmains largcly thc samc. Plcasc bc
awarc that ! had to spcak simply and in short scntcnccs lor casy
trans lation and comprchcnsion which may not always bc so
smooth to rcad. Also, thc grammar uscd is spokcn, not lormal
writtcn grammar.
!n this tcxt, thcrc arc somc words lrom thc ancicnt Pali
languagc, thc scriptural languagc lor Tcravada 8uddhism.
Tosc words arc in bold typc with thc mcaning in brackcts
upon rst mccting thcm, altcrwards thcy arc printcd normally.
Tc lollowing glossary will hclp you to quickly rclcrcncc thc
mcanings. Tc glossary is not comprchcnsivc.
! usc thc words mctta and lovingkindncss in thc samc
way. Mctta translatcs as lovingkindncss. Tis is not simply
vi
lovc, nor just kindncss, nor is it only lovc and kindncss, it is
kindncss which has a quality ol lovc and carc about it. ! also
call it wcllwishing: Unconditional wcllwishing lor thc
salcty, happincss, good hcalth and comlort ol any living bcing
or bcings, including oncscll. !n my talks, ! usc thc words loving
kindncss and mctta intcrchangcably, somctimcs cvcn in thc
samc scntcncc.
Mctta is univcrsal and docsnt bclong to any pcoplc, racc
or rcligion but it is opcn and lrcc lor anyonc to try and scc lor
thcmsclvcs. 8oth 8uddhists and Non8uddhists cnjoy thc way
ol mctta all ovcr thc world, its soothing lor modcrn pcoplc.
! am complctcly rcsponsiblc lor any crrors or misdircc
tions that arc containcd hcrcin. !m ncithcr a scholar nor a writcr,
just somconc who has practiscd lovingkindncss according to
thc instructions as wc nd thcm today. Tis is not a complctc
or pcrlcct sct ol instructions, it is just somc advicc that ! oncc
gavc. My mind, my own cxpcricncc is always cvolving, cvcn as
! writc this. Nothing, nobody is pcrlcct bccausc cvcrything is
changing. Pcoplc practisc and tcach mctta in many dicrcnt
ways. !, too, havc lound my own stylc and sharc it lor thosc
who scck. Ultimatcly, it is thc quality ol oncs hcart that is
important and not thc intricacics ol thc tcchniquc.
!t is my sinccrc wish that you may nd somcthing usc
lul lor your lilc amongst thcsc pagcs ol simplc words and may
you sharc your loving kindncss with your lricnds, lamily and
all living bcings.
May all beings live in Peace and harmony.
Dhammarakkhita
n~::ob~v~ Mvbi:~:iox Cvx:vv, N~xnox P~:no:, Tn~ii~xb.
vii
Contents
IN+voouc+:oN ........................................................................................................... v
A S:xviv Giossavv ......................................................................................... ix
ONv Iv:oav xovN:Nc ............................................................................ 1
Iv:oav vvvN:Nc ................................................................................................... 11
Mo+nvvs av
Sa+uvoav xovN:Nc ....................................................................................... 25
Sa+uvoav vvvN:Nc ......................................................................................... 40
SuNoav xovN:Nc ............................................................................................... 50
Mv++a Su++a +vaNsia+:oN .......................................................... 61
Life is better with Metta!
ix
A Simple Glossary
Anatta !mpcrsonal naturc ol mind and mattcr/ no scll.
Avijja !gnorancc.
Chanmyay Sayadaw (8urmcsc/Myanmar) Chanmyay
mcans pcacclul and Sayadaw mcans rcspcctcd tcachcr.
evaloka Hcavcn.
hamma Natural Law/ 8uddhas tcachings.
hammarakkhita Guardian/ protcctor ol thc hamma.
hammodaya Flourishing tcaching ol thc 8uddha.
osa Avcrsion/ hatrcd.
ukkha Sucring/ dissatislaction/ impcrlcction.
Kuti Mcditation hut.
Iobha csirc/ grccd.
Metta Bhavana Lovingkindncss mcditation.
Moha Conlusion/ dclusion.
Nama Mind.
Nibbana nlightcnmcnt.
Noble Iightfold Path ight lactors that can lcad to cnlightcnmcnt.
Pannya Visdom.
Kupa Mattcr.
Samadhi Conccntration/ tranquility.
Samatha Conccntration/ tranquility dcvclopmcnt/ mcditation.
Sila Morality.
Teravada Tcaching ol thc cldcrs.
Vipassana Mindlulncss/ insight.
.
Metta Bhavana
Loving-Kindness Meditation
ONv Iv:oav xovN:Nc
First ol all, !m surpriscd so many pcoplc can comc hcrc on a
Friday and it is nicc to scc so many pcoplc. !t is vcry noticcablc
though, that thcrc arc only thrcc mcn (two mcn and a monk)
out ol thc twcntyvc pcoplc in lront ol us.
Tis is going to bc a somcwhat rclaxcd and gcntlc timc
and just to makc you lccl morc comlortablc, wc can dispcnsc
with thc word mcditation, wc can just usc thc word loving
kindncss or simply, dcvcloping loving kindncss. Vc also usc thc
word cultivating. Cultivating mcans growing. !l you cultivatc
ricc lor cxamplc, you clcar thc cld and prcparc it niccly, thcn
you plant thc small ricc plants. Altcrwards, you carc lor thc
cld whilc thc ricc is growing. So, rst ol all, by simply com
ing to thc rctrcat ccntrc, wc arc in thc conducivc cnviron mcnt
lor dcvcloping our hcart to makc it rcady lor lovingkindncss
to grow. Tcn wc plant thc sccds by listcning and practising.
8ccausc wc dont havc so much timc this morning to givc thc
lull cxplanation, ! want to givc you somc practical points to
gct startcd with dcvcloping lovingkindncss.
Firstly, thcrc is thc lact that lovingkindncss is somcthing
that all bcings havc, it is common to all bcings. Howcvcr, thc
dcgrcc ol our obstructions, hindranccs or mcntal dclcmcnts
varics. 8y sccing through thcsc dclcmcnts, by rcmoving thcm,
wc can tunc into our natural and purc hcart ol lovingkindncss.
a
Tcrc arc lour phrascs that arc givcn in 8uddhism lor
dcvcloping lovingkindncss. You may bc lamiliar with thc
lincs:
Aham avero homi. (May ! bc lrcc lrom cnmity and dangcr)
Abayabajjo homi. (May ! bc lrcc lrom mcntal sucring)
Aniggo homi. (May ! bc lrcc lrom physical sucring)
Sukhi attanam pariharami. (May ! takc carc ol myscll, happily)
Tat is mctta lor oncscll.
For othcrs, thc Pali lincs changc:
Avera hontu. (May you/ thcy bc lrcc lrom cnmity and dangcr)
Abayabajjo hontu. (May you/ thcy bc lrcc lrom mcntal sucring)
Anigga hontu. (May you/ thcy bc lrcc lrom physical sucring)
Suki attanam pariharantu. (May you/ thcy takc carc ol your
scll/thcmsclvcs, happily)
Tat is morc ol an o cial translation ol thc Pali words but
thcrc arc othcr ways ol using thosc phrascs. ! want to sharc
with you through my own cxpcricncc and tcll you thc way that
! practisc lovingkindncss.
Tc way ! usually rccitc thc lour phrascs in nglish arc:
May I be safe from inner and outer harm.
!nncr harm mcans sucring that wc causc oursclvcs through
lcar and worry, also through angcr and impaticncc.
utcr harm mcans any physical dangcr or cxtcrnal
dangcr. So, thc phrasc mcans, May ! bc lrcc lrom mcntal
sucring, lrom physical sucring. Plcasc rcmcmbcr that this
is not thc cxact translation lrom thc Pali words.

Tc ncxt linc is:

May I be happy and peaceful .
Happy and pcacclul arc mcntal statcs. !n thc rst hall ol
thc rst linc, wc say, May wc bc lrcc lrom mcntal sucring,
and in thc sccond linc wc arc saying, May wc bc happy and
pcacclul. Mcntal sucring is ncgativc and happy and pcacclul
is positivc.
Tcn, thc third linc says:
May I be healthy and strong.
Tc third linc rclcrs to our body, our physical condition. Tc
sccond hall ol thc rst linc says, may ! bc salc lrom outcr
harm. Tat is, lrcc lrom physical sucring thc ncgativc
aspcct and thcn thc third linc is thc positivc, May ! bc
hcalthy and strong.
Tc last linc, thc lourth linc, is:
May I be able to take care of myself, joyfully.
Tis mcans, May cvcrything in my lilc bc comlortablc and
convcnicnt. !n anothcr way it says, May cvcrything in my
lilc work out just nc.
Vhcn wc look at all lour ol thcsc lincs, wc can scc that
thc wishcs arc vcry holistic or vcry complctc with rcgard to our
livcs. Vc always bcgin with lovingkindncss towards oursclvcs.
Somc pcoplc mistakc this lor bcing sclsh. Howcvcr, that idca
ol sclshncss, that criticism, only ariscs out ol misundcrstand
ing thc truc mcaning ol mctta. !l you dont rcally havc mctta in
your own hcart or your mctta is not strong, thcn, il you arc try
ing to givc out mctta, it docsnt work vcry wcll and it is not vcry

ccctivc. First, you should know thc quality ol mctta within

your own hcart. You wouldnt givc a poor quality prcscnt to
somcbody, would you: Particularly to somconc that you carc
about. !n thc samc way, wc dont scnd out poor quality mctta.
Vc should scnd out rich quality mctta.
Tcsc lour phrascs ol lovingkindncss arc natural wishcs
that all bcings havc lor thcmsclvcs. Vhcn you considcr thcsc
lour lincs, you may considcr thcir oppositc mcanings. Vhcn
wc considcr thc rst linc, o you want mcntal sucring: o
you want physical sucring: No. No living bcing wants any
mcntal or physical sucring. Considcring thc sccond linc, no
onc wants to bc unhappy or rcstlcss or angry. Considcring thc
third linc, thcn nobody wants to bc unhcalthy or sick or wcak.
And considcring thc last linc, nobody wants things to go wrong
in thcir livcs. So thcsc natural wishcs lor our own wcllbcing,
our own goodncss, naturally arisc in our mind. Containcd in
thcsc lour lincs arc thc natural wishcs that all bcings havc in
thcir own hcarts. Tcy havc thcsc natural lcclings and wishcs
towards thcmsclvcs and towards othcr bcings.
Lovingkindncss, mctta, is not thc samc as lovc. Lovc
has somc scllintcrcst in it. Lovc has attachmcnt in it. ltcn
our lovc is conditional. Vc lovc pcoplc as long as thcy arc nicc
to us. Vc lovc pcoplc as long as thcy lovc us back but il thcy
dont lovc us or thcy arc not nicc to us, thcn it is vcry di cult
to lovc thcm. So our lovc dcpcnds on thc conditions ol our
dcsirc. !t is thc samc as animals or othcr bcings as wcll. !l thcy
arc nicc to us, wc lovc thcm but thcn, il thcy arc not nicc to
us, wc dont lovc thcm. Tis mcans that thcrc is a condition
prcscnt.

Lovingkindncss is unconditional, which mcans just

wcllwishing, wishing thc goodncss, thc wcllncss ol oursclvcs
and ol othcr bcings and not cxpccting anything in rcturn.
vcn though wc wish lor oursclvcs thcsc phrascs, thcy may or
may not bc truc lor us now or in thc luturc but wc may wish
lor thcm to bc truc anyway without cxpcctation but with
opcnncss and joy. Tis actually can bc di cult. Tats why wc
nccd to start with oursclvcs. !l you truly havc lovingkindncss
lor yourscll, thcn you can truly havc lovingkindncss lor othcrs.
!l you truly havc mctta lor yourscll, thcn youll causc no harm
to othcr bcings.
A rcally important point about lovingkindncss towards
yourscll is that it is thc only mctta that is guarantccd. Your
own lovingkindncss is thc only guarantccd mctta. !l you
scnd lovingkindncss to any othcr bcing, you arc not onc
hundrcd pcrccnt ccrtain that thcy rcccivc onc hundrcd pcr
ccnt ol your lovingkindncss. Tc samc il any bcing is scnding
loving kindncss to you, you cannot bc surc that youll rcccivc
a hundrcd pcrccnt ol thcir lovingkindncss. Howcvcr, il you
dcvclop lovingkindncss lor yourscll, this is thc only surc way,
thc ccrtain way, to attain onc hundrcd pcrccnt lovingkindncss
in your hcart.
Vhcn you rcally lccl that lovingkindncss in your own
hcart, thcn you can undcrstand thc purc quality ol it. Vhcn
you undcrstand thc purc quality ol it, thcn you may sharc it
with othcrs. For cxamplc, il you want to givc chocolatcs to
somconc and you arc not surc ol thc quality, is thcrc any harm
in trying thcm lor yourscll rst: !s that sclshncss, wanting to
givc quality to anothcr: ont you dcscrvc quality too: Having
6
tricd thc chocolatcs and lound thcm to bc ol supcrior quality,
rathcr than grccdily kccping thcm lor yourscll, you sclcssly
sharc thcn with anothcr aahh satislaction!
Anothcr point is that wc cant rcly on mctta lrom an
cxtcrnal sourcc, lrom anothcr bcing. Howcvcr, il you dcvclop
lovingkindncss lor yourscll, thcn you can dcpcnd upon that,
you can rcly upon that. Your own lovingkindncss is thc only
ccrtain or surc and dcpcndablc lovingkindncss in thc uni
vcrsc. !n ordcr lor us to dcvclop lovingkindncss today, wc arc
going to practisc lovingkindncss lor oursclvcs. 8ccausc you
dcscrvc it, you nccd it, you want it, thcn wc arc going to rccitc
in our minds thc lour phrascs that havc bccn givcn to you.
Vc will rccitc thc rst linc, cvcn il you only rccitc thc rst
linc, that is cnough. Lovingkindncss dcvclopmcnt is samatha
(conccntration/ tranquility) mcditation, which mcans that con
ccntration is important. You just rcpcat ovcr and ovcr again,
and conccntratc on thc scntcncc and thc mcaning ol thc words.
You just nccd to makc surc that you rcmcmbcr what thcsc lour
phrascs arc.
Tc rst onc is,
May I be safe from inner and outer harm.
Can you rcpcat that to mc, somcwhat slowly: Plcasc May
! bc salc lrom inncr and outcr harm. !l you want to
do it in nglish, thats rcally nc by mc too, as long as you
undcrstand thc mcaning. 8ut lor now, can you plcasc say it
back to mc in thc Tai vcrsion:
(Khor hai kha-pha-chao, chong plotphai, thang phai chak phai nai,
lae phai chak phai nok)
,
kay. All togcthcr, cvcrybody ncc Maybc twicc morc
Slow down And again Now say it backwards !m scri
ous, il you can say it backwards, you will rcmcmbcr it vcry wcll.
8ut you dont havc to do it now. ncc morc plcasc with your
hcart.
You should rccitc this ovcr and ovcr and ovcr and ovcr,
a hundrcd timcs, a thousand timcs, a hundrcd thousand timcs,
until you start to lccl that, this rcally mcans somcthing to
mc. You should bclicvc it. You lccl in your hcart Yvs: ! want
this lor myscll! !l you lccl that you dont want it or thcrc is
somc obstruction that comcs up in your mind, dont pay any
attcntion to that obstruction, rccitc and rcpcat that linc con
tinuously. Tis is samatha mcditation. You just rccitc and kccp
going, dont lct your mind stop.
Hcrcs onc suggcstion. You can do just thc rst linc
rcpcatcdly lor a minutc, an hour, a day, a wcck, a month, or lor
howcvcr long it takcs lor you to Rv~iiv Fvvvvvvvi !:. Tc
samc lor thc othcr lincs, oncc you havc got thc rst linc in your
hcart, lct thc sccond onc sink in, no mattcr how long it takcs,
thcn thc third and lourth lincs consccutivcly, not moving on
to thc ncxt linc until thc prcvious linc is rcally dccp in your
hcart. Tis is morc ol a long tcrm practicc but it is vcry thor
ough. You might lccl borcd, it docsnt mattcr, just kccp going!
You might lccl that you dont dcscrvc this lovingkindncss, it
docsnt mattcr, Just kccp going! ! can assurc you that you do
dcscrvc it, you and sucring, arcnt you: You want to bc lovcd,
dont you:
Jus: o !::

You may also usc thc othcr lincs,

May I be happy and peaceful .
Can you say that to mc in Tai:
(Kkor hai kha pha-ckao chong mi kwam suk lae sa-ngop.)
Again Again o you bclicvc it: o you want that:
Arc you surc !l you arc not surc, thcn you havc to say it
morc oltcn.
Tcn, thc ncxt linc is,
May I be healthy and strong.
Plcasc
(Khor hai kha-pha-chao chong sombun kaeng-raeng.)
Again ncc morc
And thc last onc,
May I be able to take care of myself, joyfully.
(Khor hai kha-pha-chao chong samat raksa ton dai yank mi
kwam suk.)
Again Go slowly Again Twicc morc Last timc
So, thc rst linc is thc most important. You should pay
morc attcntion to that today. 8ut so as to givc your mind a rcst
and to cxplorc othcr aspccts ol mctta, you should rccitc thc
othcr thrcc lincs at dicrcnt timcs. Now its timc to go and cat
our mcal. Tcn bclorc you cat, you can also say:
May all beings that suered to bring this food,
be free from their suering.
May they be lled with loving-kindness.

!l you mcct any othcr bcings as you go throughout thc day,

bricy you can givc thcm somc ol your lovingkindncss. Tc
samc mctta that you arc giving lor yourscll, you can just say it
lor that bcing it might bc an ant or a y or a bird or a snakc
or a sh or a human bcing.
May you be safe from inner and outer harm.
May we all be lled with loving-kindness.
May all beings live in peace and harmony.
Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!
(xccllcnt! xccllcnt! xccllcnt!)
Your own Loving-kindness is the only
guaranteed Metta.
..
Iv:oav vvvN:Nc
Tis morning ! simply askcd you to rccitc just thc rst linc
ovcr and ovcr. n othcr occasions you may rccitc thc othcr
lincs, onc at a timc, ovcr and ovcr. Tcn you can rccitc all lour
il you want, but thc most important is thc rst onc. You could
just takc this rst linc likc a mantra which is to bc rcpcatcd
ovcr and ovcr and ovcr again. Tis practicc ol mctta bhavana
is samatha mcditation. Tis mcans that wc havc onc objcct ol
mcditation and wc try to conccntratc on that onc objcct. Tc
onc objcct could bc just thc rst linc or onc ol thc othcr lincs
or all lour ol thosc lincs onc altcr thc othcr. !n any way, you
arc conccntrating your mind by rcmcmbcring thc words and
rcpcating thcm ovcr and ovcr again.
Vc dont only do this in thc sitting posturc, wc can do it
whcn wc arc walking, standing or lying down. Vc can do it as
wc arc walking bctwccn buildings, whcn wc arc cating, whcn
wc arc going to thc bathroom or doing any othcr activity.
No mattcr what you do, you can occupy your mind
with thcsc thoughts ol lovingkindncss. For thosc ol you who
havc lcarncd vipassana (mindlulncss/ insight) mcditation, it
might bc somcwhat di cult to do. Tis bccausc you will nd
that your mind kccps coming back to a rcality or a prcscnt
momcnt proccss. Tis is not bad but il you want to dcvclop
loving kindncss, it is good to havc somc continuity ol your
conccntration on thcsc lincs. !l your conccntration is brokcn by
somcthing you scc or hcar or think about, thcn you just bring
your mind back to thc lincs again.
.a
!n vipassana mcditation, il any dclcmcnts or hindranccs
arisc in thc mind, wc takc thcm as thc objcct ol mcditation.
8ut in samatha, you just ignorc thcm and kccp going with onc
objcct. !n this casc, wc just bring thc mind back to thc rccita
tion or rcciting thc words ol lovingkindncss.
Vhcn wc arc dcvcloping lovingkindncss, wc should not
havc painlul scnsations in thc body. Vhcn wc arc sitting lor
mcditation, it is okay to changc your posturc bccausc whcn wc
havc pain in thc body, ncgativity can arisc in thc mind. You
should sit comlortably. Also, now whcn you arc listcning to thc
hamma (natural law/ 8uddhas tcachings), you should rclax
and sit comlortably. !l you gct any othcr hindranccs arising in
thc sitting mcditation, thcn you should ignorc or disrcgard thcm
and just bring your mind back to thc rcciting ol thc words. !n
thc casc ol slccpincss, you may cvcn opcn your cycs in ordcr to
avoid thc slccpincss. Lovingkindncss mcditation is quitc a lrcc
stylc dcvclopmcnt bccausc wc can bc in any posturc, so il you arc
lccling discomlort in your sitting mcditation, you can changc or
you can gct up and do somc walking. n thc othcr hand, dont
makc yourscll so comlortablc that you may lall aslccp. Sit up
straight and kccp your body alcrt. Kccp your mind lrcsh.
As cxplaincd this morning, wc nccd to dcvclop thc
lovingkindncss strongly within our own mind rst. Tis is
to allow us to rcally cxpcricncc truc lovingkindncss within
our own hcarts. Tc only placc that you can cxpcricncc loving
kindncss is within your own hcart. !l you can lcarn how to
dcvclop lovingkindncss within your own hcart, you wont
bc dcpcnding upon or rclying upon othcrs lor your loving
kindncss. Tis builds strcngth ol charactcr.
.
Most pcoplc in thc world arc trying to nd a partncr,
somconc who will givc thcm lovc. Tc rcason that wc do this is
that thcrc is somcthing wc lccl is missing insidc our own hcart,
somc cmptincss. Vc may lccl that wc arc missing lovc in our
hcart. Vc havc thc dcsirc to lccl lovc in our own hcart. Tis is
natural, cvcrybody wants to bc lovcd, wc want to lccl complctc,
wc want to bc acccptcd and nccdcd/ lovcd by othcrs.
!n thc ordinary way ol lilc, wc arc not taught about
mctta. Many ol you havc bccn taught about mctta bccausc
you havc bccn brought up as 8uddhists. 8ut cvcn so, thcrc is a
tcndcncy to misundcrstand mctta as lovc. Tc basic dicrcncc
is that lovc has somc attachmcnts, somc scllintcrcst, somc
sclshncss, cvcn just a littlc bit. !n this lilc, wc do things lor
oursclvcs, in lact ncarly cvcrything you do has your own scll
intcrcst attachcd to it. Tc way you wcar your hair. You do your
hair to makc yourscll lccl good. Tc way you drcss is to makc
yourscll lccl and look attractivc. You cat lood to makc yourscll
hcalthy or you might cat lood bccausc ol your grccdincss. 8oth
ways you arc trying to lull your own dcsirc. Tis dcsirc is not
bad, its natural scllintcrcst.
So as wc go through lilc, wc arc always trying to lull
our own dcsircs, our own drcams. Somctimcs wc do sclcss
acts likc hclping our lamily or working lor othcr pcoplc, but
usually wc do things to gct somcthing lor oursclvcs. !n somc
pcoplc this is vcry strong, in somc pcoplc it is barcly noticc
ablc. So thcsc lour wishcs naturally arisc lor oursclvcs. Tis is
a natural way lor living bcings.
Lovingkindncss mcditation is not so much a path that
lcads to Nibbana (cnlightcnmcnt). !t is morc a path and prac
.
ticc that lcads to dcvaloka (hcavcn) or a happy human rcbirth.
8ccausc mctta is a hcavcnly or divinc quality, it is likcly that il
you dcvclop it propcrly, whcn you dic, you will bc rcborn in a
divinc rcalm. Vhcn wc practisc vipassana mcditation, wc arc
on thc path to Nibbana. Somctimcs whcn wc practisc vipas
sana, wc scc things objcctivcly, just as thcy arc: vipassana can
bc vcry rcalistic. Somctimcs rcality, thc truth, can bc a littlc bit
hard or cold, impcrsonal, not vcry cmotional. Practising mctta
can assist us in our vipassana practicc. !t brings a littlc bit ol
soltncss back to our rcalization ol thc truth. Somctimcs whcn
you arc practising vipassana you can scc a lot ol mcntal and
physical dukkha (sucring). Tc 8uddha taught that this is
a natural part ol a human naturc, human cxistcncc. To givc a
littlc bit ol lovingkindncss towards yoursclvcs whilst you arc
doing vipassana, cithcr in a rctrcat or daily lilc, is vcry good
lor you.
Vc nccd to know that thc practicc ol mctta alonc is
not thc only or singlc way that lcads to thc pcacc ol Nibbana.
Howcvcr, it is still a part ol thc Noblc ightlold Path. For
cxamplc, thinking about thc wcllarc ol yourscll or any living
bcing is right thought. !l wc spcak about mctta, thcn it is right
spccch. !l our action is harmlcss, wc can say it is right action.
Vhilc you livc hcrc in a mcditation rctrcat, your livclihood is
also right livclihood according to your mctta practicc. Also, il
you can lcarn thc way ol lovingkindncss in a rctrcat, hopclully
you can takc it homc and usc it in your daily lilc. Tcn your
livclihood, your occupation, will bc onc that has mctta in it.
Mctta hcrc mcans harmlcssncss, considcration lor othcr bcings,
so maybc your livclihood, your occupation will bc harmlcss. To
.
havc lovingkindncss as wc go through our daily livcs, whcn
wc arc dcaling with pcoplc, is vcry important.
Vc arc putting cort into dcvcloping lovingkindncss,
so wc arc also dcvcloping right cort. Vc havc right mindlul
ncss bccausc wc arc rcmcmbcring thc lincs ol mctta. Mind
lulncss can mcan to rcmcmbcr, wc rcmcmbcr to bc harmlcss,
to dcvclop mctta. As you arc conccntrating on thc words ol
lovingkindncss, you havc right conccntration. Somc rcaliza
tion can arisc out ol your mindlulncss and conccntration, that
mcans right undcrstanding. Vith right undcrstanding you
havc right thought. Vith right thought your sila (morality) is
puricd. Vhcn your sila is puricd, you can dcvclop samadhi
(conccntration). Samadhi lcads to pannya (wisdom).
So practising lovingkindncss mcditation is also part
ol thc dcvclopmcnt towards cnlightcnmcnt. !t is not thc only
dircct path, it just hclps along thc way.
Somctimcs ! likc to say that mindlulncss is our work or
our rcsponsibility or our duty and mctta is our hobby. vcn thc
kccping ol our prcccpts can bc considcrcd as an act ol mctta.
Vhcn wc arc kccping prcccpts, wc arc harming no othcr
bcings, nor arc wc harming oursclvcs. !n this way wc arc also
dcvcloping or practising mctta.
!t is important lor you to undcrstand or cxpcricncc thcsc
lour wishcs lor yoursclvcs. Tcsc lour wishcs should bccomc
an cxpcricncc lor you. !l you arc cxpcricncing somc mcntal or
physical sucring, thcn you should wish lor yourscll:
May I be free from mental and physical suering,
that is:
.6
May I be safe from inner and outer harm.
!l you dont lccl happy or pcacclul, you should say:
May I be happy and peaceful .
Rcpcat it many timcs. r il you lccl sick or wcak, you should
rccitc many timcs lor yourscll:
May I be healthy and strong.
!l things arc not going wcll lor you in lilc, you should rccitc:
May I be able to take care of myself joyfully.
vcn il you do lccl that you arc lrcc lrom mcntal and physical
sucring just now, you can still say to yourscll:
May I be safe from inner and outer harm.
And thcn you rcally lccl it. !l you rcpcat ovcr and ovcr:
May I be safe from inner and outer harm,
May I be safe rom inner and outer harm,
May I be safe from inner and outer harm,
!l you kccp saying it, you will actually cxpcricncc thc lccling ol
bcing salc lrom inncr and outcr harm. So you kccp rcpcating
thcsc lincs. Vhcn you rcpcat thcsc lincs, thc mind bccomcs
conccntratcd, thcn it will bc calm and still.
!l you lccl happy and pcacclul, and you say:
May I be happy and peaceful,
May I be happy and peaceful,
May I be happy and peaceful ,
.,
and continuc to rcpcat that, it incrcascs thc happincss and
pcacc that you lccl insidc your hcart. So you really lccl happy
and pcacclul. Again, at thc timc you rccitc it ovcr and ovcr
again, thcrc is no sucring in thc mind, your conccntration on
thcsc words and phrascs is kccping away thc hindranccs, thc
dclcmcnts ol thc mind. !n that way you naturally bccomc
happy and pcacclul. !t is thc samc lor thc othcr lincs.
At any timc whcn you arc rcciting thcsc lour lincs and
you think about thc mcaning, you can chcck, Now, am ! salc
lrom inncr and outcr harm: Am ! happy and pcacclul: Am
! hcalthy and strong: Right now, in thc prcscnt momcnt, is
cvcrything working out okay: !l you arc practising mctta
corrcctly, thcn thc answcrs to thcsc lour qucstions should all
bc positivc. !n this way, thcsc lour wishcs bccomc a prcscnt
momcnt cxpcricncc lor you. ! am pcacclul in my mind. ! am
hcalthy and strong now. vcrything is okay just now. Vith
this good lccling you havc, you continuc with thc dcvclopmcnt
ol lovingkindncss, that pcacc and tranquility can incrcasc.
Tis is thc rcason lor practising lovingkindncss mcditation,
to dcvclop this pcacc ol hcart, pcacc ol mind. Vhcn wc lccl it
within oursclvcs thcn wc can sharc it with othcrs.
Tis cvcning, wcll cxplorc a widcr cld ol mctta, wcll
sharc our mctta with othcrs. Tcrc arc vc dicrcnt catcgorics
ol pcoplc to whom wc can systcmatically dcvclop mctta in
ordcr to makc it strong. Tc catcgorics arc,
First to oncscll
Sccond to a rcspcctcd pcrson
Tird to a dcar lricnd
Fourth to a ncutral pcrson
Filth to a hostilc pcrson
.
Today you havc bccn practising saying thc phrascs lor
yourscll, whcn this bccomcs strong, both in conccntration and
in lccling, wc arc rcady to sharc it with anothcr. Tc pcrson ol
thc sccond catcgory is somconc likc a tcachcr, rcspcctcd cldcr,
aunty, unclc, grandparcnt or cvcn a guardian, somconc whos
bccn kind to you, cspccially somconc wisc who has guidcd
you wcll. Your hamma tcachcr is a good targct lor mctta.
Not bccausc thc hamma tcachcr is grccdy to rcccivc loving
kindncss, but whcn you truly scc thc hamma, whcn you
rcally undcrstand or cxpcricncc thc truc hamma, it is thc
grcatcst thing that you cxpcricncc in your lilc. Tcy say that
thc hamma is thc grcatcst gilt. !t cxccls or is bcttcr than all
othcr gilts. !l somconc givcs you thc hamma, thcn you want
to rcpay thcm. Also, a hamma tcachcr is a tcachcr ol lilc.
Vhcrcvcr you go or whatcvcr you do, oltcn thc words ol thc
tcachcr comc back to you. !n this way, thcy can bc vcry closc
to your hcart.
Tcrc arc two points that wc must rcmcmbcr whcn dcvcl
oping or scnding lovingkindncss to othcrs. Vc dont dcvclop
lovingkindncss towards pcoplc wc arc physically or scxually
attractcd to bccausc somc drcams or lantasics or such things
will arisc in our minds. Tis also applics to your hamma
tcachcr, so to thc bcst ol our ability, wc should choosc somconc
likc Chanmyay Sayadaw or maybc you havc got a hamma
tcachcr who had taught you in your lilc. Tc othcr pcoplc that
you shouldnt do lovingkindncss towards arc thosc who arc
alrcady dcad. Vc dont dcvclop loving kindncss towards thcm
bccausc wc dont know whcrc thcy arc now. Vc dont know
what cxistcncc thcy havc bccn rcborn in. Your lovingkindncss
.
is somcwhat dispcrscd or scattcrcd, wc only do it towards liv
ing pcoplc. Vc may sharc mcrits with thc dcpartcd oncs but
thats anothcr story, not lor now.
Tis sccond pcrson that you scnd lovingkindncss to may
bc an aunty or an unclc or just somcbody who has guidcd you,
or hclpcd you wcll in your lilc, somconc to whom you look
up to, whom you admirc. Somconc whosc words oltcn comc
to your mind, you rcmcmbcr thcm vcry oltcn. !n lact, your
lovingkindncss ows vcry casily to thcsc pcrsons, you havc a
natural dcsirc to sharc your lovingkindncss with thcm. Vhcn
you dcvclop and rcpcat thcsc lour phrascs towards this pcrson,
you lccl vcry closc to thcm. You lccl likc your lovingkindncss
bccomcs thcir lovingkindncss, that thcrc is no barricr bctwccn
your hcart and thcir hcart. So it bccomcs a vcry natural ow
ol lovingkindncss towards that pcrson, no hindranccs arisc
in that scnding ol lovingkindncss.
You may dcvclop lovingkindncss lor your parcnts in
this catcgory. Howcvcr, somctimcs dcvcloping mctta towards
parcnts can bc a littlc bit tricky. !n our livcs, our parcnts havc
donc grcat things lor us, thcy havc taught us and shown us
many things. Howcvcr, as part ol thcir dutics, thcy havc also
had to scold us, punish us. Also, wc may bc vcry attachcd to our
parcnts. ur rclationship with our parcnts is vcry complicatcd,
wc can say. A lot ol cmotional lcclings arc involvcd. Vhcrcas,
il wc takc a tcachcr, rcspcctcd cldcr or cvcn a guardian, somc
onc who has lookcd altcr us in lilc, thcn our lcclings towards
thcm arc vcry simplc and straightlorward. ltcn, whcn wc
arc young, our rclationship with our parcnts can bc unstablc,
but thcn, as wc gct oldcr, our rclationship with our parcnts,
ac
particularly whcn wc oursclvcs bccomc parcnts, bccomcs a bit
morc stablc. So, il your rclationship with your parcnts is vcry
stablc now and you arc happy with your rclationship with
thcm, thcn thcy can bc a good subjcct lor mctta dcvclopmcnt.
You may choosc onc or thc othcr, onc parcnt at a timc. nc
this timc, thc othcr onc ncxt timc.
Tc third pcrson that wc dcvclop lovingkindncss
towards is a dcar lricnd. Again, this is not somconc that you
arc physically attractcd to. !t is morc somconc that you could
sharc your dccpcst, darkcst sccrcts with and know that thcy
would ncvcr tcll anybody. !n nglish wc say, kindrcd spirit
(but ! wouldnt cxpcct you to translatc that). !l you dont havc
somconc so amazingly closc to you, you can just choosc somc
onc who is a good lricnd. Again, thc critcria hcrc is somconc
to whom your lovingkindncss ows vcry casily.
Altcr you dcvclop lovingkindncss lor yourscll lully
and thcn lor your bcnclactor or rcspcctcd cldcr, that pcrson
bccomcs likc a natural cxtcnsion ol yourscll. Tcy arc likc a
part ol you, you oltcn rcmcmbcr thcm. Tis dcar lricnd is also
likc this. So whcn wc dcvclop lovingkindncss towards thcsc
pcoplc, it is vcry casy, vcry natural and it ows niccly.
Tcn, wc sclcct a ncutral pcrson. A ncutral pcrson mcans
somcbody that you know is alivc but you dont know anything
about thcir charactcr. !t could bc somconc who works at thc
bank that you go to. !t could bc your ncxt door ncighbors
gardcncr. r it could bc thc bus drivcr that you scc going past
cvcry day. Somconc complctcly ncutral. Now, whcn you dcvclop
lovingkindncss lor this pcrson, this is whcn somc hindranccs
may arisc. Such as, ! dont know this pcrson, why should ! scnd
a.
lovingkindncss to thcm: Tcy dont mcan anything to mc. !
dont gct anything out ol giving lovingkindncss to thcm. Tis
is thc point whcrc you might rcalizc that wc arc mainly doing
lovc as opposcd to loving kindncss. !n our livcs, wc arc
normally practising lovc but lovingkindncss is dicrcnt, it is
unconditional. !t is hard to scnd loving kindncss to somcbody
you dont know. Tis is tcsting your lovingkindncss. o you
rcally havc uncon ditional, wcll wishing lor anothcr pcrson that
you dont know: !l you can dcvclop lovingkindncss towards
a ncutral pcrson and start to havc thc samc lccling that you
havc lor thc rst thrcc pcoplc, thcn your lovingkindncss is
bccoming strong. Tis is good.
Tcn, with this strong mctta, you arc ablc to sharc your
lovingkindncss with a hostilc pcrson or an cncmy. Tis mcans
somconc who is hostilc towards you or somconc to whom
you arc hostilc. r somconc with whom thc lovingkindncss
bctwccn thc two ol you has bccn brokcn. Again, this tcsts your
lovingkindncss. Vhcn you think about this pcrson, angcr or
lrustration ariscs but rcmcmbcr this is samatha mcditation, so
wc just ignorc that ncgativc mcntal statc and wc just rccitc thc
phrascs. Vc just push on, rcciting thc phrascs.
!l, altcr somc timc, you still dont sccm to dcvclop any
thing, any positivc lccling towards that pcrson, thcn you may
go back to any ol thc rst, sccond or third pcoplc. At that
timc you might lccl angry, so you can do lovingkindncss lor
yourscll until your mind calms down. r you can dcvclop lov
ingkindncss towards your tcachcr or your dcar lricnd. Tcn
you can go back to cithcr thc samc ncutral pcrson or anothcr
ncutral pcrson and thcn you can go back to that hostilc pcrson
aa
again. !l you still dont gct anywhcrc with dcvcloping loving
kindncss towards that pcrson, you can changc to anothcr hos
tilc pcrson. vcn il you do not havc a hostilc pcrson in your
lilc now, you may usc somcbody lrom thc past, as long as you
know thcy arc alivc. So in this way, wc arc making our loving
kindncss vcry strong.
nc ol thc main points hcrc is to try to lccl strong
lovingkindncss rst bclorc you movc on to thc ncxt pcrson.
!l your lovingkindncss is strong you can sharc it with anyonc,
any timc. !n this way ! would likc you to practisc your loving
kindncss dcvclopmcnt. Still mainly conccntrating on yourscll.
Plcasc dont cxpcct any grcat lccling. Just try to rcpcat thcsc
phrascs ovcr and ovcr. !t is thc practicc that brings about thc
rcsults. xpccting rcsults is just a hindrancc. !l you lorgct to
say thc words ol lovingkindncss, it docsnt mattcr, just start
again in thc prcscnt. Tis tcachcs you paticncc. Just starting
again and again.
ncc you havc donc a scssion ol spccic loving kindncss,
maybc a sitting or a walking scssion lor hall or onc hour, thcn
you can nish o with gcncral lovingkindncss towards all liv
ing bcings. Just rcciting thc lour phrascs lor all living bcings.
Also, as ! said carlicr, just as you mcct othcr bcings as
you go around, you mcct anothcr pcrson or you mcct any lit
tlc crcaturc, thcn you should dcvclop lovingkindncss towards
thcm, just cvcn bricy,
May you be happy and peaceful,
May you be healthy and strong,
and thcn comc back to your own lovingkindncss. spccially
a
somcbody who is doing somcthing that annoys you. Firstly,
you might likc to say,
May I be happy and peaceful,
May I be happy and peaceful .
Tcn you can say it lor thcm.
!n this way wc can continuc to dcvclop our loving
kindncss. Tomorrow, ! will cxplain how to cxtcnd our loving
kindncss towards othcr bcings. vcn lor tonight and tomorrow
morning, il you dont sharc your lovingkindncss with any
othcr bcing, ! think it is good to practisc just to conccntratc
on yourscll. You nccd lovingkindncss and maybc nobody
clsc is giving it to you, so you must dcvclop it within yourscll.
Vhcn your own mctta is strong, thcn you can sharc it with
othcrs. Plcasc continuc to dcvclop your conccntration with thc
practicc ol mctta.
May we all be lled with loving-kindness.
May all beings live in peace and harmony.
Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!
You feel like your
loving-kindness
becomes their loving-kindness,
that theres no barrier between
your heart and their heart.
a
Mo+nvvs av
Sa+uvoav xovN:Nc
! would likc to say, Happy 8irthday to thc Quccn ol Tailand.
May shc bc happy and pcacclul, hcalthy and strong. Also,
Happy Mothcrs ay to thc mothcrs that arc hcrc.
! think this is a good way to spcnd Mothcrs ay. Today,
as you walkcd around and pcoplc mct you or saw you and gavc
you somc ol thcir lovingkindncss, you didnt only dcvclop
your own lovingkindncss, but you also rcccivcd it lrom othcr
pcoplc in this mcditation rctrcat. ! think you alrcady know
that your lamilics also wcrc thinking about you today, so you
naturally got a lot ol lovingkindncss. Also, thosc ol us who
arc not mothcrs, wc can scnd somc spccial lovingkindncss to
our mothcrs on this day and cvcry day.
May all mothers be happy and healthy!
8ack to our pcrsonal practicc. ! think by now you might bc
rcalizing how cvcn mctta bhavana, lovingkindncss dcvcl
opmcnt, can bc quitc di cult. !t is di cult to conccntratc,
di cult to kccp your mind in a consccutivc proccssion or
continuous rccitation ol thc phrascs. You might also bc sccing
in your mind which hindranccs arc stopping you lrom having
this continuity ol conccntration ol mctta.
8ccausc this is samatha practicc, wc arc not rcally look
ing lor or idcntilying thc hindranccs, but as you practisc you
may scc which hindranccs arc in your mind. Tc rst thing
you rcalizc is just how much you think. Vc arc thinking so
a6
much that wc lorgct or wc arc not mindlul ol our mctta dcvcl
opmcnt, but as soon as you arc mindlul ol your mctta practicc,
thcn you should immcdiatcly comc back to thc rccitation ol
thc phrascs.
!n this samatha practicc, wc arc just ignoring thc mcntal
dclcmcnts and hindranccs that comc to thc mind. ! call it
stcam rolling. A stcam rollcr is a big machinc that thcy usc
whcn thcy lay down a ncw road, a hugc machinc, with a big
whccl that attcns cvcrything in its path. So in samatha and
in this mctta practicc, wc just stcam roll any ol thc hindranccs
or dclcmcnts that comc into thc mind. r anothcr cxamplc
might bc a bulldozcr, a big, powcrlul machinc that pushcs
down trccs and clcars away things.
So, in samatha wc arc just pushing ahcad with thc
practicc. Vhcncvcr you scc any hindrancc or blockagc in thc
mind, anything that has takcn your mind away lrom your
practicc, you just comc back to thc practicc and rcpcat thc
lincs ol mctta. Likc, you might bc conccntrating lor a whilc
on thc phrascs and thcn somc thought comcs to your mind
and you losc your conccntration. At that timc, il you arc awarc
that you havc just lost your conccntration, you may bccomc
disappointcd. ont worry about losing your conccntration
bccausc it is too latc, it is alrcady gonc. Now you arc mindlul
again, just start again.
!t is likc a littlc baby or a child, trying to walk or trying
to gct somcwhcrc. !l thcy lall ovcr, thcn you havc got to pick
thcm up and gct thcm going again. Just kccp going. Unlor
tunatcly, you arc only hcrc lor two and a hall days and that is
just thc timc whcn you will start to gct somc momcntum. You
a,
will just bc gctting into thc practicc and thcn itll bc timc to
go homc. Ncvcr mind, it is good practicc.
Tcsc wcckcnd mcditation rctrcats ol any kind, vipas
sana or samatha, arc just about gctting a littlc bit ol inlorma
tion and somc opportunity to practisc. Vc should not cxpcct
too much lrom just a couplc ol days practicc. spccially il you
comc lrom a busy lilc, it takcs two days to scttlc down! Tcrc
arc lots ol thoughts and things coming to thc mind.
Also, slccpincss. !t is naturally di cult in thc bcginning
but at lcast you gct somc ncw inlormation and an opportunity
to practisc.
Tis practicc in thc bcginning is only rcciting words. Vc
arc just saying words, ovcr and ovcr and ovcr. Somc pcoplc
think that thcy havc to dcvclop thc lccling straight away but
that only comcs latcr on with thc practicc. Tc instruction is to
rccitc thc words ovcr and ovcr again. Tc morc you rccitc thcm,
thc morc you gct somc continuity ol thc rccitation, thcn thc
mcaning, thc lccling, starts to comc to you. For thosc ol you
who arc only just bcginning to practisc, dont worry too much
about thc mcaning. Just try to conccntratc on thc words.
Also, you shouldnt cxpcct to cxpcricncc anything spc
cial lrom thc practicc. Tat cxpcctation itscll is a hindrancc,
an obstruction. So you should stcam roll thc cxpcctation by
rcciting thc phrascs ovcr and ovcr again. You can rccitc thc
phrascs vcry quickly, likc:
MayIbesafefrominnerandouterharm!
MayIbesafefrominnerandouterharm!
r vcry slowly, likc:
a
May I be safe from inner and outer harm
May I be happy may I be peaceful
r play with it, likc up and down, high and low,

M
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May I be happy may I be peaceful!

Vhcn rcciting vcry slowly, word by word, wc may try to undcr
stand or analysc carclully cach word that is rccitcd. Tis will
hclp thc mcaning to sink into thc mind and dcvclop somc lccl
ing. Plcasc rcmcmbcr that thc rst linc is thc most important
to rccitc ovcr and ovcr. Vc may changc to rccitc thc othcr lincs
individually or rccitc all lour ol thcm onc altcr anothcr, such
as: .,a,,
/
.,a,,
/
.,a,,.
Somcthing that you could try to do whcn you say, May
! bc happy and pcacclul is to say it with a smilc. Plcasc, cvc
rybody just closc your cycs now and ! want you to say, in
Tai, May ! bc happy. ! want you to bc ablc to smilc as you
say thc word, happy. Now, everybody should havc thcir cycs
closcd so you know that nobody is looking at you. You might
likc to think ol thc lact that you arc sitting in a room lull ol
smiling pcoplc. Plcasc closc your cycs and rclax your body,
R L A X. Just rclax your body, rclax your brcathing
a
and bcgin with thc mctta. Plcasc, now !d likc you all to say,
nicc and slowly:
May I be happy and peaceful .
Vhcn you say happy, ! want you to smilc.
! just arrivcd in 8angkok ycstcrday and ! saw a big sign
saying, Tailand, thc Land ol Smilcs.
So, !d likc to scc thosc smilcs!
Comc on, ! only scc twcnty pcrccnt ol thc pcoplc smil
ing. o you think it is di cult: Lcts try again. ! wont look
this timc. !ll smilc, too.
May I be happy and peaceful.
Again Again Just imaginc cvcrybody in thc room is smil
ing. Now, thats bcttcr! ! havc likc, cighty pcrccnt ol thc
pcoplc smiling!
! oncc hcard ol smiling mcditation. Lcts try it. First
you practisc smiling until you rcally lccl yourscll smiling
until you rcally lccl happy about smiling. Tcn you imaginc
that your cycs arc smiling, too. Just closc your cycs and imaginc
that your cycs arc likc thcsc littlc curly smilcs. Tcn you can
prctcnd that your nosc is smiling!(:) Tcn imaginc that your
cars arc smiling!(:) Smiling cars:! Now your hair is smiling!
And your hcad has bccomc onc big smilc! Now your ngcrs
arc smiling! And your arms arc smiling! And so you can go
through thc othcr parts ol thc body, imagining that thc othcr
parts ol your body arc happy and smiling too. Tat is just onc
stylc ol mcditation that ! hcard ol. !t is a littlc bit ol lun, so
plcasc rclax.
c
As ! told you last night, thcrc arc vc kinds ol pcoplc
that wc dircct our lovingkindncss towards. Vc start with thc
pcoplc that wc arc closcst to or thc pcoplc that arc thc most
mcaninglul to us. Vhcthcr you know it or not, you arc closcr
to yourscll than any othcr bcing. Tcn you havc somc tcachcr,
rcspcctcd cldcr or somconc who has guidcd you in lilc. And
thcn thcrc is a dcar lricnd, somconc who is vcry closc to you.
8ut thcn wc movc away lrom thc closc pcoplc and movc to a
ncutral pcrson, somconc who wc dont cvcn know. And thcn
wc movc to a hostilc pcrson or an cncmy.
nc problcm in lilc is that wc oltcn try to givc loving
kindncss to our cncmics or to hostilc pcoplc rst. !t is a nicc
idca but it rarcly works. !m not saying that you shouldnt do
it, but what ! am saying is that it is vcry di cult to do it with
purc mctta. ltcn, in that situation, your mctta is mixcd with
a lot ol cmotional lcclings or cvcn somc dclcmcnts, such as
angcr or rcscntmcnt. !l somcbody has upsct you, it is bcttcr to
do lovingkindncss towards yourscll rst, calm your own mind
down, rclax your own mind. Vhcn wc dcvclop loving kindncss,
it should havc a calming ccct on us. You may not gct that
in thc initial stagcs ol lovingkindncss but as wc dcvclop thc
lovingkindncss, it will naturally start to calm you down cach
timc you usc it. !n thc bcginning ol practicc, you may not gct
thcsc calm lcclings right away. You may just bc rcciting words
but that also can calm you down. Conccntrating on thc words
can rcmovc thc mcntal dclcmcnt.
ltcn, wc want to know how to dcal with angcr or con
icting situations in our daily lilc. First ol all, !m a vipassana
practitioncr. Somctimcs, pcoplc ask mc to sharc what ! know
.
about mindlulncss dcvclopmcnt, but thcn !m also askcd to
sharc what ! know about mctta, lovingkindncss. Vhcn wc
arc upsct by pcoplc, ! think it is bcttcr lor us to tunc into our
cmotional lcclings in thc prcscnt momcnt with mindlulncss.
Vhcn you scc clcarly thc ncgativc lcclings that arisc in your
mind, thcn your mind is likcly to calm down. Tis is thc
natural ccct ol mindlulncss. You may cvcn labcl it, saying
in your mind, angry, angry, angry or sad, sad or lrustratcd,
lrustratcd. !n this way, thc ncgativc lccling may pass away
and wc may gct somc insight into its truc naturc. Tus, ncxt
timc it wont bc so strong and it will dissolvc quickcr. Vhcn !
sharc vipassana, ! also givc pcoplc a qucstion to ask thcmsclvcs,
which is:
How do I feel now:
Tis is a qucstion that is usclul lor gcncral mindlulncss. Any
whcrc you go, and whatcvcr you do, at any timc, you can bcar
this qucstion in mind. How do ! lccl now: Tis is just your
cmotional lccling. !l your cmotional lccling is ncgativc or
unplcasant, thcn you may labcl it and obscrvc it in thc stylc ol
vipassana, or you can do mctta, such as:
May I be free from enmity.
May I be free from suering.
May I be happy and peaceful .
Tis is vcry usclul lor your daily lilc.
!n thc rctrcat now, wc arc practising spccic mctta. Tat
is, lrom momcnt to momcnt wc arc trying to bc mindlul ol
mctta, to conccntratc on mctta. !l you losc your conccntra
a
tion, it docsnt mattcr, just start again. Vhcn you go homc or
do anything clsc outsidc thc rctrcat, you should bc practising
gcncral mctta. For cxamplc, whcn you arc driving or travclling
in a car, you can say:
May all beings along this journey
be happy and peaceful, healthy and strong.
Vhcn you arc on any journcy, cvcn il you arc walking, you
may say:
May all beings along this journey
be free from mental and physical suering.
Tis mcans all bcings along this journcy, not only thc pcoplc
and yourscll but ~ii thc living bcings along thc way. You can
do this travclling in an acroplanc or on a train, boat or ship.
You can practisc mctta gcncrally whcn you go to any
placc. Somcthing gcncral likc:
May all beings here be lled with loving-kindness.
Hcrc, or this placc it could bc anywhcrc. You might bc
on a bcach or in a shopping ccntrc, you might bc staying in
a littlc kuti (mcditation hut) up in thc mountains somcwhcrc,
by yourscll. Vhcrcvcr you go, you arc surroundcd by bcings.
vcn in your housc, thcrc arc thcsc littlc crcaturcs living all
around. !n thc cupboard, in thc carpct, in thc rool. 8cings wc
can scc or cant scc.
vcn il you only do lovingkindncss towards yourscll,
othcr bcings may rcalizc that you arc harmlcss. !l you lccl

alraid, you can do lovingkindncss lor yourscll, according to

thc lour phrascs, or you might say:
May I be free from fear.
You can do lovingkindncss lor all bcings in that placc. Maybc
you lccl alraid ol somc ghosts or somc wild animals. Tcn you
can say:
May all beings here be happy and peaceful,
May all beings here be healthy and strong,
May all beings here be free from suering,
May all beings here be lled with Loving-kindness.
You also arc onc ol thc bcings in that placc, you arc wishing
it lor yourscll and othcr bcings. Rcmcmbcr othcr bcings, cvcn
ghosts and wild animals, arc alraid ol us, wc arc scary things
too, you know. ! think humans arc thc most scary bcings ol
thcm all!
Vhcn you arc dcaling with pcoplc, cvcn though you
may not bc ablc to rccitc thc phrascs, you should try to havc a
lccling ol lovingkindncss in your hcart. Vhcn you arc talk
ing with pcoplc, you cant rccitc thc phrascs bccausc thcn you
dont listcn carclully, but you can still havc thc lccling ol lov
ingkindncss in your hcart. !l thcy arc angry, thcy arc sucring,
you can think:
May you be free from your suering,
may you be happy and peaceful .
Ultimatcly, it is thc lccling ol lovingkindncss that is impor
tant, not thc words.

Just a rcmindcr that you can do lovingkindncss at work.

At work, wc oltcn havc to dcal with pcoplc whom wc dont likc
or pcoplc who dont likc us. vcn thc pcoplc who arc highcr
than you:
All people that are senior to me, may they be happy and peaceful.
All people that are junior to me, may they be happy and peaceful.
May all beings in this building be happy, peaceful,
healthy and strong, may they be successful .
Today, ! would likc you all to still continuc with thc loving
kindncss towards yoursclvcs. 8ut il you want to, you can try to
do it towards thc othcr lour pcoplc that ! mcntioncd.
Tcn, according to thc notcs that you havc bccn givcn,
you may do lovingkindncss by dcvcloping in conccntric circlcs
or cvcr incrcasing circlcs. Tis can bc an cxtrcmcly powcrlul
practicc. !t is bascd on thc lovingkindncss towards yourscll, so
il your lovingkindncss at thc bcginning ol this is not strong,
thcn thc lccling that you gct as you cxpand your lovingkind
ncss also may not bc vcry strong. To complctc thc mctta, going
right out in thcsc circlcs, right out to all bcings cvcrywhcrc, it
could takc up to thrcc hours to complctc such a scssion.
nc ol thc important points lor dcvcloping loving
kindncss scriously is not to movc on to thc ncxt subjcct/
bcing/dircction or thc ncxt placc until you rcally lccl thc lov
ingkindncss in yourscll. Tc way to gct thc strong lccling ol
mctta is just to rccitc thc words ovcr and ovcr and ovcr again.
Go last, go slow and try to listcn to thc words that you arc tcll
ing yourscll. Also, il you arc away lrom cvcrybody clsc and no
onc clsc can hcar you, you can cvcn say thc words out loud.

For conccntric circlcs mctta, wc ll oursclvcs with loving

kindncss rst, almost as il you arc lling yourscll up with
watcr. You may usc a littlc bit ol imagination or visualization
il it comcs naturally but it is not ncccssary. Vhcn you arc
lull ol lovingkindncss, thcn it ovcrows into thc room or thc
placc whcrc you arc. !t works bcttcr whcn you arc in a small
room. Tcn you ll that room with lovingkindncss. Almost
likc it is lling up with watcr. 8cing mindlul ol all thc living
bcings in that room, largc or small, sccn or unsccn. Ycs, this
includcs scnding your lovingkindncss to mosquitocs, ants,
spidcrs, spirits ~ii living bcings! Tcn, whcn that room
lls with lovingkindncss, it ovcrows and you can ll up all
ol thc othcr rooms. Tcn thc wholc building bccomcs lull ol
lovingkindncss.
May all beings in this building be safe from inner and outer harm.
May all beings in this building be happy and peaceful.
May all beings in this building be healthy and strong.
May all beings in this building be able to take care of themselves,
joyfully.
Vhcn you arc satiscd that all ol thc living bcings in thc
building havc bccn touchcd by your lovingkindncss, through
thc constant rcpctition ol thc lour phrascs, thcn you may
sprcad your lovingkindncss to thc surrounding buildings, lor
cxamplc,
May all beings in this compound /on this property be safe from inner
and outer harm.
6
Altcr that, you can inlusc or ood thc ncighborhood with
mctta.
May all beings in this neighborhood
be safe from inner and outer harm.
You can ll thc wholc ncighborhood, all thc buildings, thc
trccs, thc backyards, cvcrything, with lovingkindncss. Tcn,
naturally, your lovingkindncss ovcrows lrom thc ncighbor
hood into thc suburbs, arca or thc district. Tcn thc city. ncc
your mctta has sprcad throughout thc wholc rcgion, you can
ll thc provincc or statc and lct it ovcrow to thc cntirc coun
try. Kccp going outwards to thc ncighboring countrics and thc
wholc contincnt, thcn across thc world. All thc bcings that livc
in thc watcr, on thc land and in thc air.
May all beings in this world be safe from inner and outer harm.
And thcn, lrom thc wholc world you can go to thc cntirc uni
vcrsc. Tcn, lrom thc univcrsc to all bcings cvcrywhcrc
May all beings everywhere be safe from inner and outer harm.
!l you can gct to that point, whcrc you lccl that you havc scnt
your lovingkindncss to all bcings in all dircctions cvcrywhcrc,
thcn just stop and rcst, lccl thc pcacc.
Tcn, whcn you lccl comlortablc and rcady, you slowly
comc back in dccrcasing circlcs, just saying thc lour phrascs,
(.,a,,) oncc only lor cach placc, bricy stopping with thc
univcrsc, thc world, thc contincnt, ctc. Just bricy stopping at
cach placc until you nally comc back to thc room and back to
yourscll. You may lccl vcry dicrcnt altcr your journcy to thc
,
cnds ol thc univcrsc and back, but ! think you will lccl satis
cd. Rcmcmbcr, this is bascd on strong lovingkindncss lor
yourscll lrom thc bcginning. So lor this mornings practicc, !
want you to practisc lovingkindncss lor yoursclvcs. Rccitc thc
lour phrascs lor yourscll. ithcr onc at a timc or all ol thcm.
Hcrcs anothcr cxpcrimcnt, and that is: whcncvcr you
scc somconc or whcncvcr you mcct somconc in thc doorway
or whcrcvcr you go, you could changc your lovingkindncss
bricy and just givc it to that pcrson. For cxamplc, il you arc
saying to yourscll now:
May I be happy and peaceful
and you mcct or scc somconc, just quickly say in your mind:
May you be happy and peaceful.
May you be happy and peaceful .
Vhcn thcy havc gonc, just comc back to your own practicc.
So, just bricy, sharc your lovingkindncss with somconc you
mcct.
vcn sitting at thc dinncr tablc, ncxt to somconc or
oppositc somconc, just bricy givc thcm a littlc bit ol loving
kindncss. Forgct about your opinion ol thc pcrson, just givc
thcm a littlc bit ol lovingkindncss whatcvcr you wish lor
yourscll, wish it lor thcm, too.
spccially, il you mcct any ol thc pcoplc who arc hclping
on thc rctrcat as wcll, plcasc givc thcm a littlc bit ol loving
kindncss. !n this casc, it docsnt mattcr so much il it is malc or
lcmalc. !t is not thc strong dcvclopmcnt, just bricy:

May you be happy and peaceful.

You can cvcn sharc it with a dog, a bird or a sh, il you
want to.
!n this way, you arc immcdiatcly sharing any ol thc
lovingkindncss that you arc dcvcloping lor yourscll. Tis also
makcs you lccl good.
May we all develop pure loving-kindness.
May all beings be lled with loving-kindness.
Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!
I like to think that
Vipassana /mindfulness
is my work
And Metta is my hobby!
Work is a holiday
and life is an adventure!
Te words are like the key to the
door of your Metta.
c
Sa+uvoav vvvN:Nc
An intcrcsting qucstion that wc nccd to ask oursclvcs is, Vhy
do ! want to practisc mctta: Vhat is my rcason, what is my
motivation lor wanting to practisc mctta: o ! want con
ccntration: o ! want mctta: o ! want to lcarn morc about
myscll: Vanting mctta also mcans wanting thc cccts ol
mctta, such as a warm hcart, pcacc and happincss. Vhcn you
can answcr thcsc qucstions lor yourscll, thc practicc is morc
straightlorward, it will hclp you to havc a clcarcr undcrstand
ing ol what you arc doing in your mcditation. Also, a bcttcr
undcrstanding ol yourscll.
!l you want conccntration lrom this practicc, you should
continuc to rccitc thcsc phrascs onc altcr thc othcr. Continu
ously, without intcrruption. vcn bcttcr to takc just onc linc
and rcpcat onc linc continuously, in this way you will dcvclop
somc morc conccntration. !l noonc is around, you may rccitc
thc lincs out loud and conccntratc on thc vibration ol thc
sound ol your own voicc, cithcr by hcaring it or by lccling it
in thc throat, thats intcrcsting.
!l you want thc cccts ol thc mctta, thcn you also nccd
to bc ablc to undcrstand thc mcaning ol thc words. !l you can
undcrstand thc mcaning ol thc words, thcn it will hclp you
to tunc into your natural mctta. So thc words arc likc thc kcy
to thc door ol your mctta. Somctimcs wc can lccl thc mctta
without having to usc thc words but thc words can hclp us to
acccss our hcart. Vhcn you undcrstand thc words, thcn you
can lccl thc rcsult ol thc mctta. You may lccl that you arc salc
lrom inncr and outcr harm in thc prcscnt momcnt, you may
.
lccl happy and pcacclul, hcalthy and strong and you may lccl
that cvcrything in your lilc is going nc now, at lcast in thc
prcscnt momcnt. Vhcn you lccl this, it is thc ccct ol thc
mctta.
You may want to practisc mctta in ordcr to undcrstand
yourscll bcttcr. Tosc ol you who alrcady practisc vipassana
will naturally havc somc cxpcricncc at sccing your own mcn
tal statcs and cmotional lcclings. Vhcn wc practisc mctta,
ccrtainly somc mcntal statcs or cmotional lcclings arisc in
thc mind. Tc strict practicc ol mctta is just to ovcrridc thosc
mcntal statcs or cmotional lcclings by rcciting thc words. 8ut
whcn you havc bccn traincd in vipassana, you naturally obscrvc
your lcclings, you naturally bccomc awarc ol thcm rathcr than
just prcssing on with thc mctta. So, hcrc you nccd to dccidc
whcthcr you want to cxplorc thc cxpcricnccs or il you just want
to continuc with thc mctta.
Vhat !m saying is, somctimcs whcn wc arc practising
mctta, natural mindlulncss ariscs during our mctta practicc.
Somctimcs, whcn wc arc practising vipassana, natural mctta
ariscs. Vhcn you arc practising mctta, you should conccntratc
on thc mctta. Howcvcr, occasionally you may bc awarc ol somc
lcclings, you may pay attcntion to thcm bricy but thcn con
tinuc with thc mctta. !t is okay il somc natural mindlulncss
ariscs. Tc samc il you arc practising vipassana, it is okay il
somc natural mctta ariscs, you may bc awarc ol that bricy, but
thcn continuc with your vipassana practicc.
Somc pcoplc havc mcntioncd in intcrvicws that thcy dont
want to usc thc word, ! whcn thcy arc doing lovingkindncss.
Tcy want to usc thc tcrms, nama (mind) and rupa (mattcr). !t
a
is truc that, ultimatcly spcaking, wc arc just mcntal and physical
proccsscs. Vc may undcrstand thc tcaching ol thc 8uddha, that
thcrc is anatta (no !, no scll). Howcvcr, most ol us still bclicvc
that wc arc a scll. Convcntionally spcaking, wc arc a scll. At
lcast wc arc a living/ human bcing and wc arc sucring, so it is
okay to usc thc word !. You can say, May this nama and rupa
bc salc lrom inncr and outcr harm il you want to, tcchnically
spcaking that is corrcct, but gcncrally spcaking wc also considcr
oursclvcs to bc a scll, it is okay to usc thc word !.
Vhcn wc dcvclop mctta, it should always bc donc with
purc intcntion. Tis mcans not cxpccting anything in rcturn.
Anothcr way wc say that is, unconditionally or without
conditions. Just purc, unconditional wcllwishing. A qucstion
that ariscs is: il you scnd your mctta to anothcr bcing, thcn
will thcy rcccivc your mctta: !t is not surc, wc cant bc ccrtain.
Tc only thing that can bc ccrtain is that you arc dcvclop
ing mctta within yourscll. And,whcn you scnd thc mctta to
anothcr bcing, thcn what is surc is, .) you arc scnding thc
mctta to thcm, and a) thc lcclings that you gct by scnding
thc mctta.
Also, thcrc is no way to mcasurc thc mctta that might
bc scnt to anothcr bcing. Somctimcs wc cxpcct mctta lrom
othcr pcoplc. ltcn wc ask 8uddhist monks to scnd us mctta.
Vhcn pcoplc ask mc lor mctta, ! likc to tcach thcm how to
dcvclop thcir own mctta. 8ccausc whcn thcy dcvclop mctta in
thcir own hcarts, thcn it is surc, it is ccrtain, it is guarantccd
that thcy will havc mctta. 8ut il ! scnd mctta, ! cant bc surc
that it is going to rcach thcm or hclp thcm in anyway, cvcn
though my intcntion may bc purc.

Howcvcr, whcncvcr wc do scnd mctta, wc should scnd

it with thc purc intcntion that thcy will rcccivc it. !t docsnt
rcally mattcr whcthcr thcy rcccivc it or not. !t is morc thc lact
that your intcntion is purc. !l your intcntion is purc, it is morc
likcly that thcyll rcccivc thc mctta. 8ut il you think that, h,
my mctta is so strong. !ll just scnd mctta to you and you will
instantly bc happy and hcalthy. Tcn this is mixcd with pridc,
cgo. r you scnd mctta thinking: Tcy wont gct this, it wont
makc any dicrcncc. Tcn that dclcats thc purposc. Scnd
mctta with a positivc attitudc.
Anothcr quality ol mctta is that thc mctta that wc all
havc is boundlcss, limitlcss. ur mctta is likc an occan. !t
docsnt mattcr how much you takc out ol thc occan. !l you
takc out a cuplul, it docsnt makc any dicrcncc. !l you takc a
buckctlul, it docsnt makc a dicrcncc. vcn you x a pump in
thcrc and pump thc watcr out, it docsnt makc any dicrcncc
to thc vast occan. Vc all havc this occan ol lovingkindncss
in our hcart. Tc troublc is, wc spcnd our livcs living on thc
surlacc ol thc occan. You ncvcr go dccp undcr thc surlacc ol
this occan. Vhcn wc only scc thc surlacc ol thc mind, wc dont
know how dccp our hcart our mind, rcally is. 8oldly cxplorc
thc dcpths ol your mind, you wont only mcct with boundlcss
loving kindncss but also with thc ultimatc truth.
Vhcn you comc to mcditatc, particularly in thc rst day
or two, thcrc is so much thinking, slccpincss, borcdom and
things in thc mind that it is di cult to tunc into thc dcpth ol
thc mind. 8ut whcn wc practisc morc and morc, wc start to
pcnctratc through thc supcrcial lcvcl ol thc mind and thcn wc
may discovcr this dccp, bluc occan ol mctta. Vhcn you rcally

discovcr this, your wholc bcing is complctcly lull ol mctta

and you can givc lovingkindncss to othcr bcings as much as
you likc. Your lovingkindncss wont run out, it wont bccomc
cmpty or wcak. Unlimitcd lovingkindncss. You alrcady havc
this in your hcart, you just nccd to look undcr thc surlacc.
nc ol thc bcst ways to do this is to rcpcat thc phrascs
ovcr and ovcr. As you do that, you start to bclicvc in thc words
that you say. Tc dclcmcnts and hindranccs start to movc
asidc and disappcar. As wc gct bcttcr at thc practicc, wc can
changc to a morc lrccstylc practicc. ! also mcan to bc spon
tancous or in thc momcnt, whatcvcr ariscs, wc usc that as an
opportunity to practisc mctta. So, you might bc lccling avcr
sion in your mind at that momcnt, thcn you might bc ablc to
say to yourscll:
May I be free from aversion. May I be happy and peaceful.
Somconc might display avcrsion towards you, thcn, instantly
in your mind, you may havc mctta towards thcm:
May you be free from aversion.
Pcrhaps you lccl somc pain or sucring in yourscll, thcn you
may naturally say to yourscll:
May I be free from physical suering,
May I be free from mental suering.
r you may scc that somconc clsc is in pain or is sucring, thcn
you may wish thcm to bc lrcc lrom thcir pain and sucring.
Vhatcvcr ariscs in thc prcscnt may bccomc thc objcct
ol mctta.

Happincss might arisc in your mind, you might just

sharc that happincss with thc othcr bcings around you:
Just as I am happy now, may all beings here also share in my
happiness.
Just as I am happy now, may all beings here be as happy as me.
!n this way, you arc not bcing sclsh about your own mctta.
So il you gct thc nicc cxpcricncc or good lcclings lrom mctta,
thcn you can sharc it instantly.
!n lact, whcn ! was hcrc last ycar, ! had a lunny cxpcri
cncc. !t was onc ol thc rst mcals ! atc and ! was ovcr at thc
tcachcrs kuti, ncxt to thc watcr. ! was givcn somc lricd tolu,
thc onc that is put in thc soup, so it had somc liquid insidc. !t
was a big piccc so ! couldnt cat it all in onc go, ! had to somc
how brcak it or cut it in hall. ! dccidcd to usc thc spoon to try
to cut thc piccc ol tolu in hall. Vhcn ! prcsscd thc spoon into
thc tolu, a spurt ol watcry soup camc out and wcnt right up
across my cyc and lorchcad. ! thought that was prctty lunny.
8ut thcn ! quickly lookcd to scc il anybody saw what happcncd
and nobody saw it so that was cvcn lunnicr. !t was likc !m
having this privatc jokc to myscll. Vhcn this joy arosc in mc,
! instantly said:
May the sh in this pond share in my happiness!
! thought that was also a rcally strangc but good thing to think
about, so that also madc mc cvcn happicr. So ! was sitting
thcrc bursting with happincss and joy and nobody kncw about
it. xccpt, maybc thc sh, but again, ! dont know whcthcr
thcy lclt my happincss or not but ! hopc thcy got it. Tc sh
6
in this pond should bc vcry happy sh, ! think. Not bccausc ol
mc, but bccausc ol all ol you. Tcy arc a lot salcr than all thc
othcr sh in thcsc sh larms around hcrc. Tcsc sh will just
dic ol old agc. All thc othcrs around hcrc gct murdcrcd.
Hcrc is anothcr opportunity lor mctta:
May all sh in this neighborhood be free from their suering.
! uscd to do this in our monastcry in South Alrica, but it
wasnt lor sh, it was lor chickcns. From our littlc monastcry, !
could scc at lcast scvcn chickcn larms across thc hills. Chickcn
larms arc horriblc placcs. Hugc, long buildings, thousands and
thousands ol chickcns, all stucd in littlc cagcs. Tcy arc lcd
articial lood with hormoncs and stcroids and vitamins and
things. Tcy livc a vcry short lilc and thcy gct lat vcry quickly
(bccausc ol thc stcroids), so that thc larmcrs can go and cut
thcir hcads o and scll thcm. Rcally horriblc livcs lor thosc
chickcns, ! uscd to call thcm chickcn prisons or chickcn
hcll. So, ! uscd to scnd lovingkindncss lrom our monastcry
o to thosc chickcn hclls.
May all chickens in this district be free from their suering.
ccasionally, ! uscd to scnd it to thc chickcn larmcrs. !n lact,
now that ! think about it, ! didnt do that oltcn cnough. Tc
chickcn larmcrs, although thcy might bc cnjoying a good lilc
in this lilc, thcir ncxt lilc is going to rcally bc hcll. Tcsc sh
larmcrs around hcrc may also not havc a vcry plcasant rcbirth.
Maybc, ! dont know, but killing animals lor your living is
,
not right livclihood. Chincsc 8uddhists havc a lot ol tcaching
about this. Tat is why you will nd Chincsc 8uddhists arc
all vcgctarians.
So you can usc lrccstylc mctta spontancous, whatcvcr
happcns now you can usc it as an objcct or a way, an opportu
nity to practisc mctta. Tosc ol you who arc uscd to practising
vipassana also will bc morc awarc ol your lcclings whcn thcy
arisc. Vhcn you arc awarc ol somc happincss, thcn you can
sharc that happincss. !l you lccl somc ncgativc mcntal statc,
thcn you can wish:
May I be free of this negative mental state.
At that momcnt it is not just wishing but your ncgativity has
instantly changcd to positivity instant rcsults! Also, il borc
dom ariscs, you may wish:
May I be free from boredom.
Anothcr way to ovcrcomc borcdom is to bc morc crcativc with
your rcciting ol thc phrascs. You can bc a littlc bit playlul, play
a littlc bit with thc phrascs and thc words. You can makc it
rhymc, likc a pocm or a song, il you likc. As ! said, you can
makc it lastcr or slowcr. 8y changing thc spccd, it hclps you to
conccntratc bcttcr. !l borcdom ariscs, you can just stcam roll it,
just kccp saying thosc phrascs.
Tcn, just to nish o, wc should do mctta with a purc
intcntion. Rcally, honcstly, wanting cithcr yourscll or anothcr
bcing or othcr bcings to gcnuincly cxpcricncc thc truc quality
ol mctta.

May you all be lled with loving-kindness.

May you share your loving-kindness with all living beings.
May all living beings live in peace and harmony.
Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!
Our Metta is like an ocean.
Te deep-blue ocean of Metta.
Te va-blue sky of Metta.
Te endless sky of Metta.
Blue Sky Mind
Mettamind
c
SuNoav xovN:Nc
!d likc to sharc with you a couplc ol phrascs that ! discovcrcd
through my own mctta practicc. Somctimcs, whcn ! do loving
kindncss lor myscll, it lccls vcry casy. spccially whcn ! am
living in a monastcry and living this lilc as 8uddhist monk.
Vhcn !m mindlul, thcn ! am salc lrom inncr harm or mcntal
sucring. Also, living in a monastcry, living a quict and simplc
lilcstylc, thcn ! am salc lrom outcr harm or physical sucring.
Living in a monastcry is vcry pcacclul. For mc, happincss ariscs
lrom living a simplc lilc and also through mcntal dcvclopmcnt.
Mcntal dcvclopmcnt, hcrc, mcans samatha and vipassana. So
whcn ! say thc phrasc:
May I be happy and peaceful ,
vcry quickly ! lccl happy and pcacclul, ! can movc on to thc
ncxt linc. Pcoplc, out ol laith in thc 8uddha, hamma and
thc Sangha, ocr good lood to thc monks. So ! myscll always
lccl hcalthy and strong. As lor thc last linc:
May I be able to take care of myself joyfully,
thcn as long as ! can livc a monastic lilcstylc and bc mindlul
with mctta too, thcn naturally my lilc is going to bc good. So
whcn ! rccitc thcsc lour phrascs, somctimcs quitc quickly, ! lccl
vcry complctc, vcry satiscd that ! am cxpcricncing thcsc lour
wishcs. Tcn ! think, Vcll, ! am lccling quitc contcnt and
satiscd, but othcr bcings arc not so contcnt as mc.
May all beings be as content as me.
.
Vhcn ! rccct on my lilc, thcn ! rcalizc that cvcn lor my
happincss, othcr bcings havc had to sucr to makc mc happy.
thcr bcings, such as my mothcr and lathcr, my lamily, lricnds,
rclativcs, tcachcrs in thc past or in thc prcscnt, many pcoplc
who hclp mc to lcad a good lilc, thcy arc all still sucring. !,
too, am sucring, but at lcast !m awarc ol it, what causcs it
and thc way to bccomc lrcc lrom it. So ! sharc this thought
with thcm:
May all beings who have suered to make me happy, be free from
their suering.
Vhcn ! thought about this, ! rcalizcd that thcrc arc also pco
plc in my lilc who madc mc sucr, not cvcrybody madc mc
happy. Ah, so thcn ! thought:
May all beings who have suered to make me suer, be free from
their suering.
All thc timc in our lilc wc arc surroundcd by living bcings, by
our lricnds and lamily, at work by our collcagucs and associ
atcs, bcings both sccn and unsccn. vcn whcn wc arc travclling,
othcr bcings arc travclling, too. Today, you will bc going homc,
so ! want to rcmind you that it is good to bc ablc to sharc somc
lovingkindncss with othcr bcings who arc around you. Vhcn
travclling, ! usually say:
May all beings along this journey be free from their suering.
Not only thc bcings who arc going in thc samc dircction as
you, but all bcings along thc journcy. Somctimcs,! imaginc or
visualizc thc journcy lrom thc bcginning until thc cnd, lrom
a
thc start to thc dcstination, and ! imaginc all thc bcings that
wc may cncountcr along thc way, millions ol thcm, uncount
ablc! ! wish:
May they all be free from their suering.
Tat mcans cvcn il you arc travclling along thc road, all thc
othcr drivcrs and passcngcrs, all thc bcings on thc road, thc
insccts that hit thc windscrccn, bcings on thc sidcs ol thc road
as you travcl along:
May all beings travelling on this road
arrive safely and happily at their destination .
Tat includcs yourscll and your travclling companions. Tis is
a grcat way to start any journcy, cvcn just going down to thc
local shops. Makc it a littlc ritual, gct thc kids involvcd, say it
out loud lor thc wholc world to hcar. Try playing somc mctta
casscttc tapc or cvcn a hamma or chanting tapc.
Vhcn ! was in South Alrica, ! bcgan to usc thc !ntcrnct.
! rcalizcd that whcn ! was sitting at thc computcr logging onto
thc !ntcrnct, thcrc wcrc so many othcr pcoplc, maybc millions
ol othcr pcoplc across thc world doing thc samc thing. So !
would say,
May everyone using the Internet now be happy and peaceful .
Somctimcs, whcn inlormation is rcally slow to comc up, maybc
thc clcctricity cuts out and you losc all your inlormation or you
lccl strcsscd bccausc you havc to hurry to complctc your work
or somcthing, so as you arc using thc computcr, you gct somc
mcntal sucring, somc strcss lrom that work. Tc thought

occurrcd to mc, !l ! am cxpcricncing somc strcss, thcn maybc

all thc othcr millions ol pcoplc who arc using thcir computcrs
right now might also bc cxpcricncing somc strcss.
May all beings using their computers now be free from their stress,
May they be free from suering,
May they be successful and prosperous.
!t was also at that timc in South Alrica, that ! rcalizcd that
mctta itscll is likc thc !ntcrnct, or thc !ntcrnct is likc mctta.
!ntcrnct connccts pcoplc to pcoplc right across thc planct
and ! rcalizc mctta also connccts bcings to bcings. You
cant scc thc !ntcrnct, it is invisiblc but you can makc usc
ol it. !t is vcry usclul and it works. You cant scc mctta but
you can usc it and it works. ! think having !ntcrnct is not
important but having mctta is cxtrcmcly important bccausc
it mcans that whcrcvcr you arc, you can bc conncctcd with
othcr bcings through thc quality ol your hcart. !l you can
usc your lovingkindncss whcrcvcr you go, thcn othcr bcings
will always acccpt you. No nccd lor lcar or shamc, just pcacc
and contcntmcnt.
Tcrc is anothcr important aspcct ol our spiritual
progrcss or spiritual practicc, and that is lorgivcncss. !n lact,
a mcditation rctrcat should always start with lorgivcncss. n
this short rctrcat ! didnt bothcr with it but ! do just want to
mcntion it to you.
!n lilc, wc makc mistakcs, so do othcr pcoplc, cvcrybody
makcs mistakcs. Vc makc mistakcs bccausc cvcn whcn wc
arc born, wc havc somc dcgrcc ol lobha (dcsirc/ grccd), dosa
(avcrsion/ hatrcd) and moha (conlusion/ dclusion). spccially,

whcn wc havc moha, conlusion, or dclusion, it is casy to makc

mistakcs.
Also, wc havc avijja (ignorancc), not undcrstanding thc
right way in lilc. Vc havc all got this to somc cxtcnt, cvcn
our parcnts havc it. ur lricnds and our lamily, in lact, our
socicty is largcly bascd on grccd, hatrcd and dclusion. Tat
docsnt mcan that thcrc arc not positivc clcmcnts as wcll but
lundamcntally, wc all havc somc dcgrcc ol grccd, hatrcd and
dclusion.
Forgivcncss practicc comcs in an ordcr ol thrcc modcs.
Firstly lor oncscll, having harmcd othcr bcings, sccondly lor
oncscll, having harmcd oncscll, and thirdly lor othcrs, who
havc harmcd us. !n our lilc wc havc madc mistakcs, wc havc
harmcd othcr bcings, cithcr intcntionally or unintcntionally.
ltcn, whcn wc practisc mcditation wc rcmcmbcr thc timcs
that wc havc causcd harm and sucring to othcr pcoplc and
othcr bcings. At that timc, rcmorsc, rcgrct and rcstlcssncss
arisc in thc mind. Tcsc arc grcat hindranccs to mindlulncss,
conccntration, insight and spiritual progrcss. Vhcn you rccall
how you havc causcd harm and sucring to othcr bcings, you
may do somc lorgivcncss practicc lor yourscll. Vc can say:
In many ways, I have caused harm and suering to other beings,
I forgive myself. May they be free from their suering.
!t is likc cxcusing yourscll or acknowlcdging that you did
somcthing wrong. !t docsnt mcan that what you did was good.
!t mcans you havc rcalizcd At that timc ! was ignorant. At
that timc ! actcd with grccd, hatrcd and dclusion. ! didnt know
better and now, ! am sinccrcly sorry. ltcn, thcrc is nothing

wc can do about it now, so you can lorgivc yourscll. Maybc

latcr you can rcpair any damagc or harm that you causcd, but
lor now, wc can rclax and lct thc past go by asking lor lorgivc
ncss and giving mctta to ourselves and thc othcrs conccrncd. !l
this rcmorsc is rcally an issuc lor you or rcally a problcm, you
can go to a 8uddhist monk or your hamma tcachcr and you
can tcll thcm that you did somcthing wrong, you cant hclp it
now or you cant x it now, but that you arc rcally sorry. Tc
monk or tcachcr acccpts your cetana or intcntion, ol coursc
thcy cant solvc thc problcm lor you, but you may thcn bc ablc
to tcmporarily put it asidc, rclax and gct on with dcvcloping
your mctta. Tis starts to lrcc up our hcart lrom somc hcavy
cmotions or guilt.
Tcn, wc can movc on to thc ncxt part,
In many ways I ve caused harm and suering to myself , I forgive
myself, may I be free from my suering.
You dont rcalizc it, but many ol thc ncgativc things that havc
happcncd in your lilc havc happcncd bccausc ol your own atti
tudc. Vhcn you arc grccdy, you can causc sucring to yourscll.
A simplc cxamplc is cating too much. You cat too much, you
gct a pain in your stomach. 8cing angry, having hatrcd, also
causcs sucring to yourscll. You lccl hot, tight and lrustratcd.
Also, conlusion is a lorm ol sucring. ur sucring is not just
causcd by othcrs but also causcd by oursclvcs. !l you rcalizc
and undcrstand this, thcn maybc you can lorgivc yourscll and
thcn wish yourscll to bc lrcc lrom sucring. Can you do that:
o you want to do that: ! hopc so.
Tcn, thc third onc is quitc di cult.
6
In many ways others have caused harm and suering to me
Tis is vcry common in our lilc. thcrs may havc causcd us
harm intcntionally or unintcntionally. 8ut whcn wc undcr
stand that thcy arc acting on ignorancc, on grccd, hatrcd and
dclusion, just likc us, thcn wc may lorgivc thcm. Also, thcy arc
sucring. Tc oncs who havc causcd you sucring in your lilc,
thcy too arc sucring. Tc scntcncc continucs:
I forgive them, may we all be free from our suering.
Tey are suering, I am suering, may we all be free from our
suering.
!n this way wc can start to lrcc our mind lrom somc hcavy
cmotional lcclings lrom thc past. Vc do it in thc ordcr that !
havc givcn to you now. Usually, what wc try to do in lilc is to
lorgivc othcrs rst, but it is vcry di cult to do that bccausc
you havc got angcr or lrustration in your mind. Vc might do
it or wc might say it, but it is just words. Vc think it is all ovcr,
lorgottcn, but oltcn wc rcally havcnt lorgivcn thcm and you
still lccl thc hurt insidc your hcart.
!l you can, try to lcarn to lorgivc yourscll rst. Firstly,
bccausc you havc harmcd othcrs and sccondly, bccausc you
havc harmcd yourscll. Vhcn you rcally know thc quality ol
lorgivcncss, what it lccls likc to bc lorgivcn, that lccling is vcry
strong. !t is also vcry lrccing or libcrating. Vhcn you lccl that
libcration, you would naturally likc othcrs to lccl that too. 8y
lcarning to lorgivc yourscll, you know how to lorgivc othcrs.
Vhcn you can undcrstand how nicc it lccls to bc lorgivcn, thcn
you want to lorgivc othcrs. !l you makc a mistakc and somconc
,
lorgivcs you, you lccl happy about that. So you should also
practisc this on yourscll and practisc it with othcrs.
Naturally it is thc samc with lovingkindncss. Normally,
wc just try to scnd lovingkindncss out to othcrs, but wc dont
know what thc lccling ol lovingkindncss is until wc havc
dcvclopcd it in our own hcart. Vhcn you truly cxpcricncc thc
quality, thc warmth and blisslul lcclings ol lovingkindncss
in your own hcart, naturally you want to sharc it with othcrs.
Until you cxpcricncc and rcally know that lccling lor yourscll,
all you arc doing is saying words.
Saying words is okay, it is training thc mind. Tcrc arc
two aspccts to this. Tc rccitation ol thc words ol mctta in thc
mind and thc actual vcrbalization ol mctta lor somconc. Vhcn
wc practisc lovingkindncss mcditation, thcn wc arc using thc
words to dcvclop thc mind, also to dcvclop thc lccling ol lov
ingkindncss. So in normal lilc wc might just say:
I hope you are happy and peaceful .
Gcncrally, wc might just say a lcw words:
I hope you are healthy and strong.
So wc may say thosc words now and again, that is spcaking
with mctta. 8ut whcn wc arc doing mctta mcditation, wc arc
rcciting thcsc words ovcr and ovcr and ovcr in ordcr to dcvclop
somc conccntration. Also, whcn wc undcrstand thc mcaning
ol thc words, wc start to gct thc lccling ol thc mctta. Tats
whcn thc words changc into lcclings. Tc important point is
to lccl mctta in your own hcart.

Vhcn wc can know and undcrstand mctta in our own

hcarts, wc can givc out that mctta, undcrstanding thc quality
ol it. Vhcn wc undcrstand mctta in our own hcarts, wc scnd
it out, wc arc happy with that quality.
Gcncrally spcaking, wc can do lovingkindncss any
whcrc, any timc. Vc can do spccic mctta lor oursclvcs, lor
othcrs or towards individuals, that is thc momcnt to momcnt
conccntration on lovingkindncss. r wc can do gcncral mctta,
scnding it out to all bcings, anywhcrc, any timc. Vhcncvcr it
naturally ariscs, you just do mctta. Spontancous mctta!
Vhat ! would likc to do now, just to nish o thc rctrcat,
is ! would likc us all to circumambulatc walk around thc
big pond in thc middlc ol thc ccntrc, doing lovingkindncss.
!d likc us to walk around thrcc timcs. Tc rst timc, !d likc
you to conccntratc on lovingkindncss towards yourscll. Tc
sccond timc, !d likc you to sharc lovingkindncss with all
bcings in this ccntrc, and thc last timc, !d likc you to scnd
your lovingkindncss out to all living bcings. You can walk last
or slow. 8cttcr to takc your timc, maybc usc thc umbrclla. Just
takc your timc and do lovingkindncss gcntly and casually as
you go around. ! think that is good. ont walk in pairs, dont
walk with your lricnds, just go individually and do individual
practicc. ont pay any attcntion to anybody clsc and just con
ccntratc on thc mctta.
Vhcncvcr your mind wandcrs o and you lorgct what
you arc doing, just comc back to thc subjcct. First subjcct is
yourscll. Sccond subjcct is all bcings in this ccntrc. Tird sub
jcct, all bcings cvcrywhcrc. !n ccct, that will bc our closing
ccrcmony, a closing gcsturc lor this mcditation rctrcat.

Just bclorc wc go, !d likc to say that usually !m not a

mctta tcachcr, ! usually tcach vipassana. So il !vc madc any
mistakc or givcn somc wrong dircctions or lclt anything out,
any important things, plcasc lorgivc mc. Tank you.
May we all live with metta in our hearts.
Everywhere we go, may we share loving-kindness.
May all beings live in peace and harmony.
Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!
Internet connecs people to people,
Metta connecs beings to beings.
Sati or mindfulness is the mo
powerful thing in the universe.
Metta is the second mo powerful.
Another quality of Metta is,
the Metta that we all have is
boundless, limitless.
6.
My own simplicd intcrprctation ol thc 8uddhas words on
mctta:
Metta Sutta
Discourse on Loving-kindness
Owing to the glorious power of this Metta Sutta,
spirits dare not appear in their frightful forms.
Anyone who chants this sutta, day and night,
sleeps peacefully, has no bad dreams and enjoys many benets.
Come on, lets recite this Metta Sutta!
Tose who are skillful in good pracices
and wish to attain to that ate of peace, should follow this,
One should be e cient, hone, perfecly raight,
obedient, gentle and humble, contented, easy to look after,
with few duties, simple in livelihood, controlled in senses,
discreet, mode and not greedily attached to people.
One should not do anything
that the wise may blame you for: Ju think,
May all beings be happy and secure,
may their hearts be wholesome.
6a
Whatever beings there are, weak or rong, without exception,
long out or medium, short or tall, large or small,
seen or unseen, near or far, born or unborn,
May all beings be happy!
Let one not deceive another, nor despise anyone at all.
With anger or ill will, let one not wish harm to any other.
ju as a mother would protec her only child,
even at the risk of her own life,
let us develop boundless Loving-Kindness towards All beings.
Lets send unlimited Loving-Kindness towards the whole world,
above, below and all around, freely and without hatred or
enmity.
Whether sitting anding, walking or lying down,
as long as we are awake, we should develop this mindfulness,
this they say, is the highe conduc.
Not following wrong views
but purely and wisely not being attached to
many pleasures, one is not to be reborn.
Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!