… 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 …
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 …
… 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 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 …
There’s a line toward the end of the Karaṇīya
Mettā Sutta that describes the ideal meditator as “not attached to
fixed views, but consummate in vision.” That’s how it’s often
translated. It turns out, though, that the word “fixed” is not in the
original. In other words, “not attached to views but consummate in
vision”: That’s what the line actually …
Gratitude & Trust
October 12, 2010
Tonight marks the twentieth anniversary of the founding of Wat Metta. It was on October 12, 1990, that the land was first purchased. And it’s good to reflect on how much we owe to the people who first thought up the idea of having this monastery and to the people whose gift of land and whose development of …
Metta, the word for goodwill, comes from mitta, which means
friend. When you spread thoughts of goodwill, you’re spreading
friendly thoughts. You’re trying to be a friend to yourself, a friend
to the world. And it’s good to think about what that means—because
it’s not just a quality of the thoughts. As the Buddha said, there are
ways of …
… For instance, you may realize that you need to do some more metta practice: goodwill for yourself, goodwill for other people. That’s exerting a fabrication. You’re dealing with your directed thoughts, evaluations, and perceptions.
If you’re feeling lazy, it’s good to think about death, realizing that death can come at any time. You may feel that we’re living in …
… The word metta, goodwill, is
described by the Buddha as a form of restraint, which is an
interesting idea because it’s also an unlimited attitude. So what’s
the restraint on something unlimited? Well, the unlimited part is that
you have goodwill for all beings without exception. The limitation of
the restraint is on your actions. In other words, simply thinking
thoughts of …
… Years back, I was sitting in on a class when someone was explaining
the Karaniya Metta Sutta. He came to the first line, “This is what
should be done by one who aims at a state of peace.” There was a hand.
Someone said, “Wait a minute. I thought Buddhism didn’t have any
shoulds.” The teacher spent the whole morning trying to explain …
… It would seem to be
redundant with the resolve for non-ill will, but the texts say that
non-ill will correlates to metta or goodwill, and harmlessness
correlates to compassion. In other words, when you see that somebody
is suffering, you don’t want to go and add a little bit more on. You’d
prefer to see the end of suffering. This …
… Remember that line toward the end of the Karaniya Metta Sutta:
“to be determined on this mindfulness.” After all, goodwill is not
necessarily the natural state of the mind. Goodwill is easy in some
cases and not easy in others. Ill will can be just as easy in some
cases and not in others. Your mind can go either way. So you have to …
