“The benefits you get from practising mettā (loving-kindness)”
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Question: What are the advantages of mettā bhāvanā and how to do it?
Than Ajahn: Mettā bhāvanā is just a form of meditation practice to calm your mind like ānāpānasati. Instead of using the breath as the object of meditation, you use mettā which is the feeling of friendliness towards other people. You create this feeling of friendliness inside your mind. This is a form of meditation.
But practising mettā itself is actually a way to conduct ourselves towards other beings, especially towards human beings and animals. We have to do it when we are in contact with people or animals. We should be kind to them. Be nice to them. Be good to them. Don’t hurt them. This is the way of practicing mettā. It’s giving friendliness and goodwill towards other human beings or animals.
Like if they are in need, you help them. If you have lots of things that you don’t need to keep, you share your possession with others or give them away. If you have too much money, you give it to other people who need them. This is a form of mettā practice which is different from mettā bhāvanā.
Mettā bhāvanā is when you sit down, close your eyes and think of the good feelings that you create from doing charity work. This feeling can calm your mind and make your mind peaceful and happy. So, these are the two different ways of doing mettā:
(i) mettā as a meditation practice; and
(ii) mettā as a practice you do towards other human beings and animals.
According to the Buddha, the benefits you get from practising mettā –like being charitable, being helpful and being kind towards others– are that you’ll be happy whether you are awake or asleep; When you go to sleep, you have good dreams, you won’t have bad dreams; You’ll have lots of friends because when you are a charitable person, people will like you; You won’t be killed by poison or weapons because no one hates you; You won’t be hurt by other people because you only do good things towards other people; You will have good complexion; When you meditate, your mind will become calm very easily; And when you die, your mind will go to a higher state of existence. So, these are some of the benefits that you can get by practicing mettā (loving-kindness).
Dhamma in English, Jul 11, 2018.
By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
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