2.11 loving - kindness (metta)

How do metta and karuna work together ?

metta is the action, karuna is the feeling

• metta is what leads to karuna

• e.g if you give to the food bank - you would feel happy

• so metta is the general desire to want people to be happy so you need to do an action

Why do Buddhists develop loving - kindness towards themselves and others ?

they do it to dissolve away the tendency to act out of greed, hatred/ any other negative emotions

• hatred, and greed are part of the 3 poisons and these are the main causes of suffering

How will someone who has developed metta act ?

• they won’t be easily angered

• more caring, loving, more likely to love unconditionally 

• feel at peace cause there’s no need to possess ill will towards others

What is the aim of loving-kindness meditation ?

it’s aim is to help the mediator develop an attitude of metta by following 5 steps

What are the 5 steps of cultivating loving-kindness to ?

1. yourself

2. a good friend

3. a ‘neutral’ person - you come into contact with them but they don’t give you a strong emotion connection

4. a ‘difficult’ person - someone you ‘dislike’

5. a 4 of these people - gradually followed by everyone else in the world

What does the mediator do in loving - kindness meditation ?

• visualise or imagine one of these people looking happy

• reflect on positive qualities of the person

• ‘May I be happy. May I be well. May I be safe. May I be peaceful.’