Mettā (1.🤝🤗 ): friendliness, good will, benevolence
mitta (masc.) = friend [√mitt + a]
metta (adj.) = friendly; benevolent; kind [√mitt + *a];
mettā (fem, +loc.) = goodwill (towards); friendliness (to); benevolence (for) [√mitt + *ā]
✅ As one of the
4bv☮️ , this attitude of friendly-kindness is unlimited, impartial, universal and applies to all beings without exception
MN 21.
✅ Mettā should be done concurrently with
sati , samādhi, 4 jhānas (
4j🌕 ), maintained at all times and all postures.
AN 8.63 and A-byāpāda, A-vihiṃsā-saṅkappo of 👑8☸ → 2💭
✅ Mettā is an attitude, a wish for other beings to be happy and free from suffering, a commitment to do no harm.
* An 'attitude' can be maintained at all times and all postures.
⛔ Mettā is not a nanny devoting all their energy, time and attention watching unruly kids wreak havoc on the world.
⛔ Mettā is not an obligation to support every living being in the universe until the age of 18 and pay for their college tuition.
✅ You protect (rakkha) yourself first (by developing
👑8☸ ), before worrying about protecting others
SN 47.19.
✅ How does the Buddha's practice of mettā and
4bv☮️ differ from the pre-Buddhist brahma-vihāras?
The Buddha's leads to arahantship and non-return, the others only to Brahma realm rebirth
AN 4.126.
✅ A true friend with good will would act (bodily, verbal, mental) in ways that might be unpleasant to the recipient (at appropriate times). Acting in ways that are not in the long term best interests, such as uttering white lies that flatter the recipient, is not mettā.
⛔ Mettā is absolutely not 'love', a highly charged ambiguous word that includes lustful passion, romantic delusion, unhealthy attachments to family and lovers, clinging that leads to pain, suffering, rebirth.
* At best, 'love' might include a component of genuine mettā, but 'love' is not equivalent to 'mettā', and can not be responsibly used as a translation for 'metta'.
* An attitude of friendly-kindness (mettā) from a friend (mitta) is welcome.
* 'lovers' spreading their 'love' to everyone is not welcome and not appropriate.
⛔ 'loving-kindness' is an attempt to avoid the problems with 'love', but still an ill-advised translation.