Lone Star Buddhist Meditation Center
Loving Kindness Meditation (Mettā Bhāvanā)
Mettā means genuine friendliness and goodwill — the kind of warm, caring feeling you have toward yourself and others. A person who is truly friendly to themselves will not harm
themselves, and one who is friendly to others will not harm others. So, mettā is the kind of
friendship that brings happiness and peace to both oneself and others.
According to the Anuruddha Sutta from the Middle-length Discourses, the arahant Anuruddha explained two ways to develop loving-kindness meditation:
- Appamāna Ceto Vimutti – Infinite Mental Emancipation
- Mahaggata Ceto Vimutti – Great Mental Emancipation
01. Appamāna Ceto Vimutti (Infinite Loving Kindness)
This method means spreading loving-kindness endlessly in all directions — to the North, East, South, West, the four corners in between (Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, Northwest), and also above and below. Altogether, loving-kindness is spread in ten directions.
You can practice it like this:
May all beings in the North be free from anger, free from ill-will, free from jealousy, and free from both mental and physical suffering.
May they live in peace and happiness.
May all beings in the Northeast be free from anger, free from ill-will, free from jealousy, and free from both mental and physical suffering.
May they live in peace and happiness.
May all beings in the East be free from anger, free from ill-will, free from jealousy, and free from both mental and physical suffering.
May they live in peace and happiness.
May all beings in the Southeast, be free from anger, free from ill-will, free from jealousy, and free from both mental and physical suffering.
May they live in peace and happiness.
May all beings in the South be free from anger, free from ill-will, free from jealousy, free from mental suffering, be free from physical suffering.
May they live in peace, May they live and happily.
May all beings in the Southwest be free from anger, free from ill-will, free from jealousy, free from mental suffering, free from physical suffering.
May they live in peace, May they live happily.
May all beings in the West be free from anger, free from ill-will, free from jealousy, free from mental suffering, free from physical suffering.
May they live in peace, May they live happily.
May all beings in the Northwest be free from anger, free from ill-will, free from jealousy, free from mental suffering, free from physical suffering.
May they live in peace, May they live happily.
May all beings in the Above be free from anger, free from ill-will, free from jealousy, free from mental suffering, free from physical suffering.
May they live in peace, May they live happily.
May all beings in the Below, be free from anger, free from ill-will, free from jealousy, free from mental suffering, free from physical suffering.
May they live in peace, May they live happily.
02. Mahaggata Ceto Vimutti (Expanding Loving Kindness)
In this method, loving-kindness is spread gradually, covering larger and larger areas. You begin with yourself, then extend your kindness to all beings around you — from your village, to your city, to your province, to your country, to the whole world, and finally to all living beings everywhere.
You can practice it like this:
May I be free from anger, free from ill-will, free from jealousy, free from from mental, free from physical suffering.
May I live in peace, May they live happily.
As I wish for myself, May all beings in the Village, be free from anger, free from ill-will, free from jealousy, free from mental suffering, free from physical suffering.
May they live in peace, May they live happily.
May all beings in the City, be free from anger, free from ill-will, free from jealousy, free from mental suffering, free from physical suffering.
May they live in peace, May they live happily.
May all beings in the State, be free from anger, free from ill-will, free from jealousy, free from mental suffering, free from physical suffering.
May they live in peace, May they live happily.
May all beings in the Country, be free from anger, free from ill-will, free from jealousy, free from mental suffering, free from physical suffering.
May they live in peace, May they live happily.
May all beings in the World, be free from anger, free from ill-will, free from jealousy, free from mental suffering, free from physical suffering.
May they live in peace, May they live happily.
May all beings everywhere, be free from anger, free from ill-will, free from jealousy, free from mental suffering, free from physical suffering.
May they live in peace, May they live happily.
Developing Concentration through Loving Kindness
The Buddha taught that by practicing loving-kindness meditation correctly, one can reach up to the third jhāna (a deep meditative state).
When you meditate in this way, your mind becomes calm and focused. It naturally overcomes the five mental hindrances — desire, ill-will, laziness, restlessness, and doubt.
Through this calm and focused state, you first develop the first jhāna, which includes:
- Vitakka – directed thought
- Vicāra – continuous attention
- Pīti – joy or delight not based on sensual pleasure
- Sukha – peaceful happiness
- Ekaggatā – one-pointed concentration
With continued practice of loving-kindness, you can go beyond the first jhāna and reach higher levels of concentration and peace.