Maitrī

Maitrī
(Sanskrit; Pali: ) means benevolence, loving-kindness, friendliness, amity, good will, and active interest in others. It is the first of the four sublime states and one of the ten of the Theravāda school of Buddhism.
The cultivation of benevolence is a popular form of Buddhist meditation. It is a part of the four immeasurables in (divine abidings) meditation. as "compassion meditation" is often practiced in Asia by broadcast chanting, wherein monks chant for the laity.
The compassion and universal loving-kindness concept of is discussed in the Metta Sutta of Buddhism, and is also found in the ancient and medieval texts of Hinduism and Jainism as or .
Small sample studies on the potential of suggest potential benefits. However, peer reviews question the quality and sample size of these studies.
Etymology and meaning
is a Pali word, from which was itself derived from which, states Monier-Williams, means "friend". The term is found in this sense in the Vedic literature, such as the Shatapatha Brahmana and various early Upanishads, and Vedanga literature such as Pāṇini's Aṣṭādhyāyī 5.4.36. The term appears in Buddhist texts as an important concept and practice.
Buswell and Lopez, as well as Harvey, translate as "loving-kindness". In Buddhist belief, this is a (divine abode) or an immeasurable that leads to a meditative state by being a counter to ill-will. It removes clinging to negative states of mind, by cultivating kindness unto all beings.
The "far enemy" of is hate or ill-will, a mind-state in obvious opposition. The "near enemy" (quality which superficially resembles but is in fact more subtly in opposition to it), is attachment (greed): here too one likes experiencing a virtue, but for the wrong reason.
meditation
meditation, or often "loving-kindness meditation", is the practice concerned with the cultivation of , i.e. benevolence, kindness, and amity. The practice generally consists of silent repetitions of phrases such as "may you be happy" or "may you be free from suffering", for example directed at a person who, depending on tradition, may or may not be internally visualized.
Two different methodological approaches have been discerned in recent review papers: practices that focus on compassion, and practices focusing on loving-kindness. Focusing on compassion means that meditation consists of the wish to relieve a being from suffering, whereas focusing on loving-kindness means wishing a being happiness.
The practice gradually increases in difficulty with respect to the targets that receive the practitioner's compassion or loving-kindness. At first the practitioner is targeting "oneself, then loved ones, neutral ones, difficult ones, and finally all beings, with variations across traditions".
A 2015 meta-analysis, synthesizing various high-quality experiments on loving-kindness meditation, found a medium-sized improvement to daily positive emotion, with meditation on the loving-kindness aspect of having a greater effect than practices with a focus on compassion. The length of time meditating did not affect the magnitude of positive impact of the practice.
Origins
According to Martin Wiltshire, prior to the advent of the Buddha, there existed traditions of and of meditation with the four virtues of loving-kindness, compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity. The early Buddhist texts assert that pre-Buddha ancient Indian sages who taught these virtues were earlier incarnations of the Buddha. Post-Buddha, these same virtues are found in the Hindu texts such as verse 1.33 of the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali, wherein the word is synonymous with .
Loving-kindness, along with compassion and equanimity, are found in the early Upanishads of Hinduism, while loving-kindness is found in early Sutras of Jainism along with compassion, empathetic joy and equanimity. The ancient Indian Paccekabuddhas who are mentioned in the early Buddhist Suttas, those who lived before the Buddha, mention all "four immeasurables" and Brahmavihara, and they are claimed in the Suttas to be previous incarnations of the Buddha.
According to Ian Harris, the Buddhist scriptures acknowledge that the -concept containing four meditation practices "did not originate within the Buddhist tradition". The Buddha never claimed that the "four immeasurables" and related -meditation were his unique ideas, states Harvey Aronson, in "cessation, quieting, nirvana".
The pre-Buddha Chandogya Upanishad, states Jayatilleke, in section 8.15 teaches metta and ahimsa (doctrine of non-harm, esp. non-violence) to all creatures claiming that this practice leads to . The shift in Vedic ideas, from rituals to virtues, is particularly discernible in the early Upanishadic thought, and it is unclear as to what extent and how early Upanishadic traditions of Hinduism and Sramanic traditions such as Buddhism and Jainism influenced each other, on ideas such as "four immeasurables", meditation, and Brahmavihara.
In the Jain text, the Tattvartha Sutra (Chapter 7, sutra 11), which is accepted by all Jain sub-traditions as authoritative, there is a mention of four right sentiments: Maitri, pramoda, karunya, and madhyastha:
Buddhist texts
In the Pāli Canon, the term appears in many texts such as the Kakacupama Sutta and Karaniya Metta Sutta. Other canonical materials, such as in the Paṭisambhidāmagga, elaborate on it as a practice. Yet other canonical sources, such as the Abhidhamma, underline the key role of benevolence in the development of wholesome karma for better rebirths.
can also be found in several other canonical discourses.
Karaniya Metta Sutta (Sn 1.8)
or lovingkindness here, states Harvey, is a heartfelt aspiration for the happiness of all beings. It is different from "lack of ill-will", and more an antidote to fear and hatred. It is the precept to conquer anger by kindness, conquer the liar by truth, conquer the stingy by giving, and conquer evil by good, says Harvey.
Vatthūpama Sutta
In over a dozen discourses, the following description (in English and Pāli) is provided for radiating loving-kindness in six directions:
In the canon, this basic formula is expanded upon in a variety of ways. For instance, a couple of discourses provide the following description of how to gain rebirth in the heavenly realm of Brahmā :
"What... is the path to the company of Brahmā? Here a bhikkhu abides pervading one quarter with a mind imbued with benevolence, likewise the second, likewise the third, likewise the fourth; so above, below, around, and everywhere, and to all as to himself, he abides pervading the all-encompassing world with a mind imbued with benevolence, abundant, exalted, immeasurable, without hostility, and without ill will. When the deliverance of mind by benevolence is developed in this way, no limiting action remains there, none persists there.
"Just as a vigorous trumpeter could make himself (or herself) heard without difficulty in the four quarters, so too, when the deliverance of mind by benevolence is developed in this way, no limiting action remains there, none persists there. This is the path to the company of Brahmā."
Patisambhidamagga Mettakatha (Ps. 2.4)
In the Khuddaka Nikāyas Paṭisambhidāmagga, traditionally ascribed to Sariputta, is a section entitled Mettākathā (Ps. 2.4, "Story on Loving-Kindness"). In this instruction, a general formula (below, in English and Pāli), essentially identical to the aforementioned Cunda Kammaraputta Sutta verse (especially evident in the Pāli), is provided for radiating benevolence:
In addition, this instruction categorizes twenty-two ways in which "the mind-deliverance of benevolence" can be radiated with
five ways of "unspecified pervasion" all beings, all breathing things, all creatures, all persons, all with a personality
seven ways of "specified pervasion" all women, all men, all Noble Ones, all non-Noble Ones, all deities, all humans, all born in lower realms,
ten ways of "directional pervasion" of the eastern direction, of the western direction, of the northern direction, of the southern direction, of the eastern intermediate direction, of the western intermediate direction, of the northern intermediate direction, of the southern intermediate direction, of the downward direction, of the upward direction.
Moreover, the directional pervasions can then be applied to each of the unspecific and specific pervasions. For instance, after radiating benevolence to all beings in the east, one radiates it to all beings in the west and then north and then south, etc.; then, one radiates it to all breathing things in this fashion, then all creatures, persons, and so forth until such is extended for all those born in the lower realms.
Benefits
The Pali canon says that there are a number of benefits from the practicing of meditation, including:
One sleeps easily, wakes easily, dreams no evil dreams. One is dear to human beings, dear to non-human beings. The devas protect one. Neither fire, poison, nor weapons can touch one. One's mind gains concentration quickly. One's complexion is bright. One dies unconfused and—if penetrating no higher—is headed for [rebirth in] the Brahma worlds.
The canon also upholds fully ripened development as a foremost antidote to ill will:
"No other thing do I know, O monks, on account of which unarisen ill will does not arise and arisen ill will is abandoned so much as on account of this: the liberation of the heart by benevolence. For one who attends properly to the liberation of the heart by benevolence, unarisen ill will does not arise and arisen ill will is abandoned."
"Monks, whatever grounds there are for making merit productive of a future birth, all these do not equal a sixteenth part of the liberation of mind by benevolence. The liberation of mind by benevolence surpasses them and shines forth, bright and brilliant."
meditation is regularly recommended to the Buddha's followers in the Pali canon. The canon generally advises radiating in each of the six directions, to whatever beings there may be. A different set of practical instructions, still widely used today, is found in Visuddhimagga; this is also the main source for the "near and far enemies" given above. In addition, variations on this traditional practice have been popularized by modern teachers and applied in modern research settings.
and
is found in pre-Buddhist Vedic Sanskrit texts as and , which are derived from the ancient root (love). These Vedic words appear in the Samhita, Aranyaka, Brahmana, and Upanishad layers of texts in the Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda, and Atharvaveda.
Similarly, the term appears in hymn 55 of Book 19 of the Atharvaveda, and various Upanishads. A major early Upanishad of Hinduism, named Maitri Upanishad, discusses universal kindness and amity. The Maitri Upanishad, states Martin Wiltshire, provides the philosophical underpinning, by asserting, "what one thinks, that one becomes, this is the eternal mystery". This idea, adds Wiltshire, reflects the assumption in the ancient thought that one influences one's own environment and situation, causality is equitable, and "good volitional acts conduce pleasant situations, while bad volitional acts conduce unpleasant situations". The Maitri Upanishad teaches, states Juan Mascaró, that peace begins in one's own mind, in one's longing for truth, in looking within, and that "a quietness of mind overcomes good and evil works, and in quietness the soul is one: then one feels the joy of eternity."
The Isha Upanishad similarly discusses universal amity and loving-kindness, but without the term . These teachings of universal influenced Mahatma Gandhi.
In Jainism, Yogabindu – the 6th-century yoga text by Haribhadra – uses the Sanskrit word in verses 402–404, in the sense of loving-kindness towards all living beings.
meditation research
Some pilot research studies on the effect of meditation indicate an increase in positive emotions for practitioners. In particular, an immediate impact on positive emotions after practice as well as a long-term effect could be shown, though these effects might not hold true for everybody. In one proof-of-concept study, uncontrolled in sample selection and benchmarking, the researchers report therapeutic potential for psychological problems like depression or social anxiety, when combined with other reliable treatments.
Therapeutic potential
The application of meditation for the treatment of psychological and other healthcare-related problems is a topic of research. Hofmann et al. discuss the potential use for therapy and report insufficient data, with some promising studies so far. Those studies could show a positive impact on problems such as schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety. According to Hofmann et al., there needs to be more rigorous research, especially with the application of Buddhist approaches to loving-kindness and compassion meditation.
In an eight-week pilot study in 2005, loving-kindness meditation led to reduced pain and anger in people with chronic lower back pain. Compassion meditation, a Science Daily article states, may reduce inflammatory and behavioral responses to stress that have been linked to depression and a number of medical illnesses.
meditation is a central practice within mindfulness-based pain management (MBPM), the effectiveness of which has been supported by a range of studies.
Caution and reviews
Bishop, in a 2002 review, suggests caution on claims of benefits, and states, "what has been published has been rife with methodological problems. At present, we know very little about the effectiveness of this [mindfulness-lovingkindness-compassion meditation] approach; however, there is some evidence that suggests that it may hold some promise."
In a 2014 review of multiple studies, Galante et al. reach a similar conclusion, stating "results were inconclusive for some outcomes, in particular against active controls; the methodological quality of the reports was low to moderate; results suffered from imprecision due to wide CIs (confidence intervals) deriving from small studies" and that "the kindness meditation methods show evidence of individual and community benefits through its effects on their well-being and social interaction".
See also
Anapanasati Sutta
Bhāvanā (contemplation)
Brahmavihara (Karuṇā, Mudita)
Kammaṭṭhāna
Kayagatasati Sutta
Pāramī (perfection)
Pañña (wisdom)
Sacca (truth)
Dāna (generosity)
Śīla (morality)
Nekkhamma (renunciation)
Upekkhā (equanimity)
Khanti (patience)
Adhiṭṭhāna (resolute determination)
Vīrya (diligence)
Satipatthana Sutta, also called the Four Satipatthanas
Similar concepts in other cultures:
Caritas - Latin term for love
Chesed – a similar Hebrew term, given the association of kindness and love
Philia, Philautia, Storge, Eros, Agape - Greek terms for love
Notes
Sources
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Amaravati Sangha (trans.) (1994, 2004). "Karaniya Metta Sutta: The Buddha's Words on Loving-Kindness" from Chanting Book: Morning and Evening Puja and Reflections (1994). Hemel Hempstead: Amaravati Publications. Retrieved 2007-11-25 from "Access to Insight" (2004) at Karaniya Metta Sutta: The Buddha's Words on Loving-Kindness.
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External links
Brahmavihara Dhamma by Mahasi Sayadaw
An essay on metta by Acharya Buddharakkhita
The Four Sublime States and the Practice of Loving Kindness by Ñāṇamoli Bhikkhu & Nyanaponika Thera
Abundant, Exalted, Immeasurable by Ajahn Pasanno
I'm Right, You're Wrong by Ajahn Amaro
The Metta Sutta
Dharma Dictionary - RangjungYesheWiki - Byams Pa / Maitri
Facets of Metta by Sharon Salzberg
Curbing Anger, Spreading Love by Visuddhacara
Matthieu Ricard talks about his lifelong practice of Compassion Meditation
Buddhist meditation
Hindu philosophical concepts
Buddhist philosophical concepts
Jain philosophical concepts
Friendship
Sanskrit words and phrases