Metta Sutta

[Nicholas Weeks]

Ácariya Buddharakkhita on Metta Sutta with extensive commentary:

https://www.bps.lk/olib/bp/bp524s_Buddharakkhita_Metta.pdf

"The Pali word mettá is a multi-significant term meaning loving kindness, friendliness, goodwill, benevolence, fellowship, amity, concord, inoffensiveness and non-violence. The Pali commentators define mettá as the strong wish for the welfare and happiness of others (parahita-parasukha-karana). Essentially mettá is an altruistic attitude of love and friendliness as distinguished from mere amiability based on self-interest."

Contents of the booklet:

Introduction
1. The Karanìya Mettá Sutta - Hymn of Universal Love
2. The Background to the Mettá Sutta
3. Three Aspects of Mettá
4. The Ethics of Mettá
5. The Psychology of Mettá
6. Meditation on Mettá
7. The Blessings of Mettá
8. The Power of Mettá

 

[Nicholas Weeks]

More from the Introduction:

"Mettá makes one a pure font of well-being and safety for others. Just as a mother gives her own life to protect her child, so mettá only gives and never wants anything in return. To promote one’s own interest is a primordial motivation of human nature. When this urge is transformed into the desire to promote the interest and happiness of others, not only is the basic urge of self-seeking overcome, but the mind becomes universal by identifying its own interest with the interest of all. By making this change one also promotes one’s own well being in the best possible manner."

 

[Nicholas Weeks]

From chapter 4:

"The protection of paritta works both subjectively
and objectively. Subjectively, as mettá cleanses and
strengthens the mind, it also awakens the dormant
potentials, resulting in the spiritual transmutation of
the personality. Transformed by mettá, the mind is no
longer haunted by greed, hatred, lust, jealousy and
those other mind-polluting factors which are one’s real
enemy and source of misfortune.
Objectively, mettá as a thought-force is capable of
affecting any mind anywhere, developed or
undeveloped. The radiation of mettá can not only calm
a person or remove the darts of hate from within him,
but in some cases can even cure him of severe illness. It
is a common experience in Buddhist countries to see
how people are cured from all sorts of diseases and
freed from misfortunes through the recitation of
paritta. Thus mettá is a real healing power. In this way
does mettá act as a paritta, a healing formula affording
safeguards."

 

[Dhammañāṇa Bhikkhu]

From chapter 4:

"The protection of paritta works both subjectively
and objectively. Subjectively, as mettá cleanses and
strengthens the mind, it also awakens the dormant
potentials, resulting in the spiritual transmutation of
the personality. Transformed by mettá, the mind is no
longer haunted by greed, hatred, lust, jealousy and
those other mind-polluting factors which are one’s real
enemy and source of misfortune.
Objectively, mettá as a thought-force is capable of
affecting any mind anywhere, developed or
undeveloped. The radiation of mettá can not only calm
a person or remove the darts of hate from within him,
but in some cases can even cure him of severe illness. It
is a common experience in Buddhist countries to see
how people are cured from all sorts of diseases and
freed from misfortunes through the recitation of
paritta. Thus mettá is a real healing power. In this way
does mettá act as a paritta, a healing formula affording
safeguards."

That's not the purpose of the Paritta, nor would such work, good Nicolas. It's one's protection, with harmless effects for all others, if goodwill (metta) is based on integrity. But surely good to be sure that there are those with a mind of metta out there, and that one could join the Sublime dwellings.