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HEAVENS
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HEAVENS
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Heaven
Akasha & Carry the One
Akasha
The Thirty-one Planes of Existence
String theory
Number of dimensions
Seven Heavens
DIVINEHABITS
BRAHMAVIHARA
Upekkha
Mettā
Karuna
Mudita
Brahmavihara Sutta: The Sublime Attitudes
AN 10.208 PTS: A v 299
translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu © 2004
"Monks, I don't speak of the wiping out of intentional acts that have been done & accumulated without [their results] having been experienced, either in the here & now or in a further state hereafter. Nor do I speak of the act of putting an end to suffering and stress without having experienced [the results of] intentional acts that have been done & accumulated.[1]
"That disciple of the noble ones — thus devoid of covetousness, devoid of ill will, unbewildered, alert, mindful — keeps pervading the first direction[2] with an awareness imbued with good will, likewise the second, likewise the third, likewise the fourth. Thus above, below, & all around, everywhere, in its entirety, he keeps pervading the all-encompassing cosmos with an awareness imbued with good will — abundant, expansive, immeasurable, without hostility, without ill will. He discerns, 'Before, this mind of mine was limited & undeveloped. But now this mind of mine is immeasurable & well developed. And whatever action that was done in a measurable way does not remain there, does not linger there.'
"What do you think, monks: If that youth, from childhood, were to develop the awareness-release through good will, would he do any evil action?"
"No, lord."
"Not doing any evil action, would he touch suffering?"
"No, lord, for when one does no evil action, from where would he touch suffering?"
"This awareness-release through good will should be developed whether one is a woman or a man. Neither a woman nor a man can go taking this body along. Death, monks, is but a gap of a thought away. One [who practices this awareness-release] discerns, 'Whatever evil action has been done by this body born of action, that will all be experienced here [in this life]. It will not come to be hereafter.' Thus developed, the awareness-release through good will leads to non-returning for the monk who has gained gnosis here and has penetrated to no higher release.
"That disciple of the noble ones — thus devoid of covetousness, devoid of ill will, unbewildered, alert, mindful — keeps pervading the first direction with an awareness imbued with compassion...
"That disciple of the noble ones — thus devoid of covetousness, devoid of ill will, unbewildered, alert, mindful — keeps pervading the first direction with an awareness imbued with appreciation...
"That disciple of the noble ones — thus devoid of covetousness, devoid of ill will, unbewildered, alert, mindful — keeps pervading the first direction with an awareness imbued with equanimity, likewise the second, likewise the third, likewise the fourth. Thus above, below, & all around, everywhere, in its entirety, he keeps pervading the all-encompassing cosmos with an awareness imbued with equanimity — abundant, expansive, immeasurable, without hostility, without ill will. He discerns, 'Before, this mind of mine was limited & undeveloped. But now this mind of mine is immeasurable & well developed. And whatever action that was done in a measurable way does not remain there, does not linger there.'
"What do you think, monks: If that youth, from childhood, were to develop the awareness-release through equanimity, would he do any evil action?"
"No, lord."
"Not doing any evil action, would he touch suffering?"
"No, lord, for when one does no evil action, from where would he touch suffering?"
"This awareness-release through equanimity should be developed whether one is a woman or a man. Neither a woman nor a man can go taking this body along. Death, monks, is but a gap of a thought away. One [who practices this awareness-release] discerns, 'Whatever evil action has been done by this body born of action, that will all be experienced here [in this life]. It will not come to be hereafter.' Thus developed, the awareness-release through equanimity leads to non-returning for the monk who has gained gnosis here and has penetrated to no higher release."
______________________________________________
Notes
1. F. L. Woodward — the PTS translator of the Anguttara Tens and Elevens — notes that this sutta seems patched together from various sources. As proof, he cites the abrupt breaks between this paragraph and the next, and between the next and the one following it.
2. The east.
See also: AN 3.99.
_______________________________________________
Creative Commons License ©2004 Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
The text of this page ("Brahmavihara Sutta: The Sublime Attitudes", by Thanissaro Bhikkhu) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/. Documents linked from this page may be subject to other restrictions. Transcribed from a file provided by the translator. Last revised for Access to Insight on 2 December 2013.
_______________________________________________
Karaniya Metta Sutta: Good Will
Sn 1.8 PTS: Sn 143-152
translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu © 2004
This is to be done by one skilled in aims who wants to break through to the state of peace:
Be capable, upright, & straightforward, easy to instruct, gentle, & not conceited, content & easy to support, with few duties, living lightly, with peaceful faculties, masterful, modest, & no greed for supporters.
Do not do the slightest thing that the wise would later censure.
Think:
Happy, at rest, may all beings be happy at heart.
Whatever beings there may be, weak or strong, without exception, long, large, middling, short, subtle, blatant, seen & unseen, near & far, born & seeking birth:
May all beings be happy at heart.
Let no one deceive another or despise anyone anywhere, or through anger or irritation wish for another to suffer.
As a mother would risk her life to protect her child, her only child, even so should one cultivate a limitless heart with regard to all beings. With good will for the entire cosmos, cultivate a limitless heart:
Above, below, & all around, unobstructed, without enmity or hate.
Whether standing, walking, sitting, or lying down, as long as one is alert, one should be resolved on this mindfulness.
This is called a sublime abiding here & now.
Not taken with views, but virtuous & consummate in vision, having subdued desire for sensual pleasures, one never again will lie in the womb.
______________________________________________
Note
This sutta also appears at Khp 9
______________________________________________
Creative Commons License © 2004 Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
The text of this page ("Karaniya Metta Sutta: Good Will", by Thanissaro Bhikkhu) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/. Documents linked from this page may be subject to other restrictions. Transcribed from a file provided by the translator. Last revised for Access to Insight on 2 December 2013.
______________________________________________
Mettam Sutta: The Brahma-viharas
SN 46.54 PTS: S v 115 CDB ii 1607
(excerpt)
translated from the Pali by Maurice O'Connell Walshe © 2009
Alternate translation: Thanissaro
The Pali title of this sutta is based on the PTS (Feer) edition.
"And how, monks, does a monk cultivate the heart's release by loving-kindness?[1] What is its goal, its excellence, its fruit and its outcome?
"In this case, monks, a monk cultivates the enlightenment-factor of mindfulness accompanied by loving-kindness and similarly the enlightenment-factors of investigation-of-states, energy, rapture, tranquillity, concentration, equanimity, accompanied by loving-kindness which is based on detachment, dispassion, leading to maturity of surrender. If he wishes to dwell perceiving the repulsive in what is not repulsive, he dwells thus perceiving the repulsive. If he wishes to dwell perceiving the unrepulsive in what is repulsive, he dwells thus perceiving the unrepulsive. If he wishes to dwell perceiving the repulsive both in what is repulsive and what is not repulsive, if he wishes to dwell perceiving the unrepulsive in both..., he dwells thus. If he wishes, avoiding both the repulsive and unrepulsive, to dwell equanimous,[2] mindful and clearly aware,[3] he dwells thus, equanimous, mindful and clearly aware, or, attaining the heart's release called 'beautiful'[4] he abides there. I declare that the heart's release by loving-kindness has the beautiful for its excellence. This is the attainment of a wise monk who penetrates to no higher release.[5]
"And how, monks, does a monk cultivate release by compassion? What is its goal, its excellence, its fruit and its outcome?
"In this, monks, a monk cultivates the enlightenment-factors of mindfulness... equanimity accompanied by compassion... [as above]... he dwells thus, equanimous, mindful, clearly aware or, by passing utterly beyond all perception of objects, by the going-down of perceptions of sensory reactions,[6] by disregarding perceptions of diversity, thinking 'space is infinite,' he attains and dwells in the sphere of infinite space.[7] I declare that the heart's release by compassion has the sphere of infinite space for its excellence. This is the attainment of a wise monk who penetrates to no higher release.
"And how, monks, does a monk cultivate the heart's release by sympathetic joy? What is its goal, its excellence, its fruit and its outcome?
"In this, monks, a monk cultivates the enlightenment-factors of mindfulness... equanimity accompanied by sympathetic joy... [as above]... he dwells thus, equanimous, mindful, clearly aware or, by passing utterly beyond the sphere of infinite space, thinking 'consciousness is infinite,' he attains and dwells in the sphere of infinite consciousness.[8] I declare that the heart's release by sympathetic joy has the sphere of infinite consciousness for its excellence. This is the attainment of a wise monk who penetrates to no higher release.
"And how, monks, does a monk cultivate the heart's release by equanimity? What is its goal, its excellence, its fruit and its outcome?
"In this case, monks, a monk cultivates the enlightenment-factors of mindfulness, investigation-of-states, energy, rapture, tranquillity, concentration, equanimity accompanied by equanimity[9] which is based on detachment, dispassion, leading to maturity of surrender. If he wishes to dwell... [as above]... he dwells thus, equanimous, mindful and clearly aware. Or by passing utterly beyond the sphere of infinite consciousness, thinking 'there is nothing,' he attains and dwells in the sphere of nothingness.[10] I declare that the heart's release by equanimity had the sphere of nothingness for its excellence. This is the attainment of a wise monk who penetrates to no higher release."
______________________________________________
Notes
1. The four Brahma-vihaaras ("divine abidings"), also called the four "boundless (appamañña) states," are: 1. Loving-kindness (mettaa), 2. Compassion (karu.naa), 3. Sympathetic Joy (muditaa), 4. Equanimity (upekkhaa).
2. Upekha, the adjective from upekkhaa. "Equanimous" is a rare word in modern English, but is less misleading than "indifferent." It is used by the Ven. Ñanamoli in The Path of Purification (Visuddhimagga) (Colombo 1956).
3. Sato sampajaano. The old rendering (introduced by T. W. Rhys Davids) "mindful and self-possessed" dies hard, but is far too vague, if not positively misleading. The real meaning of sampajaana is "clearly aware": see BD [Buddhist Dictionary (2nd ed.), by Ven. Nyaa.natiloka, Ven. Nyaa.naponika (ed.) (Colombo 1972)] s v. sampajañña.
4. Subha. This is explained in MN 77 as being associated with the fourth (lower) jhaana (SN 40.9, n. 2).
5. Cf. VM IX, 76: "If unable to reach higher than the attainment of loving-kindness and attain Arahantship, then when he falls from this life, he reappears in the Brahma world as one who wakes up from sleep."
6. Pa.tigha (here) "resistance" (as of solid objects). Another meaning of this word is "resentment."
7. The first of the higher (formless) jhaanas (SN 40.9, n. 2).
8. The second of the higher (formless) jhaanas.
9. Equanimity (upekkhaa) as an enlightenment-factor (SN 46.53, n. 1) is here distinguished from equanimity as a Brahma-vihaara (n. 1). The difference lies in the mode of attainment.
10. The third of the higher (formless) jhaanas.
______________________________________________
© 1985 Buddhist Publication Society.
You may copy, reformat, reprint, republish, and redistribute this work in any medium whatsoever, provided that: (1) you only make such copies, etc. available free of charge and, in the case of reprinting, only in quantities of no more than 50 copies; (2) you clearly indicate that any derivatives of this work (including translations) are derived from this source document; and (3) you include the full text of this license in any copies or derivatives of this work. Otherwise, all rights reserved. Documents linked from this page may be subject to other restrictions. From Samyutta Nikaya: An Anthology (WH 318-321), by M. O'C. Walshe (Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society, 1985). Transcribed from the print edition in 2007 by a volunteer, under the auspices of the Access to Insight Dhamma Transcription Project and by arrangement with the Buddhist Publication Society. Minor revisions were made in accordance with the ATI style sheet. Pali diacritics are represented using the Velthuis convention. Last revised for Access to Insight on 2 December 2013.
Akasha & Carry the One
Akasha
The Thirty-one Planes of Existence
String theory
Number of dimensions
Seven Heavens
DIVINEHABITS
BRAHMAVIHARA
Upekkha
Mettā
Karuna
Mudita
Brahmavihara Sutta: The Sublime Attitudes
AN 10.208 PTS: A v 299
translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu © 2004
"Monks, I don't speak of the wiping out of intentional acts that have been done & accumulated without [their results] having been experienced, either in the here & now or in a further state hereafter. Nor do I speak of the act of putting an end to suffering and stress without having experienced [the results of] intentional acts that have been done & accumulated.[1]
"That disciple of the noble ones — thus devoid of covetousness, devoid of ill will, unbewildered, alert, mindful — keeps pervading the first direction[2] with an awareness imbued with good will, likewise the second, likewise the third, likewise the fourth. Thus above, below, & all around, everywhere, in its entirety, he keeps pervading the all-encompassing cosmos with an awareness imbued with good will — abundant, expansive, immeasurable, without hostility, without ill will. He discerns, 'Before, this mind of mine was limited & undeveloped. But now this mind of mine is immeasurable & well developed. And whatever action that was done in a measurable way does not remain there, does not linger there.'
"What do you think, monks: If that youth, from childhood, were to develop the awareness-release through good will, would he do any evil action?"
"No, lord."
"Not doing any evil action, would he touch suffering?"
"No, lord, for when one does no evil action, from where would he touch suffering?"
"This awareness-release through good will should be developed whether one is a woman or a man. Neither a woman nor a man can go taking this body along. Death, monks, is but a gap of a thought away. One [who practices this awareness-release] discerns, 'Whatever evil action has been done by this body born of action, that will all be experienced here [in this life]. It will not come to be hereafter.' Thus developed, the awareness-release through good will leads to non-returning for the monk who has gained gnosis here and has penetrated to no higher release.
"That disciple of the noble ones — thus devoid of covetousness, devoid of ill will, unbewildered, alert, mindful — keeps pervading the first direction with an awareness imbued with compassion...
"That disciple of the noble ones — thus devoid of covetousness, devoid of ill will, unbewildered, alert, mindful — keeps pervading the first direction with an awareness imbued with appreciation...
"That disciple of the noble ones — thus devoid of covetousness, devoid of ill will, unbewildered, alert, mindful — keeps pervading the first direction with an awareness imbued with equanimity, likewise the second, likewise the third, likewise the fourth. Thus above, below, & all around, everywhere, in its entirety, he keeps pervading the all-encompassing cosmos with an awareness imbued with equanimity — abundant, expansive, immeasurable, without hostility, without ill will. He discerns, 'Before, this mind of mine was limited & undeveloped. But now this mind of mine is immeasurable & well developed. And whatever action that was done in a measurable way does not remain there, does not linger there.'
"What do you think, monks: If that youth, from childhood, were to develop the awareness-release through equanimity, would he do any evil action?"
"No, lord."
"Not doing any evil action, would he touch suffering?"
"No, lord, for when one does no evil action, from where would he touch suffering?"
"This awareness-release through equanimity should be developed whether one is a woman or a man. Neither a woman nor a man can go taking this body along. Death, monks, is but a gap of a thought away. One [who practices this awareness-release] discerns, 'Whatever evil action has been done by this body born of action, that will all be experienced here [in this life]. It will not come to be hereafter.' Thus developed, the awareness-release through equanimity leads to non-returning for the monk who has gained gnosis here and has penetrated to no higher release."
______________________________________________
Notes
1. F. L. Woodward — the PTS translator of the Anguttara Tens and Elevens — notes that this sutta seems patched together from various sources. As proof, he cites the abrupt breaks between this paragraph and the next, and between the next and the one following it.
2. The east.
See also: AN 3.99.
_______________________________________________
Creative Commons License ©2004 Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
The text of this page ("Brahmavihara Sutta: The Sublime Attitudes", by Thanissaro Bhikkhu) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/. Documents linked from this page may be subject to other restrictions. Transcribed from a file provided by the translator. Last revised for Access to Insight on 2 December 2013.
_______________________________________________
Karaniya Metta Sutta: Good Will
Sn 1.8 PTS: Sn 143-152
translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu © 2004
This is to be done by one skilled in aims who wants to break through to the state of peace:
Be capable, upright, & straightforward, easy to instruct, gentle, & not conceited, content & easy to support, with few duties, living lightly, with peaceful faculties, masterful, modest, & no greed for supporters.
Do not do the slightest thing that the wise would later censure.
Think:
Happy, at rest, may all beings be happy at heart.
Whatever beings there may be, weak or strong, without exception, long, large, middling, short, subtle, blatant, seen & unseen, near & far, born & seeking birth:
May all beings be happy at heart.
Let no one deceive another or despise anyone anywhere, or through anger or irritation wish for another to suffer.
As a mother would risk her life to protect her child, her only child, even so should one cultivate a limitless heart with regard to all beings. With good will for the entire cosmos, cultivate a limitless heart:
Above, below, & all around, unobstructed, without enmity or hate.
Whether standing, walking, sitting, or lying down, as long as one is alert, one should be resolved on this mindfulness.
This is called a sublime abiding here & now.
Not taken with views, but virtuous & consummate in vision, having subdued desire for sensual pleasures, one never again will lie in the womb.
______________________________________________
Note
This sutta also appears at Khp 9
______________________________________________
Creative Commons License © 2004 Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
The text of this page ("Karaniya Metta Sutta: Good Will", by Thanissaro Bhikkhu) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/. Documents linked from this page may be subject to other restrictions. Transcribed from a file provided by the translator. Last revised for Access to Insight on 2 December 2013.
______________________________________________
Mettam Sutta: The Brahma-viharas
SN 46.54 PTS: S v 115 CDB ii 1607
(excerpt)
translated from the Pali by Maurice O'Connell Walshe © 2009
Alternate translation: Thanissaro
The Pali title of this sutta is based on the PTS (Feer) edition.
"And how, monks, does a monk cultivate the heart's release by loving-kindness?[1] What is its goal, its excellence, its fruit and its outcome?
"In this case, monks, a monk cultivates the enlightenment-factor of mindfulness accompanied by loving-kindness and similarly the enlightenment-factors of investigation-of-states, energy, rapture, tranquillity, concentration, equanimity, accompanied by loving-kindness which is based on detachment, dispassion, leading to maturity of surrender. If he wishes to dwell perceiving the repulsive in what is not repulsive, he dwells thus perceiving the repulsive. If he wishes to dwell perceiving the unrepulsive in what is repulsive, he dwells thus perceiving the unrepulsive. If he wishes to dwell perceiving the repulsive both in what is repulsive and what is not repulsive, if he wishes to dwell perceiving the unrepulsive in both..., he dwells thus. If he wishes, avoiding both the repulsive and unrepulsive, to dwell equanimous,[2] mindful and clearly aware,[3] he dwells thus, equanimous, mindful and clearly aware, or, attaining the heart's release called 'beautiful'[4] he abides there. I declare that the heart's release by loving-kindness has the beautiful for its excellence. This is the attainment of a wise monk who penetrates to no higher release.[5]
"And how, monks, does a monk cultivate release by compassion? What is its goal, its excellence, its fruit and its outcome?
"In this, monks, a monk cultivates the enlightenment-factors of mindfulness... equanimity accompanied by compassion... [as above]... he dwells thus, equanimous, mindful, clearly aware or, by passing utterly beyond all perception of objects, by the going-down of perceptions of sensory reactions,[6] by disregarding perceptions of diversity, thinking 'space is infinite,' he attains and dwells in the sphere of infinite space.[7] I declare that the heart's release by compassion has the sphere of infinite space for its excellence. This is the attainment of a wise monk who penetrates to no higher release.
"And how, monks, does a monk cultivate the heart's release by sympathetic joy? What is its goal, its excellence, its fruit and its outcome?
"In this, monks, a monk cultivates the enlightenment-factors of mindfulness... equanimity accompanied by sympathetic joy... [as above]... he dwells thus, equanimous, mindful, clearly aware or, by passing utterly beyond the sphere of infinite space, thinking 'consciousness is infinite,' he attains and dwells in the sphere of infinite consciousness.[8] I declare that the heart's release by sympathetic joy has the sphere of infinite consciousness for its excellence. This is the attainment of a wise monk who penetrates to no higher release.
"And how, monks, does a monk cultivate the heart's release by equanimity? What is its goal, its excellence, its fruit and its outcome?
"In this case, monks, a monk cultivates the enlightenment-factors of mindfulness, investigation-of-states, energy, rapture, tranquillity, concentration, equanimity accompanied by equanimity[9] which is based on detachment, dispassion, leading to maturity of surrender. If he wishes to dwell... [as above]... he dwells thus, equanimous, mindful and clearly aware. Or by passing utterly beyond the sphere of infinite consciousness, thinking 'there is nothing,' he attains and dwells in the sphere of nothingness.[10] I declare that the heart's release by equanimity had the sphere of nothingness for its excellence. This is the attainment of a wise monk who penetrates to no higher release."
______________________________________________
Notes
1. The four Brahma-vihaaras ("divine abidings"), also called the four "boundless (appamañña) states," are: 1. Loving-kindness (mettaa), 2. Compassion (karu.naa), 3. Sympathetic Joy (muditaa), 4. Equanimity (upekkhaa).
2. Upekha, the adjective from upekkhaa. "Equanimous" is a rare word in modern English, but is less misleading than "indifferent." It is used by the Ven. Ñanamoli in The Path of Purification (Visuddhimagga) (Colombo 1956).
3. Sato sampajaano. The old rendering (introduced by T. W. Rhys Davids) "mindful and self-possessed" dies hard, but is far too vague, if not positively misleading. The real meaning of sampajaana is "clearly aware": see BD [Buddhist Dictionary (2nd ed.), by Ven. Nyaa.natiloka, Ven. Nyaa.naponika (ed.) (Colombo 1972)] s v. sampajañña.
4. Subha. This is explained in MN 77 as being associated with the fourth (lower) jhaana (SN 40.9, n. 2).
5. Cf. VM IX, 76: "If unable to reach higher than the attainment of loving-kindness and attain Arahantship, then when he falls from this life, he reappears in the Brahma world as one who wakes up from sleep."
6. Pa.tigha (here) "resistance" (as of solid objects). Another meaning of this word is "resentment."
7. The first of the higher (formless) jhaanas (SN 40.9, n. 2).
8. The second of the higher (formless) jhaanas.
9. Equanimity (upekkhaa) as an enlightenment-factor (SN 46.53, n. 1) is here distinguished from equanimity as a Brahma-vihaara (n. 1). The difference lies in the mode of attainment.
10. The third of the higher (formless) jhaanas.
______________________________________________
© 1985 Buddhist Publication Society.
You may copy, reformat, reprint, republish, and redistribute this work in any medium whatsoever, provided that: (1) you only make such copies, etc. available free of charge and, in the case of reprinting, only in quantities of no more than 50 copies; (2) you clearly indicate that any derivatives of this work (including translations) are derived from this source document; and (3) you include the full text of this license in any copies or derivatives of this work. Otherwise, all rights reserved. Documents linked from this page may be subject to other restrictions. From Samyutta Nikaya: An Anthology (WH 318-321), by M. O'C. Walshe (Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society, 1985). Transcribed from the print edition in 2007 by a volunteer, under the auspices of the Access to Insight Dhamma Transcription Project and by arrangement with the Buddhist Publication Society. Minor revisions were made in accordance with the ATI style sheet. Pali diacritics are represented using the Velthuis convention. Last revised for Access to Insight on 2 December 2013.
