With Sungrab Leen
Monk in Tibetan Buddhism
June 2018
Metta literally means: friendship. This is explained by Buddha as “friendship for all living beings.” It is the wish that every being is free from suffering and free from the causes of suffering (boundless compassion), everyone is happy (boundless love) and allowed to live in freedom of arbitrariness (equanimity). It is friendship that is free from attachment and aversion. It comes from the pure state of the mind, the Buddha nature. Metta is the deep meditation, the samadhi of the bodhisattva.
In contrast, our contacts with others are based on attachment, resistance and neutral feelings. Uncertainty and fear drive us into withdraw, to defenses or to avoid. Metta cannot arise from this.
Metta Meditation helps to develop inner strength for friendship with yourself. And Metta Meditation helps to create courage and trust in openness to others.
You do not have to be a Buddhist or become a Buddhist for Metta Practice. The motivation for boundless friendship comes alive in everyday contact with others, near and far, known and unknown, loved and hated.
During the Metta weekend we deepen this philosophy. And we practice forms and techniques of Metta Meditation.