The Eleven Benefits of Metta Meditation

Whenever a person lives with metta, he/she will experience the following benefits:

1. He/she will fall asleep happily.
2. He/she will have good dreams.
3. He/she will wake up feeling fresh, clear and happy.
4. He/she will be loved by humans.
5. He/she will be loved by non-humans or invisible beings such as devas and brahmas.
6. He/she will be protected by devas.
7. He/she will be free from harm by knives, guns, weapons, poison, fire or water and will be free from all danger.
8. He/she will be able to concentrate easily.
9. His/her facial expression will be clear and serene.
10. At the time of death, his/her mind will not be confused, but will be peaceful.
11. If he/she attains metta jhana (absorption concentration) just before death, he/she will be reborn in the brahma realm.

If you develop metta for only a short time, the benefits are not so obvious. However, if you develop metta for quite sometime, you will experience more obvious and substantial benefits. This is why you should spend as much time as possible cultivating metta.

Two Ways to Practice Metta Meditation

There are basically two ways of practicing metta: developing metta without jhana or developing metta for the attainment of jhana. If you intend to develop metta without jhana, you can

practice metta in your daily life wherever or whenever you are resting or moving from one place to another. There’s no need to choose a particular person or phrase or sentence or even limit the length of time you practice. Just practice whatever is appropriate in your situation. This is how you develop metta without jhana. You don’t need to set a particular time, just use as much time as you have available. Most lay people who develop metta practice this way.

Developing Metta for the Attainment of the Jhana

This method of developing metta is used for the attainment of the jhanas. To use metta as a samatha practice, there are some guidelines, which you should follow carefully. So, now I’ll explain how to develop metta and whom you should develop metta for. It’s important to understand how to cultivate metta using the following categories:

1. First of all, you need to develop metta for yourself. To develop metta for the attainment of jhana, you have to first develop metta for yourself.
2. The second category is the respected person.
3. The next category is a very dear intimate friend.
4. After that, you develop metta for a neutral person or acquaintance.
5. Then you develop metta for someone you hate or feel anger towards. However, if there is no one whom you have a strong aversion to, then you can omit this stage.
6. If you have an enemy or hostile person in your life, you can develop metta for this person as well.
7. The last category is the development of metta for all living beings.

Before starting metta meditation, you should take a shower and put on clean comfortable clothes. Your clothes should not be too tight, so loosen them if necessary, so that you are comfortable. After that, find a quiet place. Before metta meditation, establish a good foundation of sila or wholesome conduct by reminding yourself of the five or eight precepts. Then sit in a comfortable position, relaxing your body in a cross-legged position or if this is not comfortable, just sit in a chair. You should sit in an upright posture, so you can support your body casily. Keep your head aligned with your spine, and rest both hands in your lap, with the left hand supporting the right hand and with both palms facing up. Take several long relaxed breaths and release any bodily or mental tension.

Now let’s talk about how and when to develop metta. The yogi should divide the hour into two thirty-minute practice periods. Then develop metta for yourself for the first half hour, and develop metta for a respected person during the last thirty minutes.

Now when you start to develop metta for yourself, gently focus the attention on yourself. Then develop metta by softly repeating these phrases in the mind: ‘May I be well, happy and peaceful. May I be well, happy and peaceful. Let’s begin now by repeating this phrase continuously first for one minute, then two minutes, five minutes, ten minutes until you can maintain this caring gentle attention for thirty minutes. I will recite: May I be well, happy and peaceful aloud for the first five minutes and then each of you should continue reciting the phrase quietly in your minds.

Developing metta for yourself is wishing for your own happiness and well-being. You can also develop metta in your heart and mind by wishing all living beings good health and happiness. If you only develop metta for yourself, you will not be able to establish strong concentration.

So, now let’s start to develop metta for a respected person. In your mind, visualize your teacher or a person of strong integrity, or just have a felt sense of his/her presence. The teacher should be living and should be the same sex as you.

Practice metta for this category of person like this: ‘May my teacher be well, happy and peaceful. May my teacher be well, happy and peaceful. Once again, you have to repeat this phrase over and over again, first ten times, then one hundred times, one thousand times, ten thousand times, one hundred thousand times or even a million times. So let’s begin by reciting the phrases together for a few minutes, and then you should continue reciting them quietly in your mind.

When you are reciting each phrase, avoid doing this mechanically. Be aware of the meaning of phrase and your genuine desire for this person to be happy and free from suffering. For instance, the phrase ‘May you be well refers to freedom from any kind of physical illness. ‘May you be happy and peaceful refers to freedom from mental suffering such as fear, anxiety or worry. You should develop metta in this way while you are sitting. While walking, you can also divide the hour into two thirty-minute segments: first developing metta for yourself and then for your teacher. Standing or lying down is also an opportunity to develop metta. While eating a meal, you can wish for your teacher to be well, happy and peaceful. Just cultivate metta over and over again, trying to do this as continuously as possible.

Any ordinary activity is an opportunity to develop metta. While drinking coffee or water, sweeping, cooking or washing clothes, you can develop metta. No matter what activity you are engaged in, use it as an opportunity to develop metta by repeating: ‘May my teacher be well, happy and peaceful. May my teacher be well, happy and peaceful. When you are practicing metta for the teacher, it doesn’t matter whether or not a mental picture of the teacher arises in the mind. Don’t be concerned or worried about the lack of a clear image because this is not an important part of the practice, just focus on your clear desire for the other person’s happiness and welfare. What is most important is the development of a genuine and strong wish for the teacher’s good health and peace of mind. So, repeat the phrases carefully, over and over again. In the beginning, the feeling of metta may not be noticeable. It may take some time before you experience this feeling of metta. After you have practiced metta for a longer period of time, your concentration will become stronger. Then you will experience how fresh and cool the taste of metta is.

So in the beginning, you need to recite the phrases continuously and focus the mind on the meaning of the phrases. When you are practicing metta in the meditation hall, don’t recite out loud; just repeat the words in your mind. However, when you are alone in your room or moving or travelling from one place to another, you can focus the mind on the practice by repeating the phrases aloud.

The metta practitioner doesn’t need to move slowly, just practice normally. When you are eating a meal or drinking something, develop metta in a natural way. It’s important to understand that metta meditation is different from vipassana. You don’t need to note thinking, imagining or mental states, just focus on one object (the meaning of the phrases) and try to develop metta continuously. When you feel numbness, stiffness or aching, don’t note or pay attention to these sensations, simply relax the body and mind and attune the mind to the metta phrases and the feeling of loving-kindness.

Another thing to remember when you are using metta to attain jhana is not to use too many words, just focus on simple short

phrases, so your metta can become powerful. You shouldn’t develop metta superficially; you have to develop metta in a precise careful way. Then you will experience genuine metta and concentration quickly. Use language you understand, and translate any phrases into a language you are very familiar with.

Try not to think too much or analyse things; just develop a genuine and strong wish for your teacher to be healthy and peaceful over and over again. While sitting, walking, standing, lying down, or performing any daily activity, you can develop metta by wishing that your teacher be well, happy and peaceful. So, let’s finish with these instructions for today, and then each of you can begin exploring the qualities of metta on your own.

Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu!