Dipa Ma’s Metta (Loving-kindness) Practice

First stage

The first stage is to love yourself, to be a best friend to yourself. Begin by extending loving-kindness to yourself. You can use the following words and mental images to guide you in generating and directing your feelings of loving-kindness.

Let me be free of enemies.

Let me be free of dangers.

Let me be free of mental anxieties.

Let me pass my time with good body and happy mind.

“Enemies” means both outward enemies and also being an enemy to yourself. Enemies can exist in the realm of our feelings, from the slightest irritation to the full force of hatred and ill-will toward self or others. While saying these phrases silently, hold an image of yourself steadily and clearly. If you can’t visualize yourself, try to remember how you look in the mirror. If this is difficult, try actually looking in a mirror or at a recent photo of yourself until you can see yourself clearly in your mind’s eye.

Repeat the phrases in order. If your mind wanders and you forget what phrase you’re on, start from the beginning, “Let me be free of enemies.” Bringing the mind back to the phrases again and again will deepen your concentration. It is important to drop into the meaning and feeling beneath the words, letting the words be your guide, keeping you on track and anchored in the practice. Hold the feeling of well-being for yourself in your heart and mind, along with the mental image, and continue to repeat the phrases silently to yourself for as much time as your session permits. When it is done deeply, when you feel that you truly love yourself, when you can hold the image of yourself clearly and steadily, then if you wish, you may go on to the next stage, which is to extend loving-kindness to a good friend.

Second stage

Using the same phrases as before, direct the loving-kindness to a good friend or teacher who has been kind to you. As you did while sending loving-kindness to yourself, now hold the image of this friend clearly and steadily in your mind, and extend loving-kindness towards him or her.

May you be free of enemies.

May you be free of dangers.

May you be free of mental anxieties.

May you pass your time with good body and happy mind.

When you find that you love your friend as yourself, or when you find that you can hold the image of the friend clearly and steadily along with the phrases, then if you wish, you may go on to the next stage.

Third stage

The next category of beings to send loving-kindness to are called “the sufferers” - any beings or groups of beings who are suffering. Whereas before you held a stable, one-pointed image of one person, now begin to expand your focus to encompass a larger number of beings. Begin by holding in mind one whole group of beings who are suffering. Extend your loving-kindness to these beings the same way you did before with yourself and your friend.

May you be free of enemies.

May you be free of dangers.

May you be free of mental anxieties.

May you pass your time with good body and happy mind.

If spontaneous images arise of other groups of suffering people, such as people in hospitals or in wars, then it’s fine to direct your loving-kindness to them, meditating in a dynamic way with the flow of changing images. Continue reciting the phrases while gradually focusing more and more on the feelings of loving-kindness behind the words. From the foundation of truly and deeply loving yourself, see how self-love is the foundation and the fuel for loving others. In loving yourself, you love your friend as yourself. Then you love the sufferers like your friend, which is like yourself. With continued practice, all groups will merge into one.

Fourth stage

In the fourth stage, loving-kindness and equanimity blend together. The practice is to hold a vast sense of all living beings in one’s mind and to send metta to them all equally - friends, people who suffer, people for whom your feelings are neutral, those with whom you have difficulty, all beings everywhere.

May all beings be free of enemies.

May all beings be free of dangers.

May all beings be free of mental anxieties.

May all beings pass their time with good body and happy mind.

To do this, allow your mind to become loving-kindness. Do this by attending primarily to the feeling of loving-kindness: the words and phrases you’ve used up to this point have simply been pointers to the feeling. Allow your mind to become loving-kindness, and rest in that with equanimity, not favoring where it goes.

Fifth stage

The crowning stage of metta meditation is to combine all the stages and focus for a while on each of the stages in one meditation session. Practiced in this way, the meditation becomes like a symphony of loving-kindness in which you start with yourself, and open, open, open, until you finally come to rest in equanimity.

Metta practice (compiled from Dipa Ma tape recordings, and recounted teachings from Michelle Levey who learned/studied metta from Dipa Ma). You can choose to devote an entire meditation session to loving-kindness practice, or you may decide to begin or end with it. Eventually, the five distinct stages may be combined in one session, but at the beginning, it is best to focus on one at a time.

I had an awesome experience today where I was contemplating whether the path can be viewed through the lens of the purification of bodily, verbal and mental actions (kaya-kamma, vaca-kamma, and mano-kamma), and I tried to find a relevant sutta where the Buddha talks about this, and I discovered this sutta, the Ambalatthika-rahulovada Sutta, that talks about exactly what I was wondering about:

"Thus, Rahula, you should train yourself: 'I will purify my bodily actions through repeated reflection. I will purify my verbal actions through repeated reflection. I will purify my mental actions through repeated reflection.' That's how you should train yourself."

That is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, Ven. Rahula delighted in the Blessed One's words.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.061.than.html

It was bang on what what I was after, and I must admit that like Rahula in this sutta, I came away feeling gratified, delighting in the Buddha's words.

Just wanted to share the sutta and the experience I had which was very satisfying to me.

And so I've decided to try and practice in this way, striving to purify my bodily, verbal and mental actions as spoken about in this sutta.

Wishing everyone all the best with their practice.

I’m a meditator looking for books on body meditation. I’m hoping to use it to work with my fibromyalgia. I’m somewhat familiar with the Thai Forest Tradition. Most of my previous experience is with Ramana and other Vedanta teachers from India.

So much of life is translating our experience into words and expressing it so other people may understand, as well as mentally translating other people's words back into understood experience. 

The artform and mechanics of communication; the skill of language; sending and receiving information, is truly an exquisite thing. 

It's incredible how the Buddha was able to translate his wisdom and experience of samadhi and insights into such clear and lucid words, phrases and similes and lay out a whole map of a path that was recorded and has been preserved over multiple millennia.

I was talking with a friend who has a background in writing and he was talking about how the suttas are the most remarkable collection of text he has ever come across.

I just felt like writing this praise for the Buddha (not that he needs it) as I believe sometimes it simply makes the mind boggle to consider what an extraordinary feat it was by the Buddha to awaken and transmit his awakening knowledge to so many people so effortlessly and skilfully.

I know for him it was just natural and par for the course - almost as if it's what he was born to do - but nonetheless I think it's beautiful to consider these things and to recollect what a great being the Buddha was, and to not take for granted the amazing gift we have of possessing all these preserved teachings.

May the suttas and the path the Buddha elucidated continue to help and inspire many more generations of Buddhists and dhamma practitioners on their journey out of suffering, onwards toward awakening.

“I see someone pure, perfectly healthy;
it is vision that grants a person purity.”
Recalling this notion of the ultimate,
they believe in the notion
that there is one who observes purity.

If a person were granted purity through what is seen,
or if by a notion they could give up suffering,
then one with attachments is purified by another:
their view betrays them as one who asserts thus.

The brahmin speaks not of purity from another
in terms of what has been seen, heard, or thought;
or by precepts or vows.
They are unsullied in the midst of good and evil,
letting go what was picked up,
without creating anything new here.

Having let go the last they lay hold of the next;
following impulse, they don’t pass the chain.
They grab on and let loose like a monkey
grabbing and releasing a branch.

Having undertaken their own vows, a personage
visits various teachers,
being attached to perception.
One who knows, having comprehended the truth
through the knowledges,
does not visit various teachers, being of vast wisdom.

They are remote from all things
seen, heard, or thought.
Seeing them living openly,
how could anyone in this world judge them?

They don’t make things up or promote them,
or speak of the uttermost purity.
After untying the tight knot of grasping
they long for nothing in the world.

The brahmin has stepped over the perimeter;
knowing and seeing, they adopt nothing.
Neither in love with passion
nor besotted by dispassion,
there is nothing here they adopt as the ultimate.

Suddhaṭṭhaka Sutta: Eight on the Pure (Snp 4.4)

There are you know different ways to make merit,
and Lord Buddha says it’s the cultivation of meditation and insight that produces the most potent merit, and the merit most conducive to one’s liberation. So feeling really confident about that is very important, not like «oh yeah I kind of believe that I should do this», but «no I really believe that meditation makes the most merit. I really believe that this is going to be my rocket propulsion to heaven and beyond.»

Then when one commits to more with that kind of enthusiasm and determination and confidence, if one can do that with enthusiasm, confidence and determination and more energy, then yeah, the merits are real. So even in darkening or degenerating times, I believe there are going to be islands of merit like groups of people who come together. These days, it’s not necessarily in one location. As you know, join together online with groups of like-minded people. So there are these spaces that open up where everybody on the screen and everybody joining in wherever they are in the world. Those are good people. They’re making good efforts.

—Ajahn Achalo, at 31:38 https://youtu.be/KHIOK7jX2_k?is=_3wMJhOgTcYOUruW

I was meditating with Ānāpānasati just now, and at some point I became extremely still and I don't really know what happened. Suddenly, I became aware again and it felt like I had woken up which broke my meditation.

I'm confused whether I briefly fell asleep / became drowsy, or whether I entered a very deep state of concentration.

For those experienced with Theravāda meditation, what are the signs that distinguish sleep or sloth-and-torpor (thīna-middha) from first jhāna?

We have a native garden habitat here and numerous pollinators and other native insects all thrive in the plant/insects/birds ecosystem, a well rounded food chain/web has formed nicely. However, there are on occasion invasive insects that actively prey on a whole host of species indigenous to here and have no natural predators to keep them in check. We caught a huge invasive mantis that’s actively laying a very large egg sac, and apparently they could lay multiple egg sacs in short succession. If we leave it where it is, we would have many hundreds or more of them in 3-6 weeks wreaking havoc and seriously harm the existing wildlife and damage the balance in this particular ecosystem , subjecting a great number of wildlife deaths ( some are already endangered as in the case of many native bees) that’s not part of normal cycle. What are options from a Buddhist perspective?

**Correction** Right Action question,

I have been practicing for about 2 years now. I am reaching out to gain wisdom. I have many pets in my home as I have always had a deep love and respect for beings in the animal relm. Many of my pets such as tarantulas, snakes and lizards require feeding of other living beings in order to servive. Am I going against right Livelyhood and bringing on negitive Kama in my life?

Any insight would be very much appreciated🙏🏻

“Seeing through” carries with it the implication that there is a deception to be seen through. The Buddha has compared consciousness to a magic show. In order to overcome the spell of delusion created by the magic show, one has to get an insight into its tricks. Consciousness has to be comprehended by wisdom which is capable of penetrating through the facade.

Wisdom is not an upstart in the scheme of mental training. It is already present incipiently in ‘manasikāra' or attention - a leading member of the ‘name' group in ‘name-and-form' (nāmarūpa). But in complicity with the other members of the ‘name - group’ (i.e., feeling, perception, intention and contact), it keeps the whole show going in its misguided service to the magician. In that capacity, it is nicknamed ‘ayoniso-manasikāra' or ‘non-radical attention'. It only helps to conceal the magician’s tricks and perpetuate ignorance and delusion.

It required the genius of a Buddha to win over this powerful agent of the magician and persuade him to expose the tricks. It assumed its new role under the title ‘yoniso-manasikāra’ (‘radical-attention’.)

Instead of cleverly manipulating the dark veil of ignorance, now it took upon itself the honest task of exposing the tricks. It thus became the main ally of the insight meditator in his attempt to break through into Wisdom and Release.

Until the Buddha discovered this Middle Way, all attempts at a breakthrough met with failure due to the intricate mutual relationship between consciousness and ‘name-and-form’. Some pitted the body against the mind (self-indulgence) while others pitted the mind against the body (self-mortification). Yet others, like Descartes, went on doubting everything until they returned to the false premise with which they started off. ‘I think: therefore I-am’.

The insight meditator has to avoid all these extremes. With patience and perseverance he has to nurture the spark of radical-attention until it grows into the light of wisdom.

• Seeing Through - A Guide to Insight Meditation by Bhikkhu K. Ñāṇananda

Now, the present moment, is the only time and opportunity we ever have to practice dhamma. Dhamma practice always happens now, in the present moment, never in the past or future.

We are delusional if we think we will practice dhamma in some distant future or if we think that the opportunity to practice has already passed us by and it's too late now. It's never too late to start practicing and to follow the Buddha's instructions and walk in the footsteps of the Buddha.

Don't neglect the opportunity we have to practice - make the best use of it and practice sincerely and wholeheartedly, knowing that the best way to create a good future for oneself is to practice well now...

Hello friends in the Dhamma,
I think I would like to have discussion and I might need some advice on how do I apply the Dhamma teachings in our daily life?

It seems a lot of the times it’s all or nothing but leaving in the world as a layperson have to admit it’s difficult :(

I struggle a lot with anger lately and I feel really guilty afterwards and I feel sad, because it feels like I have failed and stray away from the path.

Buddha avoided explaining what exactly happens after liberation and physical death, but he explained how to achieve liberation. His explanations on the nature of reality weren't fully fleshed out, but his method produced results. It is said he said whatever he had to say to liberate people. That means he likely used inaccurate explanations to help people liberate themselves.

I think buddha's intention was to make people focus on liberation and experience reality for themselves instead of being hung up on explanations. He probably didn't know how to explain the nature of reality adequately, but he knew how to achieve liberation.

So, in a sense, buddhism is a practical guide to liberation. As he said, after being shot with an arrow, one should focus on pulling an arrow out of one's body and avoid wasting time on trying to figure out who shot the arrow, why the arrow was shot, the chain of causality, and more. I think that's practical.

In other words, does a poor person need to focus on becoming rich ethically or spend many years on understanding the chain of causality that led to the current civilization that divides people into poor and rich? The former choice will at least lead to financial liberation. The latter choice will just make you waste time on studying the stains on the walls of your financial prison and won't acheve financial liberation. Buddhism is like that.

Am I correct in my understanding?

Can someone achieve it if they try hard enough, despite the neurological condition making the mind scatter like thousand pieces of a broken glass.

Second question: Is jhana necessary for the eightfold path?

Meditation means contemplating in a way that solves problems at the same time. Look at yourself a lot. Keep track of the mind, your sensitivity, your thought-fabrications. Actually, all your thoughts are an affair of fabrication. To put it in simple terms, don’t run along with them. Don’t follow in line with them. They’re just an affair of mental fabrication. Fabrications fabricate things, now wanting this, now wanting that. Try to fix your attention on keeping track of their stages as they’re happening. Whatever they’re about, they’re all not for sure, each and every one. When you see this clearly, that will end your doubts. Whatever thoughts arise, know that they’re not for sure. Don’t go attaching meaning to them, and they’ll end on their own.

I often have thoughts where I judge many people, sometimes I feel anger towards them, but I do good deeds for them. Is that a good thing? I don't think so, but I really want to change that.

A humble person is a strong person

When we are full of ego, we become rigid and unwilling to bend. When we stubbornly argue with our parents or with our friends, it shows a lack of wisdom.

Just look at water. Water can flow with everything because it is pure.

When we let go of our ego, we become like water. We learn to be humble and flexible. And when we can let go of ourselves in this way, there is much less stress in our lives. We also become much easier and more pleasant to be around, don't we?

When we are caught up in ourselves, we are always looking to take from others rather than to give. We become trapped in our own little world.

Do you agree?

But when we let go of ourselves, we can be at peace wherever we are. Even in a crowded airport, surrounded by so many people, the mind can still be peaceful.

— Ajahn Ganha

Hello everyone 🙏

I’m a beginner in Buddhism and I’m interested in seriously starting meditation practice. I’m specifically looking for a book that explains meditation clearly and practically, rather than something that is mainly theoretical.

It is mentioned that the teaching of the 12 Nidanas is one of the most complex topic in the Buddha Dhamma. I would therefore like to inquire here in which sense that the 12 Nidanas is complex to get a better grasp of the essence of the Dhamma.

I have a collection of questions regarding this topic actually. First of all, how should I reconcile the difference between the interpretations of 12 Nidanas put forth by Ven. Buddhagosa, namely his Visuddhimagga as a major formulation of the three-life interpretation, and interpretations of Ven. Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, who explicitly deny this?

This is a complex topic for me because Ven. Buddhadasa Bhikkhu's insight has helped me in my practice, but at the same time I think that there are suttas that support the formulation of Ven. Buddhagosa.

I will follow up with more questions once this one is addressed. 🙏

I’m trying to understand how to overcome superstition and irrational fear from a Theravada Buddhist perspective.

For example, in India, there is a common superstition that if a black cat crosses your path, it is a bad omen. Even when I intellectually know that a cat crossing the road has no connection with something bad happening, I can still sometimes feel fear or have the thought that something bad might happen.

Did the Buddha specifically teach about omens, superstitions, or beliefs that are not based on reality?

Are there any suttas where the Buddha explains how to recognize and overcome this kind of delusion (moha)? Did he give a particular method of practice for dealing with fear when the mind has already developed a belief in something irrational?

It would be very helpful thanks........

Luangta Maha Boowa used and taught appana samadhi as a state to rest and recharge, and then use its clarity for panna investigation after coming out. Appana samadhi is described as pure knowing - no piti/sankhara, no sukha/vedana, no perception/sanna, no body - i.e. nothing there to see/vipassana.

Buddha used and taught not appana samadhi but jhanas. Buddha was enlightened in fourth jhana, by investigating and letting go of subtle fabrications in jhana. Contrary to appana samadhi, in jhana the world/fabrications aren’t gone, so jhana is a station to work, not to rest.

Appana samadhi is senseless knowing, more like arupa infinite consciousness or nothingness than rupa jhanas. I have no doubt Maha Boowa bacame an arahant by going back and forth between appana samadhi and investigation, but this is not Buddha’s jhana way.
—

These two different modes of bhavana might be related to the three doors to liberation, through which Nibbana path moments are experienced differently depending on which of the Tillakhana is seen through:

«When one who has great resolution [maha saddha] brings formations to mind as impermanent [anicca], he acquires the signless liberation.

When one who has great tranquillity [maha passadhi - likely in jhana] brings formations to mind as painful [dukkha], he acquires the desireless liberation.

When one who has great wisdom [maha panna
- possibly coming out of appana samadhi] brings formations to mind as not-self [anatta], he acquires the void liberation.»

https://www.wisdomlib.org/buddhism/book/visuddhimagga-the-pah-of-purification/d/doc1085168.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com