Welcome home! Please contact lincoln@icrontic.com if you have any difficulty logging in or using the site. New registrations must be manually approved which may take several days. Can't log in? Try clearing your browser's cookies.
The Brahma Viharas
Citta
Veteran
The name Brahma Viharas mean literally " The abode of the gods " and is one of the most ancient practices within Buddhadharma.
They are four in number, their names are in Pali;
Metta
Karuna
Mudita and
Upekkha.
Metta is probably the best known...it means "loving friendliness." there are a whole raft of practices called Metta Bhavana which are specific to raising metta within our hearts.
Karuna means "compassion " and again there are practices that lead to an increase in feelings of compassion.
Mudita means taking pleasure in the positive achievements of others..literally " sympathetic joy ".
Upekkha means " detachment " not preferring any situation over another..NB it does not mean "indifference ".
Upekkaha underpins the other Brahma Viharas...without Upekkha;
Metta becomes emotional attachment and sentimentality.
Karuna becomes over identification with the object of compassion.
Mudita becomes a vicarious pleasure that is appropriated into the self sense.
On the other hand Upekkha alone quickly becomes indifference, coldness.
So, they all hang together and are developed simultaneously.
This is best done with hands-on teaching, but there is a lot of material on the web.
They are four in number, their names are in Pali;
Metta
Karuna
Mudita and
Upekkha.
Metta is probably the best known...it means "loving friendliness." there are a whole raft of practices called Metta Bhavana which are specific to raising metta within our hearts.
Karuna means "compassion " and again there are practices that lead to an increase in feelings of compassion.
Mudita means taking pleasure in the positive achievements of others..literally " sympathetic joy ".
Upekkha means " detachment " not preferring any situation over another..NB it does not mean "indifference ".
Upekkaha underpins the other Brahma Viharas...without Upekkha;
Metta becomes emotional attachment and sentimentality.
Karuna becomes over identification with the object of compassion.
Mudita becomes a vicarious pleasure that is appropriated into the self sense.
On the other hand Upekkha alone quickly becomes indifference, coldness.
So, they all hang together and are developed simultaneously.
This is best done with hands-on teaching, but there is a lot of material on the web.
3
Comments
I like where you are going with this...
Could you expand by giving 1 or 2 situations,
and how each/all of these are applicable and the
frame for them? I know the near enemy and far enemy
of them...but I need some digestion aid.
In the workplace? In the householder place?
How does one deal/notice with them 'hanging' together?
Upekkha provides the platform that we can safely send metta from, or act out of karuna ( compassion ) from. Or take joy in the joy of others from.
We need therefore to develop equanimity as our default mindset.
It is not that we are indifferent...far from it. But we act without tipping the outcome in our own favour..we see clearly what is the case.
For example,
We see someone fall into the river, they are struggling in a strong current...
Upekkha without metta or karuna might have us simply watching...from the bank.
The other extreme karuna without upekkha might see us jumping into the water with them..whereupon there are two strugglers in the current.
So instead of detachment on the one hand or emotional over identification on the other hand, with one arm we anchor ourselves to a tree ( upekkha )..we then reach down with the other hand towards the person struggling...( karuna )...
listed 4.
Im just not around that scene very often.
Riverbank...someone falling in.
This is where 'Modern' turns it's ugly
head...haha
May I have another example?
For river read any situation that tends to swamp us and sweep us away...
Anger...falling in love...fearfulness...aversion...overwhelming attraction..etc.
We need to reach out to the person concerned ,,but firmly anchor ourselves in upekkha... equanimity. This happens by practice, strange as it might seem.
in any of their mess and keep from letting them
create mess for you by practicing the firm stand on
your own foundation.
Seems simple enough.
Oh....and don't get swept away by my own
messes, right?
...tricky in practice...it needs constant work not to get caught up in stuff on the one hand or becoming indifferent on the other. .
Walking the tight rope of dealing with suffering and
all the messy details behind it.
Gratitude for the exchange.
It takes a lot of effort to stay put.
For Happiness cherish others !
You mentioned the Lojong instructions - they seem pretty involved and complicated to me (although very insightful), in the sense it seems kind of overwhelming to keep all that stuff (59 slogans) in mind while meditating. And so how would one incorporate this into a meditation method - or am I misunderstanding? Or would this just be something to study and be mindful of?
Right now I've been focusing on the Metta Sutta - reading the Metta, then starting my mediation, focusing on self-forgiveness so that I can forgive others and experience loving kindness and repeating stuff like "may all beings be at ease," "may i forgive myself," "may i forgive others," etc. I keep it quite simple. Is there a more effective way to meditate on Metta?
I think the metta practice starts with acceptance and kindness towards oneself, and then radiates outwards.
There are alternative approaches, eg remembering a special place or time where you were very happy.
Generally I'd recommend being creative with the metta practice, make it your own.
I know of two good books on lojong by Trungpa Rinpoche, Training the Mind. And by his student, Pema Chodron, Start Where You Are.
Meditation is more relaxing and letting go. Contemplation is a little more forceful hammering away at those stubborn little ole delusions.