Buddha's definition of the Brahma Viharas / etymology of the words.

Hello all,
I’m just wondering if there are any discourses in which the Buddha expands on the meaning of the four Brahma Viharas.
I know of the metta sutta, and the divine abidings chant. How do we know to interpret ‘mudita’ as appreciation or gladness or sympathetic joy, for instance ? Partly this might come straight from the definition - and I’d be interested in learning a bit more about the etymology of the four qualities. But are there also discourses where the Buddha goes into more detail for each brahma Vihara?
I’m partly interested as often contemplating these things can help bring them alive a little bit.
Many thanks and best wishes to you all,
Oli

There are a bunch of suttas listed in the CIPS: index.readingfaithfully.org/#brahmaviharas

However I don’t think any give the kind of details you are looking for. The above link will also give cross refs for the individual brahamaviharas.

2 Likes

Ne36 has quite unique description of these.

2 Likes

SA 567 presents five kinds of meditation:

  1. Immeasurable mind-concentration 無量心三昧 (wuliang- xinsanmei)

  2. Signless mind-concentration 無相心三昧 (wuxiang-xinsanmei)

  3. Nothingness-mind-concentration 無所有心三昧 (wusuoyou xinsanmei)

  4. Emptiness-mind-concentration 空心三昧 (kong-xinsanmei)

  5. Non-contention (無諍 wuzheng)

The first four meditations explain that these are different in name and meaning. The fifth one, non-contention, indicates they are the same in meaning and different only in name, indicated in the text.

Its Pāli counterpart, SN 41.7, also presents a similar set of five kinds of meditation, which is called ‘mind-liberation’ (cetovimutti), in a different sequence:

  1. Immeasurable mind-liberation (appamāṇa-cetovimutti)

  2. Nothingness-mind-liberation (ākiñcañña-cetovimutti)

  3. Emptiness-mind-liberation (suññatā-cetovimutti)

  4. Signless mind-liberation (animitta-cetovimutti)

  5. Immovable mind-liberation (akuppa-cetovimutti)

Similar to the Chinese version, the first four of these meditations explain the differences in both meaning and name, and the fifth one, immovable mind-liberation, indicates that they are the same in meaning with different names, presented in the text.

In the Pāli version appamāṇa-cetovimutti contains four immeasurables (mettā, karuṇā, muditā, and upekkhā), whereas the Chinese 無量心三昧 mentions only one immeasurable, maitrī (mettā ).

In the Pāli tradition the four immeasurables are also called Brahma-vihārā ‘Brahma-abodes’.

The immeasurable mind-liberation (appamāṇa-cetovimutti):

“It is when a monk dwells pervading (pharitvā viharati) one direction with a mind (cetasā) full of lovingkindness (mettā), and similarly the second, the third, and the fourth directions. In the same way above, below, across, everywhere, all around, he dwells pervading the whole world with a mind full of lovingkindness, abundant, expansive, limitless, free of enmity and ill will (abyāpajjena ). He dwells pervading one direction with a mind full of compassion (karuṇā) … of empathic joy (muditā) … of equanimity (upekkhā), and similarly the second, the third, and the fourth directions. In the same way above, below, across, everywhere, all around, he dwells pervading the whole world with a mind full of equanimity, abundant, expansive, limitless, free of enmity and ill will.” (SN, IV 296):

Idha, bhante, bhikkhu mettāsahagatena cetasā ekaṃ disaṃ pharitvā viharati, tathā dutiyaṃ, tathā tatiyaṃ, tathā catutthaṃ. Iti uddhamadho tiriyaṃ sabbadhi sabbattatāya sabbāvantaṃ lokaṃ mettāsahagatena cetasā vipulena mahaggatena appamāṇena averena abyāpajjena pharitvā viharati. Karuṇāsahagatena cetasā … pe … muditāsahagatena cetasā … pe … upekkhāsahagatena cetasā ekaṃ disaṃ pharitvā viharati, tathā dutiyaṃ, tathā tatiyaṃ, tathā catutthaṃ. Iti uddhamadho tiriyaṃ sabbadhi sabbattatāya sabbāvantaṃ lokaṃ upekkhāsahagatena cetasā vipulena mahaggatena appamāṇena averena abyāpajjena pharitvā viharati.

According to Choong Mun-keat (p.104):

“It is possible that the set of four immeasurables connected to appamāṇa-cetovimutti is an expanded version. The main teaching may have had just one focus, mettā. The Vinaya (at Cūḷavagga, Sattasatikakkhandhaka), only mentions mettā-vihāra, which is observed as kullaka-vihāra, a ‘family-meditative state’, whereas suññatā-vihāra is considered as mahāpurisa-vihāra, the ‘meditative state of great men’.” See:

“A comparison of the Pāli and Chinese Saṃyutta/Saṃyukta discourses on the housemaster Citta/Citra, a respected layman dhamma/dharma-teacher”, The Indian International Journal of Buddhist Studies, vol. no. 23 (2023), pp. 93-123 (published in 2024).

Thanks that is useful.

1 Like

I’m not sure I understand this ? Is the Buddha explaining what each of the Brahma Viharas is amongst any of this ?
Thanks nonetheless for your effort to try and help!

The teaching of the Brahma Viharas is not presented by the Buddha himself, but by the housemaster Citta/Citra and a monk in the text.

Hi @Oli1st

Welcome to the D&D forum! We hope you enjoy the various resources, FAQs, and previous threads. You can use the search function for topics and keywords you are interested in. Forum guidelines are here: Forum Guidelines. May some of these resources be of assistance along the path.

If you have any questions or need further clarification regarding anything, feel free to contact the moderators by including @moderators in your post or a PM.

Regards,
Beth (on behalf of the moderators)

Still looking for some clarification here.
Etymology of the word ‘metta’, I think I have read is linked to ‘friend’, and also I’ve heard, as a quality, it being compared to the Sun (in the sense of not making distinctions about who or what deserves metta) although I don’t know if this idea is canonical.

I’d really like to know more for the other three qualities.
Thanks
Oli