Homage to Buddha Dhamma & Sangha,
To Monastic and Lay Person,
Many teachers have been teaching on how to cultivate metta by radiating loving kindness to “spiritual friend” as mentioned in VisuddhiMagga.
I hate to admit it, the way to cultivate metta in visuddhimagga is true. But, I wonder how bhikkhu Buddhagosa got the idea on using spiritual friend as a way to cultivate metta before sending it into 6 directions.
I would like to ask for Sangha’s and Brother/Sister’s knowledge regarding this, is there any sutta stated about spiritual friend as the way to cultivate metta?
I think there is one sutta which talks about sending metta to a single person and then outwards, but this is rare, I must admit. However sometimes the suttas describe the perfected practice, rather than initial stages of practice, which probably is also due to redactors trying to gain some kind of conformity or stability which is easier with ‘best’ practice, rather than the more unstable initial attempts.
This means, of course that it is possible to use methods which are conducive to practice, metta or any other practice, initially to gain traction. Counting, in mindfulness of breath, would be a great example. It is possible to use any person or thing that generates a feeling of metta.
This method of looking at the suttas, when done with integrity, is a way to find ones way into the Dhamma.
