How to arise metta feeling?

Q & A
21

Thanks bhante for the pali lesson .
In reality , one cant accept all three , either non cruelty or absence but not the opposite , the reversative appear inappropriate since Buddha didnt instruct it per right thought per N8FP . By abandoning ill will , one still needs to develop metta . Otherwise , no metta could arise in the mind . Developing metta doesnt mean one is able to eliminate ill will all together or at the root but merely suppressing it .

22

Here are two “weird tricks” that have worked for me:

  1. Think about someone, anyone, you feel really deserves to be happy. Like, if anyone in the world deserves happiness, it’s them. What does that feel like?

  2. Think about what it feels like to have unpleasant experiences and what it feels like to have pleasant experiences. Think about the fact that it feels like that for other people too. Wouldn’t it just be better if people felt pleasant things? After all, pain feels awful, but pleasure feels really nice! Why not?

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23

Thanks for sharing, I had didn’t came across to this subtle, but important point before.

24

on additional comment that might be relevant to practice: metta comes within the four foundations of mindfulness - it’s not a feeling, but an intentional mind state. it’s mental action, creating kamma, that is, mindfulness of mind, not mindfulness of feeling.

that being the case, the feeling arising with metta is a by product - it’s joy and happiness that arise, but those aren’t the goal of metta. rather, it’s developing a mind of loving kindness, based on intentional thought.

this is why it requires the “may all beings be happy” initially - it’s verbal fabrication in the initial stages at least, and it requires practice. i believe that the buddha instructs us to later drop the initial and sustained thinking about the theme, but it requires this sustained thinking initially, and then later, mindfulness of the state of mind that arises.

25

A great introduction