The Practice of Mettā-Bhāvanā in Vipassana Meditation. The practice of mettā-bhāvanā is an important adjunct to the technique of Vipassana meditation, indeed, its logical outcome. It is a technique whereby we radiate loving- kindness and goodwill toward all beings. The Buddha instructed his followers to develop mettā so as to lead more peaceful and harmonious lives themselves and to help others to do so as well. For a student of Vipassan, mettā has much the same function. Through it we find a way to share with all others the peace and harmony that we have discovered in practicing Vipassana. We do so by deliberately charging the atmosphere around us with the calming, positive vibrations of pure and compassionate love. The text states: Mijjati siniyhati’ti mettā — “That which inclines one to friendly disposition is mettā.” It is a sincere wish for the good and welfare of all It is diametrically opposed to hatred or ill-will and hence can be defined as their absence: Adoso’ti mettā— “Non-aversion is mettā” The chief characteristic of mettā is a benevolent attitude. Its culmination is the identification of oneself with all beings, a recognition of the fellowship of all life. To grasp this concept at least intellectually is easy enough, but it is far harder to develop such an attitude oneself. For this, some practice is needed, and so we have the technique of metta-bhāvanā the systematic cultivation of goodwill towards others. This technique is widely spread in the Theravadin Buddhist countries of South Asia but to be really effective, it must be practiced along with Vipassana meditation. So long as negativities such as aversion lurk in the unconscious, it is futile to consciously formulate thoughts of goodwill, and doing so will be dangerously close to performing a ritual devoid of inner meaning. When, however, negativities are removed by the practice of Vipas- sana, goodwill naturally wells up in the mind. When we emerge from the prison of self-obsession, we can begin to concern ourselves with the welfare of others. For this reason, the technique of metta-bhāvanā is introduced only at the end of a Vipassana course, after the participants have each passed through the process of purification. At such a time meditators can really feel from the depths of their beings a volition of parahita kāmatā, wishing the good of others, and therefore their practice of mettā will be truly effective. Though limited time is devoted to it in a course, mettā may be regarded as the culmination of the practice of Vipassana meditation. Nibbāna itself can be experienced only by those whose minds are filled with infinite loving-kindness and compassion for all beings, as well as with sympathetic joy and equanimity. These four quali- ties constitute the Brahma-vihāra the sublime state in which dwell beings of pure mind. Simply wishing for that state is not enough; we have to purify our minds in order to attain it We do this by Vipassana meditation, and that is why the emphasis is on this technique during a course. Very soon in the practice we become aware of the underlying reality of the world and of ourselves: arising and passing away every moment We realize that the process of change goes on without our control and regardless of our wishes. Gradually we come to understand that any attachment to what is ephemeral and insubstantial will produce nothing but suffering for us. By trial and error we learn to be detached, to keep the balance of our minds in the face of any experience. As we do so, we begin to experience what real happiness is: not the satisfaction of desire or the forestalling of fears but, rather, liberation from the cycle of desiring and fearing. The more this inner serenity develops, the more clearly we can see how others are enmeshed in suffering, and naturally the wish arises that they may find what we have found: the way out of misery, the path of peace. This is the proper volition for the practice of metta-bhāvanā. Mettā is not prayer. It is not the pious hope that an outside agency will act to help others. On the contrary, it is a dynamic process in which the meditator acts to produce a beneficent influence on others, to create a supportive atmosphere that will enable others to act to help themselves. It can be omni-directional or chaneled towards a particular person. In either case, however, the meditator is simply providing an outlet for a power that far transcends himself. The mettā that he feels is not his mettā. More correctly, by eliminating egotism, he has opened his mind and made it a conduit for the forces of positivity throughout the universe. He merely transmits metta-dhātu the vibrations of mettā that charge the cosmos. The more clearly one realizes this fact that mettā is not produced by oneself, the more one’s mettā is truly selfless. In order to conduct the electricity of mettā, the mind must be calm, balanced, free from negativity. This is precisely the type of mind that we develop in the practice of Vipassana. A meditator knows by experience how anger, antipathy, or ill-will destroy one’s own peace and frustrate any efforts to help others. It is only when hatred is removed and equanimity attained that one can be happy oneself and wish happiness for others. Simply declaring “May all beings be happy” is valueless. The words have force only when uttered from a pure mind. Backed by this purity, they will certainly be effective in fostering the happiness of all. When one sees the positive effect it has, then one knows that the mettā one practices is truly effective. A meditator must therefore examine oneself before practicing metta-bhāvanā to check whether one is really capable of transmitting mettā. Should he find even a tinge of hatred or aversion in the mind, he must refrain from the attempt at that time, since otherwise he would be liable to transmit that negativity, causing harm to others. If, however, both mind and body are filled with serenity and well-being, it is natural and appropriate to seek to share this happiness with others: “May you be happy, may all beings be peaceful, may you be liberated from the defilements that are the causes of suffering.” Such an attitude enables a meditator to deal far more skill- fully with the vicissitudes of life. Suppose, for example, one encounters a person who is acting out of deliberate ill- will to harm others. The common response would be to react to such a person with fear and hatred, a self-centered response that does nothing to improve the situation, that in fact broadcasts further the negativity of this person. It is far more helpful to remain calm and balanced, with a feeling of goodwill even for the person who is acting wrongly. This must not be merely an intellectual stance, a veneer over unresolved negativity. Mettā works only when it is the spontaneous overflow of a purified mind. The serenity achieved in Vipassana meditation will naturally give rise to feelings of mettā; and throughout the day they will continue to affect the meditator and his environment in a positive way. Thus Vipassana ultimately has a dual function: to make the meditator happy by purifying his mind, and to enable him to contribute to the happiness of others by preparing him to practice mettā. What, after all, is the meaning of freeing oneself of negativity and egotism unless one shares these benefits with others? In a retreat one cuts oneself off from the world temporarily, in order to return and share with others what one has gained by working in solitude. These two aspects of the practice of Vipassana are inseparable. In these times of violent unrest, widespread malaise and suffering, the need for such a practice as metta-bhāvanā is clear. If peace and harmony are to reign throughout the world, they must first be established in the minds of all the inhabitants of the world. The energy of mettā exists all around us. We need only to open ourselves sufficiently in order to become channels of this boundless goodwill so that it may spread and influence all beings. Vipassana meditation is the way to achieve this opening, to develop peace and harmony within ourselves so that we may share peace and harmony with all others. (Vipassana newsletter 87.)
Posted on: Sun, 24 Aug 2014 16:17:49 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015