The Metta Sutta—the Buddha’s Discourse on Loving Kindness—is one of the most loved poems in the Buddhist tradition. It is a guide to living with greater inner peace and harmony in the world and gives rise to the most beautiful states of mind that are possible.
This is what’s done by one skilled in what’s good,
Metta Sutta
Who reaches toward that most peaceful state.
The discourse states that a peaceful state is a skill we can learn. According to the Metta Sutta, if we act from a place of integrity, are well-spoken and gentle with our speech, lightly engaged, thoughtful, modest, without greed, non-harming, do not do too much, live with a peaceful demeanor and wish peace toward all beings we will reach toward a most peaceful state. These are not rules about how we “should” behave. Instead, the claim is if we act this way, we will be more peaceful.
We can explore these qualities and experience for ourselves in our body, heart, and mind whether they lead to greater peace and harmony with the world. The following are a few ways to explore learning these skills.
- Having integrity
- Is there greater peace when, after you make a mistake, you simply acknowledge your error or when you become defensive? Which brings greater peace, attempting to present an image or being authentic?
- Being gentle and well-spoken
- Several times a day form the intention to speak to others and yourself with kindness, caring, and compassion and to refrain from complaining.
- Acting without too much pride
- Notice what it feels like when there is a focus on yourself and how it feels when your heart opens to caring for others in a loving, compassionate way.
- Contemplating contentment
- Select something you think you need to be content (a better job, better partner, better weather, etc.) and then reflect on the phrase, it is like this now, how can I make this the best moment I have?
- Not doing too much
- Select a period each day to put aside distractions such as TV, your phone, or reading articles of little value and meditate, appreciate nature, or simply be present.
- Being thoughtful
- Ground yourself in the body and form the intention to be aware and sensitive to how your actions and speech impact both yourself and those around you.
- Engaging lightly
- Form the intention to put aside mental commentary such as displeasure that you have to perform a task or anxiety about all of the things you have to do and be with the moment-to-moment physical sensations of the task you are doing.
- Cultivating a peaceful demeanor
- During the day deliberately slow down, connect to the body and perform your tasks with the intention to be at peace, check whether your thoughts are peaceful or not, and how the heart feels.
- Living without greed
- Try walking through an environment filled with desirable objects. Notice when an impulse of wanting something arises, and when it passes away. Notice how the wanting feels and how it feels when it ends.
This is what’s done by one skilled in what’s good,
Metta Sutta
Who reaches toward that most peaceful state.
The Buddha invited us to see for ourselves, by bringing holistic awareness to the body, heart, and mind. Notice, for example, how the muscles relax and breathing slows down when you sit quietly after a period of intense physical activity. Or how the energy flows in the body and the breathing rate increases when you move away from the computer and take a brisk walk. You can notice, too, how the heart feels after a strong emotion has calmed or how the mind feels when you relax and settle into the body after a period of intense mental work. Be creative with your practice and develop what works best for you.