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The Brahmavihåras I
The four “Divine Abidings” or “Brahmavihåras” are among the meditation subjects of Samatha. When they are developed they can condition calm even to the degree of jhåna. The Brahmavihåras have living beings as objects and they are very suitable for application in our daily life. We often think of other people with attachment, with conceit or with aversion. The Brahmavihåras can be the condition for thinking of others with kusala cittas and thus there can be calm in daily life.
I shall quote from the tape which is a lecture on the Brahmavihåras given by Acharn Sujin to police officers. They took a great interest in the practice of the Brahmavihåras while performing their duty as police officer. I shall also quote from her book on the Perfections, and I shall add what Lodewijk and I discussed about the Brahmavihåras.
In her lecture Acharn Sujin pointed out the danger of akusala that increases each day, and she explained that the Brahmavihåras can condition calm in daily life. We have learnt about akusala síla, unwholesome deeds through body and speech, but how are our thoughts? We should not be neglectful with regard to our actions, speech and thoughts. Acharn Sujin stressed truthfulness or sincerity and resolution.
We should be truthful as to our cittas: is the citta kusala citta or akusala citta? Do we take for kusala citta what is in reality akusala citta? We need determination for all kinds of kusala. When paññå sees the benefit of kusala and the disadvantage of akusala this will condition the arising of kusala citta.
Acharn Sujin stressed the connection between síla and mettå. Síla includes not only abstention from akusala kamma, it also includes paying respect to those who deserve it and helping others, rendering service.
I quote from Acharn Sujin’s “Wholesome Deeds”: ”The citta can be respectful by abstaining from hurting or harming others through body, speech or mind.”
When there is mettå we do not disturb the happiness of others or cause them to be in trouble. We do not think of ourselves expecting friendship from others. Mettå or friendship arises with the citta, and if we expect something for ourselves there is no true mettå. Thus, we need truthfulness, sincerity at all times.
The near ennemy of mettå is attachment. We may take for mettå what is selfish love. If someone sees another person as object of attachment he has no respect for that person, he does not help him to have kusala citta. He harms himself and the other person. He also lacks respect of the Buddha who taught the way leading to the elimination of akusala and the development of right understanding.
The connection between síla and mettå as explained by Acharn Sujin I find an inspiring way of considering abstention from akusala in action, speech and thoughts. When there is mettå there are no conditions for akusala through body, speech and mind. We shall not hurt or harm others through actions or speech, we shall abstain from akusala kamma. We consider other people as true friends and that means that we shall help them to be free from what is harmful and dangerous. We shall help them to have kusala citta.
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Brahmavihåras II
We read in the “Atthasåliní ” about the four brahmavihåras ((Book I, Part V, Ch XIII, Divine States, 193) :
“...love (mettå) has the characteristic of being a procedure of modes of beneficence; the function or property of bringing good; the manifestation or effect of taking hatred away; the proximate cause of seeing the lovableness of beings. Its consummation (success) is the quieting of ill-will; its failure is the production of lust.”
Lust is the translation of lobha, but we should remember that all shades of lobha are a failure or near ennemy of mettå 1.
Acharn Sujin: “We should remember that kusala and akusala can be very close in appearance. Therefore, we should often realize the characteristics of realities so that we shall know whether we develop kusala or whether akusala arises.”
Htoo writes: “Mettå is a pure thing and we do not need to expect friendship
from those who we have helped by any means and in any way. As soon as
that kind of attachment arises, metta has already gone. Mettå and attachment do not stay together.”
Acharn Sujin said in her “Perfections”:
“Among the ten perfections, the perfection of mettå, loving kindness, follows upon the perfection of determination. For someone who is firmly established in the development of kusala with the aim to eradicate defilements and who has accumulated the perfection of determination, it is natural to practise loving-kindness. We can verify for ourselves whether we are firmly established in the development of kusala and whether we usually develop loving kindness. When someone is not inclined to anger and when he often practises mettå, it shows that he sees the benefit of non-anger and of the development of the perfections leading to the eradication of the defilements. Someone may believe that life belongs to him, but in reality there are only different dhammas that arise and fall away very rapidly. He should develop more understanding of his life, of his kusala cittas and akusala cittas.”
The Brahmaviharas of loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity are cetasikas, non-self. They cannot be manipulated at will, they arise because of their appropriate conditions. Mettå cannot stay, it falls away and then there are bound to be akusala cittas since we have accumulated such an amount of akusala. Paññå, understanding that knows the disadvantage of akusala and the benefit of kusala is a condition for the arising of the Brahmavihåras.
In her lecture Acharn Sujin stresses that the cetasika equanimity, tatramajjhattata, which arises with each kusala citta, is very necessary for all the Brahmavihåras. It prevents us from going to extremes, namely, attachment and aversion. She says that if there is no mettå, there is an opportunity for akusala. Therefore, we should develop mettå, just now. She said that if there is not mettå very often, we should not be worried about it. It can be developed little by little so that it can be accumulated. If we say that we cannot do this, defilements will not be eliminated.
Footnote:
1. Visuddhimagga IX, 98-101 mentions the near enemies and the far enemies of the divine abidings. The far enemies of the brahmavihåras are their opposites and the near enemies are qualities which seem to be the brahma vihåras but which are in reality akusala. They seem to be close to the brahmavihåras and one could erroneously take them for the brahmavihåras.
We read in the definition of mettå: “Its consummation (success) is the quieting of ill-will; its failure is the production of lust.” Ill-will is the opposite of mettå and attachment is its near ennemy.
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Brahmavihåras III
We read in Acharn Sujin’s Perfections:
“If we have developed the other perfections but our inclination to assist others with kindness is deficient, we should find out the reason for this. Is it because we are already pleased with our own kusala or is it because of defilements, such as conceit, clinging to the importance of self? We may think that it is not necessary to help someone else. Or, when we have given assistance to someone else we may wonder what the other person will be thinking about us. We should find out whether such thoughts are kusala or akusala. We should instead give assistance to someone without paying attention to what he thinks about us, no matter whether he rejoices in our deed or whether he blames us, because in reality he cannot harm us. What he thinks about us concerns only himself, not us. We should realize that no matter how much kusala we have performed already, it is not yet enough.”
When we cling to the importance of self there is conceit, the citta is rigid, not gentle, and there cannot be metta at the same time. When conceit arises it accompanies the citta rooted in attachment. When we attach importance to what others think about us, there is conceit. When we expect kind words from them but they do not speak kindly, we are disappointed and we have aversion. Then we can see that conceit conditions annoyance and aversion.
Through satipatthana we learn that life truly exists in one moment. When there are conditions for metta it arises, but it cannot last. There are bound to be many akusala cittas in between the moments of kusala cittas. Lodewijk remarked that when he considers that he has countless akusala cittas he becomes oppressed. I explained to him that it is pañña, understanding, that realizes kusala as kusala and akusala as akusala. At the moment of understanding there cannot be aversion or oppression at the same time. We cannot expect a radical change in character when we begin to develop satipatthana, but we should be happy and grateful to the Buddha for teaching us the way to see realities as they are. We learn that it is dukkha to be in the cycle of birth and death, and that clinging is the cause of dukkha. However, we should not forget that there is a Way leading to the end of dukkha, and we can begin to develop it with courage and gladness.
Lodewijk stressed the importance of good and noble friendship, association with the right persons. We spoke about A. Sujin and our friends in Thailand, who give us good examples of the application of satipatthana in daily life. It is inspiring to associate with friends who strive after the same goal, the development of right understanding leading to the eradication of defilements. When we are in their company, we have the assurance that we are with true friends whom we can trust and that we cannot come to any harm.
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Brahmavihåras IV
Quoting from Acharn Sujin’s Perfections:
“There should be no limits to mettå, because if we restrict it there may not be mettå but lobha, attachment, which is akusala, not kusala.
If we only consider the outward appearance of our deeds, attachment and loving-kindness seem to be similar. When we perform a good deed for the sake of someone who is close to us, whom we respect and love, it seems that this is motivated by kusala, by mettå. However, why can we not be kind in the same way to someone else, no matter who he is? If there is true mettå it should be exactly the same whether we perform an act of kindness to someone who is close to us, with whom we are familiar, or to a person we are not familiar with. If there is true mettå, if we want to develop the perfection of mettå, we should not restrict mettå to particular persons. When we limit mettå, we should investigate the characteristic of the citta at that moment, we should know whether it is kusala citta or akusala citta.”
In her lecture Acharn Sujin emphasized that when there is mettå, we have no conceit and we are humble. We should be like a dustrag that people use for wiping their feet. We can develop mettå and humbleness of heart when others speak to us in an unpleasant way. We read in Acharn Sujin’s book on Mettå:
“Softness, gentleness, pliancy and humbleness of heart, these qualities are characteristics of mettå. Sariputta was an example of humility. He compared himself with a dustrag, an old rag without any value. He had no arrogance, he was not conceited about it that he was one of the foremost disciples. Even when others behaved badly towards him through body or speech he was unaffected by it since he was an arahat. He had eradicated conceit and all the other defilements and thus he was of perfect gentleness and humility.”
In her lecture Acharn Sujin referred to a question she asked us when we were in the Jeta Grove, the place where the Buddha stayed for many rainy seasons. There were many arahats together with the Buddha. Acharn Sujin asked us what we were looking for in the Jeta Grove and people had different answers to her question. She said that she was looking for a dustrag and that she would like to become like a dustrag. There were many disciples in the Jeta Grove who were like a dustrag. When we are like a dustrag we do not mind about what is dirty or clean. We can gradually learn to be unaffected by pleasant objects and unpleasant objects, by gain and loss, praise and blame. We can learn to forgive insults of others. Forgiving is a kind of dåna, we wish others to be free from danger.
Acharn Sujin said that when one is with a friend one is safe from danger.
We still have the latent tendency of aversion. This is not eradicated until the third stage of enlightenment, the stage of the non-returner. When we are annoyed with someone else we keep on thinking about this and then we can see that we have accumulated aversion. If we do not develop mettå we cannot subdue aversion and anger. When we develop right understanding of nama and rúpa we gradually come to know the characteristic of true mettå when it appears in daily life. We shall be less deluded about the outward appearance of our deeds and not erroneously take akusala for kusala.
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Brahmaviharas V
Quoting from Acharn Sujin’s “Perfections”: “We read in the Tipiìaka that performing deeds with mettå is like the conduct of a mother towards her child. If we look at the outward appearance of deeds we may wonder whether a mother has true mettå or whether she has just selfish affection for her child. She has to sacrifice everything for her child when she takes care of him. Sometimes the child is dirty and disagreeable to touch, but she still takes care of him. We should consider whether a mother has true mettå for her child, or whether she has only selfish affection. A mother should know her own cittas, she should be truthful with regard to reality: kusala is kusala and akusala is akusala.
It is right that the Tipiìaka explains about mettå as being the same as a mother’s conduct towards her child. However, we should remember that mettå is not the same as the attachment a mother may have to her child. If one can have the same conduct towards other people as a mother’s selfless loving care for her child, then we practise mettå.”
When we help someone else with unselfish kindness, there is also the cetasika non-attachment, alobha. When we develop mettå, we renounce at such a moment our own comfort. Thus, at such a moment, we also develop the perfection of renunciation, nekkhamma. The Commentary explains that each good deed is actually renunciation. I discussed this aspect with Lodewijk. When taking care of my old father Lodewijk has to do at times dirty work (when the nurse is not there). At such moments a bad smell is unavoidable and I asked him whether he had aversion of the smell. He said that he was too busy to pay attention to that. I thought of the mother who has to change the dirty diapers of her baby. When we help others it can be hard work. But when there is mettå we do not pay attention to discomfort. If we do not develop mettå and all kinds of kusala we do everything for our own sake, we think of ourselves the whole day.
I discussed with Lodewijk the comparison of mother and child. Some mothers
have selfish attachment to their children and cannot let them go when they are adults. This reminds us of the near ennemy of mettå. We may become attached to people we are helping, but when there is true mettå there is also detachment.
When we help others with mettå, we also need patience and endurance in all kinds of circumstances. It is not always easy to help others, and they may behave in contrarious ways. When a child is naughty, a mother with true mettå shall continue to take care of her child. Evenso can we have mettå for people who are unkind to us or scold us. It is natural that aversion arises in such circumstances, but when we develop satipaììhåna paññå shall know the difference between the characteristics of mettå and of aversion.
Acharn Sujin explains in her “Perfections”:
“When we recognize the characteristic of aversion as akusala, paññå which sees the disadvantage and the ugliness of aversion and all akusala dhammas is the condition for kusala dhammas to further develop...
If one does not normally develop satipaììhåna, one does not know the characteristics of realities which are appearing one at a time as only nåma dhammas and rúpa dhammas. Then other kinds of kusala do not arise easily and
there are conditions for akusala to arise more rapidly. However, if someone knows the characteristics of realities that are appearing just as they are, and he knows the characteristic of nåma dhamma as just nåma, not a being or a person, and the characteristic of rúpa dhamma as just rúpa, not a being or a person, his endurance and patience will increase and also other kinds of kusala will further develop.
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Brahmavihåras VI
We read in the “Atthasåliní ” about compassion, karunå ((Book I, Part V, Ch XIII, Divine States, 193) :
“Pity (compassion) has the characteristic of evolving the mode of removing pain; the property of not being able to bear [seeing] others suffer; the manifestation of kindness; the proximate cause of seeing the need of those overcome by pain. Its consummation is the quieting of cruelty; its failure is the production of sorrow.”
Compassion is not self, it is karuùa cetasika, a cetasika which does not arise with all sobhana cittas. It can arise when we want to help someone else so that he is free from suffering. Its far ennemy is cruelty, one cannot be compassionate and cruel at the same time.
The Visuddhimagga (IX, 99) explains that “grief based on the home life” is the near ennemy of compassion. “Based on the homelife” means, based on the sense objects. The monk’s life is a life of renunciation, his life is not based on the sense objects which are actually connected with worldly life. If someone does not obtain pleasant sense objects he may have aversion. If we see a person who suffers we may find this an unpleasant sight and because of this, aversion may arise. Whenever there is aversion in such a case it shows that there is no true compassion.
Quoting from the “Perfections”:
“The ‘Atthasåliní’ (Book I, Part V, Ch XIII, Divine States, 196) compares compassion with a sick child. A mother who has a sick child should try to take care of it so that it will be cured, so that it is free from suffering and illness. When we see other people, not only children, we wish that they are free from suffering and that is compassion. We should not limit compassion to particular people, it should be unlimited.”
When we see an old man who cannot sit up straight, and who is almost blind, who cannot read, we can help him with mettå and compassion. Lodewijk helps my father with compassion in giving him a summary of the news he has read about. When someone is shouting at us or scolding us we should also have compassion. He may have mental problems and we can see him as a child crying out for help. Instead of aversion we can have compassion and patience.
Greater than all physical suffering and mental suffering, however, is being in the cycle of birth and death. That is the real dukkha, because so long as we are in the cycle we have to reborn and to suffer again and again from illness and defilements that cause mental trouble. Acharn Sujin explains in the “Perfections” that only the Buddha can have the highest degree of compassion. His compassion is called “Mahå-karuùa”, great compassion:
“As we have seen, compassion is intent on removing the suffering of beings. However, since paññå is not of the degree of accomplishment of the Sammasambuddha, we do not fathom the true characteristic of suffering, dukkha. We do not fully grasp that all beings are subject to dukkha because of birth, old age, sickness, death and impermanence. The arising and falling away of realities is the noble Truth of dukkha, this is the real suffering. Real compassion is of another dimension and can only be fulfilled by the Buddha. In our daily life we usually do not realize that beings and people are subject to the suffering which is being in the cycle of birth and death. “
When people are capable to understand the Dhamma, we can try to help them with metta and compassion to find the Way leading out of dukkha. However, we all need help so that we do not drown in the sea of Saÿsara. We all depend on the Buddha who taught the Dhamma out of his great compassion.
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Brahmavihåras VII
Sympathetic Joy.
We read in the “Atthasåliní ” about sympathetic joy, muditå ((Book I, Part V, Ch XIII, Divine States, 193) :
“Sympathy has the characteristic of gladness; its property is the absence of envying; its manifestation is the destruction of disaffection (discontentment); its proximate cause is seeing the prosperous state of other beings. Its consummation is the quieting of dislike; its failure is the production of merriment 1.”
When we see someone else’s suffering, compassion can arise, and when we see someone else’s wellbeing and prosperity, sympathetic joy can arise. When we are jealous about someone else’s happiness, there is no sympathetic joy at that moment. Jealousy is a cetasika that arises with the citta rooted in aversion, and this is always accompanied by unhappy feeling.
The Visuddhimagga explains that the far ennemy of sympathetic joy is aversion and its near ennemy “joy based on the homelife”. This is joy that is based on the sense objects. When we feel very happy about someone else’s prosperity we should find out whether this is joy that accompanies attachment, such as we usually have to pleasant objects, or whether it is sympathetic joy.
As we have seen, the The “Atthasåliní” (Book I, Part V, Ch XIII, Divine States, 196) uses a simile for the four Brahmavihåras. Mettå is like a small child, compassion is like a child who is sick, sympathetic joy is like a child who is becoming an adolescent and equanimity is like a child who manages his own affairs. As regards sympathetic joy, this is compared to the joy of parents who have a child that is becoming an adolescent and wish for the child to keep on enjoying the good things of adolescence for a long time.
When we see the benefit of kusala we shall find out that there are many more opportunities in our daily life than we ever thought for the development of the Brahama viharas. We can rejoice in the praise and honour others receive or in their kusala cittas. Appreciation of someone else’s kusala is one of the ten meritorious actions, it is a way of dåna or generosity. It is anumodana dåna, generosity of thanksgiving or appreciation. Thus, this is a way of developing the Brahma vihåra of sympathetic joy. We can express our appreciation also in speech and gesture.
Acharn Sujin said in “Wholesome Deeds”:
“The person who rejoices in the wholesome deeds of someone else, has kusala cittas, cittas without attachment, anger, jealousy or other defilements. The appreciation of someone else’s kusala is another way of kusala. Its arising is conditioned by the kusala of someone else....For someone who knows what kusala is, kusala citta has the opportunity to arise more often than for someone who does not know what kusala is. Besides, we do not have to wait for a specific moment to have kusala citta.... When we have clear understanding of kusala and akusala, we can develop more wholesomeness, we can develop kusala dhammas so that these become more powerful and are able to gradually eliminate defilements.”
It is so true that we, for the development of kusala, do not have to wait for specific moments. When we consider more the Brahma vihåra of sympathetic joy we can find the opportunities when and where to develop it. When Lodewijk and I are with my father, Lodewijk tells him about the daily news. He has to exert himself speaking in a very loud, clear voice and this is an opportunity for me to rejoice in his kusala cittas. I used to find it tiring and unpleasant to listen to his loud speech, but knowing more about the opportunities for kusala helps me to develop kusala. Lodewijk is not inclined to go to receptions and ceremonies, but when there is an occasion of someone’s presentation of a new book, he rejoices in his prosperity and will show this by attending the reception. In this way he gives expression to his respect and sympathetic joy. It is the same when someone is offered a doctorate at the university or he receives a medal of honour. When we attend to such ceremonies we can have sympathetic joy about the honour and praise others receive. It is natural that there may also be moments of jealousy or conceit while we think about ourselves and we wonder why we did not receive praise or honour. It is important to know the difference between kusala and akusala and to realize that we have accumulated a great deal of defilements.
We can have sympathetic joy not only about the happiness of people who are close to us, but even with regard to strangers. Sympathetic joy can be without limits.
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Footnote:
1. The Translator of the Atthasåliní has: derision (fun), and the Visuddhimagga has merriment. The meaning is: joy that accompanies attachment.
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Brahmavihåras VIII
Equanimity
We read in the “Atthasåliní ” about the brahmavihåra of Equanimity ((Book I, Part V, Ch XIII, Divine States, 193):
“Equanimity has the characteristic of evolving the mode of neutrality as regards beings; its function is seeing equality in beings; its manifestation is quieting both aversion and attachment; its proximate cause is seeing the heritage of the occurring kamma as ‘Beings are the property of their kamma’. By its influence they will attain to pleasure, or be free from pain, or not fall from the prosperity already acquired. Its consummation is the quieting of aversion and of attachment; its failure is the production of an unintelligent indifference which is based on the home life.”
The Brahmavihåra of equanimity is not indifferent feeling, it is the sobhana cetasika tatramajjhattatå, evenmindedness, that accompanies each kusala citta. When it is a Brahma vihåra its object is living beings.
Quoting from Acharn Sujin’s Perfections: “Unintelligent indifference means indifference based on ignorance, moha. When we have ignorance, we do not know realities as they are, and then we shall not understand kamma, which causes realities to arise as its appropriate result.
With regard to the expression about equanimity “based on the home life”, this means, based on visible object, sound, odour, flavour and tangible object, thus, the sense objects. When we see what appears through the eyes and we are indifferent, we do not seem to have attachment or aversion, but we should not believe that that is kusala. It is indifference “based on the home life” because at such moments we do not know the truth. ... There is indifference which is the near enemy of the brahmavihåra of equanimity when we do not consider what is right and what is wrong, and we do not investigate the true nature of the realities that are appearing.”
As we have seen, the Atthasåliní compares the Brahmavihåras with a baby who needs loving care, a sick child who needs compassion, an adolescent whom parents wish to continue enjoying the good things of life, and a child towards whom parents can have equanimity since is grown up and can manage his own affairs.
Parents should not try to interfere too much with the life of their child or be too anxious about him when he is grown up. The Brahmavihåra of equanimity can be applied in our socal life.
We may try to help others with loving kindness and compassion, but sometimes people are beyond help. When we meet someone who has lost his or her spouse we cannot help this person by having sorrow. When we consider that kamma brings its appropriate result, there can be conditions for equanimity instead of sorrow. We may then be able to speak the right words with true compassion and kindness. The Brahmavihåra of equanimity can also prevent us from worry and anxiety about the health of someone who is close to us. Nobody can prevent kamma from producing its result when it is the right time.
The Brahmavihåra of equanimity can also prevent us from being overly involved in other people’s lives and problems. The Buddha said that the monks should not spend too much time in the village with other people. He did not want them to be overly involved in others lest there be many akusala cittas.
The laylife is different from the monk’s life but we can apply the Vinaya in our own situation. If we are overly involved in other people’s affairs there are bound to be many akusala cittas: we may have attachment to them or we may cling to our own efforts of helping them. We may be disappointed when we cannot help them or when they do not react as we expected. We may have aversion because of other people’s contrarious behaviour or unwholesome deeds. When we remember that akusala cittas both of ourselves and others arise because defilements have been accumulated during endless lives, it will condition equanimity.
Lodewijk and I find that my old father is a source of inspiration for the development of all four brahmavihåras. When we see that his body is every day decaying more and that also his memory fails him, compassion can arise and we try to help him with loving kindness. When he enjoys seeing his garden, or others praise him, we can have sympathetic joy. However, there are also moments that his mind is very disturbed, or that he cannot sit up straight or hold his drinking cup. Then we need to develop the Brahmavihåra of equanimity: what has to happen has to happen and it all occurs because of the appropriate conditions. If we do not develop equanimity there is likely to be aversion because of unpleasant sights and smells or difficult situations.
The Brahmavihåras are most beneficial in our everyday social life, when we are with other people or thinking of other people. We think more often with akusala cittas than with kusala cittas, but the Brahmavihåras can condition kusala in action speech and thought. They can be gradually developed together with satipaììhåna so that we come to understand that kusala is not self and does not belong to us.
Acharn Sujin says at the end of her book on “Mettå”: “The Buddha said that mettå is the dhamma which is the foundation of the world, it is kusala dhamma which supports beings in the world so that they can live free from danger, free from the sorrow resulting from akusala citta which is without mettå.”
All four Brahmavihåras are essential for our social life in the world.
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