1 00:00:01,718 --> 00:00:04,783 Jesse asks, how important is metta meditation? 2 00:00:04,823 --> 00:00:07,388 It's not something I've done often. 3 00:00:07,448 --> 00:00:09,952 I'm not even certain I know how to do it correctly. 4 00:00:16,082 --> 00:00:24,216 It is very important because metta is very important for this world. 5 00:00:25,917 --> 00:00:39,837 It is something that for somebody being on the Buddhist path or practicing the Buddhist teaching should be developed. 6 00:00:43,782 --> 00:00:44,483 We can 7 00:00:45,712 --> 00:01:14,892 practice metta either as a separate metta meditation or included in our meditation of vipassana by examining the mind by making sure that it arises from time to time and 8 00:01:18,432 --> 00:01:36,711 I think Bhante has a very good talk on that, how and when metta meditation should be done and can be done. 9 00:01:41,467 --> 00:01:51,578 And maybe he wants to say more on that later, but for your question, yes it is very important. 10 00:01:57,093 --> 00:02:09,691 If you want a really good discussion or explanation of all four of the Brahma Viharas, Mahasi Sayadaw did a book on the Brahma Viharas, so you can look him up. 11 00:02:10,713 --> 00:02:16,281 I can never recommend anything more than Mahasi Sayadaw's teaching, so I would recommend looking up that book. 12 00:02:16,301 --> 00:02:20,828 It's quite a big volume and it actually gives detailed instructions on how to develop loving-kindness. 13 00:02:21,749 --> 00:02:24,433 I guess he was asked these questions as well, and so he had to... 14 00:02:24,413 --> 00:02:25,174 come up with it. 15 00:02:25,194 --> 00:02:27,578 But I think he's quite clear about putting it in its place. 16 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:35,610 There's, as I said just before this, that there's two ways of understanding it. 17 00:02:35,670 --> 00:02:45,865 One, you can use it as, and Palanjani said basically the same thing, you can use it as a support for your meditation or you can use it to develop 18 00:02:47,414 --> 00:02:56,429 jhana to develop samatha tranquility meditation, but the latter should be done with a qualified teacher who's going to lead you through that, lead you to the jhanas. 19 00:02:57,630 --> 00:02:59,013 Does metta lead to the jhanas? 20 00:02:59,373 --> 00:03:00,074 I can't remember. 21 00:03:03,059 --> 00:03:05,323 Yeah, metta leads to the first three jhanas. 22 00:03:07,106 --> 00:03:07,887 So... 23 00:03:09,638 --> 00:03:10,479 I would recommend it. 24 00:03:10,660 --> 00:03:13,144 We often do it after our meditation practice. 25 00:03:13,645 --> 00:03:15,187 So after you finish your practice you can do it. 26 00:03:15,207 --> 00:03:19,114 You can also do it before your practice to clear up some thoughts. 27 00:03:19,134 --> 00:03:22,099 You can also do it during your practice when you get angry about someone. 28 00:03:22,119 --> 00:03:25,966 You can make a determination when you're really frustrated about someone. 29 00:03:25,986 --> 00:03:29,031 You can make a determination to set your mind straight. 30 00:03:29,011 --> 00:03:31,033 Is that what I was talking about in the talk? 31 00:03:31,053 --> 00:03:37,681 That metta actually has a benefit not just of developing love, but about straightening out your mind. 32 00:03:38,082 --> 00:03:39,583 Because you have a misunderstanding. 33 00:03:39,643 --> 00:03:42,827 You have this crookedness in your mind. 34 00:03:43,468 --> 00:03:48,093 And so it's helping you to realize that's not the correct way to relate to people. 35 00:03:48,634 --> 00:03:52,118 Not just to give up the anger, but to give up the delusion as well. 36 00:03:52,639 --> 00:03:57,364 The delusion which says this person is bad and so on. 37 00:03:57,344 --> 00:04:08,561 When you send metta, you realize you develop right view, the right view that what is proper is for all beings to be happy and so on. 38 00:04:08,842 --> 00:04:12,547 So you're not just developing love, you're also developing right view, which is quite useful. 39 00:04:12,587 --> 00:04:16,433 This is the same with focusing on the ugly parts of the body. 40 00:04:16,453 --> 00:04:20,820 It doesn't just give up lust, it gives up wrong view, the wrong view that this body is 41 00:04:20,800 --> 00:04:21,762 is beautiful. 42 00:04:21,782 --> 00:04:29,274 The wrong view that gives rise to lust, that says that lust is good and so on, or attachment to the body is good. 43 00:04:32,298 --> 00:04:36,986 I think there is a talk, but it's probably hard to find because I wasn't naming them back during those talks. 44 00:04:38,488 --> 00:04:39,930 It's on the audio page. 45 00:04:41,413 --> 00:04:42,815 Yeah, I wanted to mention that. 46 00:04:43,096 --> 00:04:46,040 It was an audio talk, not a video talk. 47 00:04:46,060 --> 00:04:47,803 I'm trying to find it and name it. 48 00:04:48,188 --> 00:05:14,483 And the other thing I wanted to mention is that when you do it after the meditation practice, that you want to add some metta meditation or before you start your vipassana meditation, I would recommend to make a clear break, not to confuse both parts. 49 00:05:15,880 --> 00:05:28,185 I clearly know now I'm starting metta meditation and getting out of the mental noting. 50 00:05:29,448 --> 00:05:46,545 what you can do in and and and send out matter then what you can do in your daily life is that you can when you become aware through your mindfulness that you have 51 00:05:46,525 --> 00:06:08,685 throughout the day and you know that you don't have metta or that you know that you are angry or upset or hurt or whatever, you can direct your mind towards metta for yourself or for another being. 52 00:06:10,049 --> 00:06:17,079 That can be done without making a break in whatever you are doing. 53 00:06:17,640 --> 00:06:26,772 But when you do it before or after the vipassana meditation with the noting, then you should make a clear break in your mind. 54 00:06:27,333 --> 00:06:33,161 Sumedha asked me, how do we note when we are practicing loving-kindness meditation? 55 00:06:33,181 --> 00:06:35,905 What is the noting that we do? 56 00:06:38,450 --> 00:06:42,317 But I think at one point you were asking me how we do it and trying to figure it out. 57 00:06:43,580 --> 00:06:45,102 That's what I remember anyway. 58 00:06:46,163 --> 00:06:49,426 So yeah, the point was that you don't have to know. 59 00:06:49,466 --> 00:06:51,728 But I think you could. 60 00:06:52,689 --> 00:07:05,362 Just like when you're giving a Dhamma talk, when you're teaching, when I'm speaking right now, I can be mindful of the, you know, I'm not bragging about myself, but it's possible that when you're talking, to be mindful of the movements of your lips. 61 00:07:05,503 --> 00:07:09,807 It's possible that when you're giving, when you're practicing metta meditation, 62 00:07:09,787 --> 00:07:15,954 to suddenly switch to vipassana and watch the feelings and be mindful of them. 63 00:07:16,215 --> 00:07:18,017 But it's not the point of metta meditation. 64 00:07:19,118 --> 00:07:32,554 Mahasi Sayadaw was explaining when you're giving a gift, some people will say the only way to give a gift is to say moving, moving, placing, you know, when you give alms to the monks. 65 00:07:32,534 --> 00:07:35,337 scooping, raising, placing. 66 00:07:35,357 --> 00:07:36,338 And he said, that's not the point. 67 00:07:36,358 --> 00:07:42,626 When someone gives a gift, they want to make a determination to be born in heaven and so on, to get rich and so on or whatever. 68 00:07:43,547 --> 00:07:49,093 He was saying to make a determination. 69 00:07:49,153 --> 00:07:56,482 Like in the olden times, in the stories in ancient times, monks who became enlightened did it because they made a determination. 70 00:07:56,502 --> 00:07:57,343 They gave a gift 71 00:07:57,323 --> 00:08:03,049 And then they made a determination, may I become enlightened based on this gift or so on. 72 00:08:04,830 --> 00:08:08,234 And at the time when you're making the determination, it shouldn't be with mindfulness. 73 00:08:08,294 --> 00:08:17,983 It should be with full intention that this is for this person and for the benefit of my own mind that I may become free from suffering. 74 00:08:18,043 --> 00:08:21,887 So you're in the conceptual realm and it's a conceptual practice. 75 00:08:22,067 --> 00:08:23,649 Giving is a conceptual practice. 76 00:08:24,510 --> 00:08:26,672 And 77 00:08:26,652 --> 00:08:29,475 Menta is a conceptual practice. 78 00:08:29,495 --> 00:08:31,017 So during that time you practice menta. 79 00:08:31,558 --> 00:08:33,320 In the end all you need is vipassana. 80 00:08:33,641 --> 00:08:38,426 But the point is that we live in a conceptual reality most of the time. 81 00:08:38,907 --> 00:08:45,976 And so to come to terms with those concepts, to allow us to develop in vipassana meditation, you have to use... No audio? 82 00:08:46,416 --> 00:08:51,302 You have to use... No audio? 83 00:08:51,442 --> 00:08:52,103 No video? 84 00:08:54,732 --> 00:08:55,356 Yeah, that's okay. 85 00:08:55,376 --> 00:08:56,825 I mean, this is recording the audio. 86 00:08:56,845 --> 00:08:59,159 There's no problem. 87 00:09:00,045 --> 00:09:01,111 So anyway, that's fine. 88 00:09:01,151 --> 00:09:01,755 That's all for now.