Since yesterday, I’ve begun revisiting the sublime attitudes known as the Brahmavihāras in Buddhism. I first learned them in childhood, but these qualities aren’t something we master once and forget. They’re practices to return to again and again, especially as life deepens and the mind becomes more transparent to itself.
Ill-will lives in all of us in subtle forms — not only anger, but irritation, resentment, hostility, contempt, spite, jealousy (issā), stinginess born from protective fear (macchariya), harshness in thought or speech, the urge to retaliate, and even the heavy mood of inner displeasure (domanassa). These states don’t vanish simply because we understand they’re unwholesome. According to the teachings, they fall away completely only when the fetter of ill-will is cut at the stage of the Non-Returner (Anāgāmī). Until then, the work is to gradually weaken them, reduce their influence, and reshape the very habits of the heart.
The Buddha gives us several tools for this: mindfulness, wise reflection, meditation, and among them, the Brahmavihāras stand out as a direct antidote to these defilements. They are:
• Loving-kindness (mettā)
• Compassion (karuṇā)
• Sympathetic joy (muditā)
• Equanimity (upekkhā )
These four boundless attitudes cultivate a mind that is spacious, resilient, and genuinely well-wishing. They form a foundation for inner peace, moral clarity, and harmonious relationships. Practicing them is not about becoming saintly overnight — it’s about gradually transforming the emotional reflexes that keep us stuck.
Loving-kindness (mettā) softens the sharpness of anger and irritation. It trains the heart to approach others with goodwill instead of defensiveness.
Compassion (karuṇā) counters cruelty and indifference. It opens us to the reality of others’ suffering without collapsing into sorrow.
Sympathetic joy (muditā) dissolves jealousy and envy. It teaches us to rejoice in the happiness and success of others without comparing ourselves.
Equanimity (upekkhā) balances all the rest. It steadies the mind when life becomes unpredictable, helping us face gain and loss, praise and blame, joy and sorrow with a calm heart.
Cultivating these attitudes isn’t about forcing emotions. It’s about training the mind to hold itself differently — with warmth, clarity, and spaciousness. Each moment we rest in these qualities, even briefly, we weaken the old habits of ill-will and strengthen the conditions for genuine freedom.
© Dr. Tune. All rights reserved.
The Buddha's words are in the public domain; any copyright here applies only to the presentation.
Comments
Post a Comment