Maitrī Bhāvanā
Deliberately wishing well, to yourself, a loved one, a stranger, a difficult person, everyone; until the wishing stops being an effort.
How to practise
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Sit comfortably; recall someone you love easily and vividly.
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Silently repeat, feeling, not reciting; "may you be happy, may you be well, may you be safe."
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Direct the same phrases to yourself; then to a neutral person; then to someone difficult.
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Let the circles widen, your street, your city, all beings everywhere.
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End by resting in whatever warmth has gathered, however faint.
Effects & fruits
- Softens chronic irritation and resentment at the root
- The Yoga Sūtras name maitrī as one of the four attitudes that purify the mind (1.33)
- Warms a meditation practice that has gone dry and mechanical
- Trainable, the heart's attention strengthens like any other
Precautions
- Beginning with oneself is hardest for many, start with someone easy if so
- For the difficult person, choose mildly difficult first; forgiveness is gradual
- Strong grief may surface; let it, gently, and keep the phrases simple
In the tradition
Patañjali and the Buddha, a few centuries apart, prescribe the same medicine: the mind is purified by practised friendship. The Sūtra lists it with compassion, joy and equanimity; the Mettā Sutta unfolds it into an unbounded warmth “as a mother protects her only child”. Neither promises it will be easy, only that it can be trained.
Sources & further reading
- Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali , Patañjali (sūtra 1.33, friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the sorrowful)
- Mettā Sutta , the Buddha (Sutta Nipāta 1.8)