Date: 10 June 2011 Time: 8:30 pm to 10:00 pm Venue: Reclining Buddha Shrine Hall Sri Lankaramaya Buddhist Temple Singapore
Kiccho manussapaṭilābho, Kicchaṃ macchāna jīvitaṃ, Kicchaṃ saddhammasavanaṃ, Kiccho buddhānaṃ uppādo. It is difficult to secure birth as a human being, difficult is the life of mortals, difficult it is to hear the good doctrine, and difficult is the birth of Buddhas. Dhammapada Verse 182
Synopsis
Some teach: ‘Be good and do good, You will be born in heaven, After your death’. Buddhism says: ‘Develop the four divine abodes, You will experience divine bliss, In this life itself’’ A Brahmin student Subha approached the Buddha and said, “Master Gotama, I have heard that the ascetic Gotama teaches the path to the company of Brahma. It would be good if Master Gotama could teach me the path to the company of Brahma.”
The Buddha advised him to practise the four divine abodes so as to be born in the Brahma world. Buddhism teaches: Divine nature is inherently in the human mind, If human beings cultivate the four divine abodes, The earth will be transformed into a divine world.
What are these four divine abodes? How can we practise them in our daily life? What are the great benefits of practising them?
Sabbapāpassa akaraṇaṃ, Kusalassa upasampadā, Sacittapariyodapanaṃ, Etaṃ buddhāna sāsanaṃ. The Buddha’s teaching is: “abstain from doing all evil, cultivate virtue and purify your mind.'' Dhammapada Verse 183
This topic is related to the subject of making merits, the wellbeing and happiness of this life, the well-being and happiness of the next life, and finally achieving perfect enlightenment or Nibbāna. Before dwelling further, we have to understand what the four divine abodes are. In the Buddhist Schools of Theravāda, Mahayana or Vajrayāna, they all uphold the four great virtuous qualities of (in Pāḷi) Mettā, Karuṇā, Muditā and Upekkhā.
These are known as the four divine abodes: Brahmavihārā. All the Buddhist Schools proclaim it, practise it and make it well known.
Mettā
Mettā means loving-kindness. The “love” does not mean love in the ordinary sense of the word, because love between human beings that we are used to are rooted in lust, greed, hatred, delusion, jealousy, ill-will, anger, ignorance and many other defilements. Here, “Mettā” means love which does not contain any greed, hatred, delusion, lust or other defilements and is cultivated based on wisdom, compassion, goodwill and beneficial thoughts. It is the pure unconditional wish and love for all living beings to be happy and well. It is one of the ten perfections that even Bodhisattvas, Pacceka Buddhas and Arahants should cultivate to become.
There are ten perfections that a Bodhisattva should cultivate along the way in order to become a perfectly enlightened Buddha. Mettā needs to be cultivated because it is the base for all the virtuous qualities.
Karuṇā
Karuṇā means Compassion. Many people cannot differentiate between Mettā and Karuṇā. Mettā is the wish for all sentient beings to be well and happy, whereas Karuṇā is the wish for all sentient beings to be released from sufferings and pain. Buddha explained, “Paradukkhe sati sādhunam hadayaṃ kampanaṃ karotīti karunā”. Positive emotions and thoughts in the heart of a good person will make one take actions to relieve pain of those beings undergoing various sufferings. Thus Karuṇā is the wish to eradicate sufferings from those beings undergoing various calamities.
Karuṇā is one of the great virtuous qualities, because it is Karuṇā that makes the difference between a great Bodhisattva from other Bodhisattvas. Compassion is a quality which makes one cultivate great virtuous qualities to become a perfectly enlightened Buddha in order to help others rid of sufferings. When Sakyamuni was a Bodhisattva as Ascetic Sumedha, he came across the Buddha Dīpankara and at that moment, he could have attained Enlightenment.
He had all the favourable conditions, but he renounced it out of great compassion towards all living beings. He wished, “I too want to become a perfectly enlightened Buddha and do a great service to the world to relieve suffering”. This is compassion.
Muditā
Muditā is Appreciative Joy. When you see others having more pleasurable and favourable conditions in their lives, the positive happiness that arises in your mind is termed as Muditā. It is the rejoicing over the happiness of other people. As it is a quality which is difficult to many, it needs to be cultivated.
Upekkhā
Upekkhā means Equanimity. Equanimity means a well balanced mind. It is the positive thoughts which arise in your mind, to consider each and every living being as equal. When one cultivates Equanimity, he considers all the living beings as equal. He does not divide and discriminate. He or she cultivates boundless love and compassion and appreciative joy and put all the living beings in equal ways. A person who cultivates Equanimity will be able to face all calamities with perfect Equanimity. Equanimity is also one of the ten Perfections and seven factors of enlightenment that a Bodhisattva needs to cultivate before attaining Nibbāna. When a meditator achieved mental concentration especially at the 3rd and 4th Jhanic level, he or she would have cultivated the Factor of Equanimity. Equanimity is very important as it is the last factor of enlightenment.
Mettā, Karuṇā, Muditā and Upekkhā are known as the four divine abodes. These are four qualities of the mind: Loving Kindness, Compassion, Appreciative Joy and Equanimity.
Why are they known as divine abodes?
There are some who believe that God take them to heaven and various sacrifices (including human and animal sacrifices) are made to go to heaven. However, Buddhism upholds a different view because Buddhism believes in the four great qualities and the human mind’s potential divine nature. If one aspires to be born in heaven, one should take action and responsibility to cultivate these great qualities. These great qualities, once developed, cultivated and perfected, will enable one to be born in the divine world.
One day, a Brahmin student, Subha approached the Buddha and he wanted to know how to be born in heaven. He said, “Venerable Sir, I have heard that Master Gotama knows the path, the way to be born in the Brahma world. It will be good if Master Gotama can teach me the way to be born in Brahma world.” The word “Brahma” means a higher divine realm. From the Buddhist point of view, there are 31 realms of existence. Out of the 31 realms of existence, 20 realms are considered as Brahma realms. There are fine material realms and immaterial realms.
Buddha then replied, “Cultivate the four divine abodes: Mettā, Karuṇā, Muditā and Upekkhā. Once you cultivate these four (qualities), you will be born in these higher divine realms.” There is another reason why the four great qualities are known as the divine abodes. The history of human kind has seen many wars and battles being fought. Even so, there are still religious and racial discrimination, terrorism and wars in many parts of the world today. All these are due to greed, hatred and delusion. If human kind was to cultivate Loving Kindness, Compassion, Appreciative Joy and Equanimity, there will be respect, acceptance, forgiveness and compassion for one another, leading to peace and harmony in a divine world. Buddha highlighted the importance of cultivating the four great qualities so we can experience divine bliss here and now, without needing to wait for our lives to end in order to be born in heaven.
Appamañña is another word given for the four divine abodes, which are also known as the Four Immeasurables. These 4 great qualities are to be cultivated and radiated towards all the living beings in the universe without any barrier, limit, denomination and restriction. That is why they are known as Immeasurables. There are other religions that teach the above qualities mentioned but on certain conditions. Some radiate love and compassion but only to their own religious members. In the name of religion, they can go to the extent of killing other beings outside the religious order.
To them, this is considered a way to be reborn in Heaven. Some radiate boundless love towards human beings but exclude animals as they consider animals unworthy to receive boundless love and compassion. Sometimes, they do not hesitate to kill animals for sacrifice and sport. However, Buddhism teaches all to cultivate the four great qualities without limit and barrier. In one of the songs of Mettā in this shrine, there is a word called “Sabbe Pāna”. Pana means living things such as trees and plants. Buddhism recognises that we are all inter-related and interdependent.
Having understood this, Buddhism encourages all to radiate love, compassion, appreciative joy and equanimity not only to living beings, but to living things like “Sabbe Pāna”. You may have heard of the Karanīya Metta Sutta: Yē kēci pānabhūtatthi13 - Whatever living beings are there, Tasā va thāvarā vā anavasēsā - -Those who are strong, those who are weak, those living beings who are moving, those who are situated in one place (in the sea, there are plant life which are grounded in one place and they are also considered as living organism).
Then, Dīghā vā ye mahantā vā; Majjhimā rassakānukathūlā - Those living beings that have various shapes or bodies, those with long bodies, those with stouts, those who that are medium sized, those who are short, and those who are kānuka which means tiny living beings which can only be seen through special instruments.
The huge type of living beings - thūlā. Diṭṭhā vā yēva addiṭṭhā - Those beings that can be seen, those who cannot be seen Yē ca dūre vasanti avidūre - those who live near or far Bhūtā vā sambhavesi vā - Those beings who are born and those waiting to be born
Why do we practise the four great qualities?
1. The purpose of following the teachings of the Buddha is to be a perfectly enlightened human being. To achieve such a state, we need to cultivate our brain and heart. The brain requires cultivation of intelligence, understanding, reasoning and wisdom while the heart requires the cultivation of Loving-Kindness, Compassion, Appreciative Joy and Equanimity – which are the four great virtuous qualities. So, what Buddhism holds in Enlightenment or Nibbāna is the ultimate cultivation of the brain and heart. In other words, cultivation of Karuṇā and Paññā. Karuṇā symbolises the heart qualities, while Paññā symbolises the brain. The cultivation in totality, when achieved at its maximum, is what we call Nibbāna.
2. Cultivation of the four divine abodes achieves right thought, or Sammā-Sankappa Sammā-Sankappa is one of the factors in the Noble Eight-Fold Path, which is the path to attain Enlightenment. This path is divided into 3 categories; Morality, Mental Discipline (or Concentration) and Wisdom. When Loving-Kindness, Compassion, Appreciative Joy and Equanimity are cultivated, one is cultivating Sammā Saṇkappa– Right Thought.
Right Thought is further categorised into 3 areas: (a) nekkhamma saṅkappa - Thoughts of Renunciation: Letting go of grudges and evils; (b) abyāpāda saṅkappa - Thoughts of Loving-kindness: Non-hatred and love; (c) avihimsā saṅkappa - Thoughts of Compassion: Noncruelty and non-violence.
3. Cultivating the Four Divine Abodes is the base for Kusala Kamma, or skilful action. Through the Four Divine Abodes or Four Immeasurables, skilful actions arise which reduce and weaken greed, hatred and delusion. On the day these defilements are eradicated from the mind, Enlightenment is attained.
4. Puñña Kamma. What is Puñña Kamma? Puñña Kamma means meritorious deeds. When one is full of great love, compassion, appreciative joy and equanimity, all actions and speech are considered wholesome because thoughts are the roots of all words and deeds. When the thoughts become pure, luminous, powerful actions always produce wholesome kammic energies. These wholesome kammic energies known as merits will be required for all as long as we are stuck in this cycle of existence.
When one cultivates love, compassion, appreciative joy and equanimity, one experiences happiness. As we are all inter-related and inter-dependent, when you are happy, you make another happy. On top of these benefits, these divine abodes will create the way to be born in the divine realms. Practising the Four Divine Abodes is a strong antidote to negative, unwholesome thoughts in our mind. For example, Mettā reduces hatred while bringing happiness. Karunā or Compassion reduces cruelty. Muditā or Appreciative Joy weakens jealousy. Equanimity encourages a strong mental will and healthy mind so one can be stoic and deal with any calamities in life.
Buddha said, “Yathindakhīlo pathavim sitō siyā14“. Just like a strong and solid pillar which is rooted deep in earth, those who cultivate these great qualities are not shaken by any mishaps in life.
How can we practise these qualities in everyday life?
The Four Immeasurables are also known as Bhāvanā, or meditation. But the word Bhāvanā is misunderstood by most, as it does not mean meditation in a sitting position. The Pāḷi term Bhāvanā means cultivation, or development. Instead, Bhāvanā or cultivating the mind can be done in any posture, and sitting is only one of them:
Tiṭṭham caram nisinnō vā15 Sayānō vā yāvatassa vigatamiddho Buddha explained - Tiṭṭham : While standing; caram : While walking; nisinnō vā : While sitting; Sayānō vā : While lying down yāvatassa vigatamiddho : As long as you are not sleeping, you can practise these Four Immeasurables
Although we may be very busy with our lives, there are still many ways to practise. We can cultivate the Four Immeasurables anytime, anywhere and in any position and this can be done while on the way to work, walking or waiting for something or someone. It is not necessary to come to the temple for such practise. Instead of brooding over the past or speculating the future, why don’t you use these times to cultivate your mind? Even one minute of practise of these Four Immeasurables will bring lots of benefits in your life. You can use this practice especially when negative and evil thoughts arise in the mind.
For example, you happen to see someone that you have aversion to, and hatred arises in your mind. At that moment, if you are mindful, you will be aware that hatred cannot do any good. It makes one suffer and bring unhappiness, sorrow and lamentation. Instead of developing hatred, you produce a thought of loving-kindness. That person did what he did because of his ignorance, so why should you be angry and bear the grudge? Instead, wish him well and happy. It may be difficult in the beginning but eventually, you will overcome it. When you see someone which causes jealously to arise in your mind, instead of cultivating jealousy, take the opportunity to radiate appreciative joy - that is to rejoice over the happiness of others.
When you see certain people and if cruelty arises, then radiate compassion. In our everyday life, although we helped many people in many ways, we may not have been mindful. If you can cultivate your daily actions and words when interacting with anyone, associate them with thoughts of loving-kindness, compassion, appreciative joy and equanimity. This will generate merits. If you are someone who has the time for cultivation through sitting meditation, that will be very helpful. However, if there is no time, you can still practise these Four Immeasurables through the ways described above. By practising as such, we benefit a great deal. I will now summarise what I have talked about today.
Summary
What are the Four Divine Abodes? i. Great Love (Loving Kindness) – Mettā; ii. Great Compassion – Karuṇā; iii. Appreciative Joy – Muditā and iv. Equanimity – Upekkhā
Why are they known as Four Divine Abodes? Buddhism maintained that divine nature is inherently in the human mind. Humans need to cultivate these divine qualities, in order to be born in divine realms. If everyone cultivates in the same way, the world will become a divine world. Why are these qualities known as The Four Immeasurables? In Buddhism, there are no restrictions when it comes to these great qualities.
In Buddhism, these four qualities are to be cultivated and radiated without any limit, restriction and barrier. What are the benefits of cultivating these great qualities? In order to become perfectly enlightened, we have to cultivate Right Thought or Sammā Sankappa, one of the factors of the Noble Eighfold Path. When you cultivate these qualities, you are producing the base for Kusala Kamma – skilful actions and Puñña Kamma – merits. As you cultivate, you are happy here and now, and you make people around you happy too.
You may be born in heaven after this life. The practice is also a strong antidote to evil and unwholesome thoughts which are rooted in greed, hatred and delusion.
How do we practise it? The practice can be done in daily life at any time, place and posture at every opportunity.
Selected Dhamma Talks in 2011 by Venerable K. Rathanasara Sri Lankaramaya Buddhist Temple 30C, St. Michael Road Singapore 328002