RECOMMENDED DAILY Metta PRACTICE

[Jundo]

May I deeply and honestly practice the four Bodhisattva vows and atonement with magnanimity, love, and joy

May I be humble and kind today

May I lend a hand today

...

Those are really good affirmations, Tom!

I am going to look at them more closely, and maybe we can even make something like this part of our recommended daily Liturgy practice. Lovely!

RECOMMENDED 'At Home' Liturgy

https://www.treeleaf.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?193-RECOMMENDED-At-Home-Liturgy

Gassho, Jundo

STLah

[Jundo]

Some interesting insights on Metta from a scholar's paper. First, on definition of the word itself:

In the text Atthasālinī, Buddhaghosa explains the meaning of the word mettā using the example of the verb “mejjati” ... , which means “love” or “like.” He also defines friendship as mettā. Thus, mettā is a term that can have various meanings such as friendship, goodwill, fellowship, harmony, non-aggression, and non-violence. This is described in the Suttanipāta and the Khuddaka-pātha: “May all beings be happy and secure; may they be inwardly happy!”

He contrasts Metta, loving-kindness, in Buddhism with Compassion (Karuna) in Buddhism:

In the Theravāda commentaries, “loving-kindness” is explained in contrast to “compassion” (karunā):

“In order to ‘make [sentient beings] happy’, the desire to bring [to one’s fellow man] that which is beneficial and good is loving-kindness.”

“‘Oh! Indeed, may [sentient beings] be free from suffering’; therefore, the desire to remove strife and sorrow [from fellow humans’ lives] is compassion.”

In the Mahayana, we might say that Compassion is the desire for others to have insight into Emptiness, and thus to be free of the basic existential suffering of "Dukkha," while Metta is more for their earthly and bodily health and happiness.

Also, it is not wrong from one to wish Metta to oneself, but attitude matters:

Here we can see clearly that loving-kindness is “neighborly love” or “true love for others.” However, the Buddha teaches that in order to love others, you must love yourself first. In other words, while the Buddha acknowledges instinctive self-love, he teaches that in order to truly benefit oneself, one must not harm other beings. ... This kind of love for a neighbor or true love for others actually begins with attakāma or atta-piya, which means “self-love.” Self-love is often confused with selfishness, individualism, and narcissism, but in fact, it is extremely natural and not bad at all. If a human being does not have a loving heart, he cannot survive the harsh natural environment or face the fierce competition for survival. Rather, self-love enables survival, reproduction, and human cultural development. Thus, biologically and socially, self-love is essential. However, if your love turns to selfishness that simply loves only the self and does not care for others, it becomes a problem.

from: Self-Immolation in Early Indian Buddhism by KIM HAN-SANG
https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/...eself%20ablaze.

Gassho, J

STLah

[WorkerB]

b.
st

[Shoshin]

Would it be a terrible unorthodoxy and a "sacrilege" to compose some music for the Metta verses and to sing it in different places?
The idea is to teach it, to make it easier to remember and to inspire people that are not familiar with it to start using it.
Does the idea have unbearable wowo "new-agey" vibes?
Likewise, what about eventually composing music for poems written by zen masters?

Gassho,
Ester
Satlah

[Jundo]

Would it be a terrible unorthodoxy and a "sacrilege" to compose some music for the Metta verses and to sing it in different places?
The idea is to teach it, to make it easier to remember and to inspire people that are not familiar with it to start using it.
Does the idea have unbearable wowo "new-agey" vibes?
Likewise, what about eventually composing music for poems written by zen masters?

Gassho,
Ester
Satlah

I feel that others have done so in Asia, and I don't see why not. Here is a version by the Chinese-Malaysian composer Imee Ooi. The do a much more detailed, longer chant than we do, and our tends to emphasize "contentment" rather than "happiness" ...

Here is another version, by a monk from Sri Lanka, Bhante Indarathana
.

Gassho, J
stlah

[Shoshin]

I feel that others have done so in Asia, and I don't see why not. Here is a version by the Chinese-Malaysian composer Imee Ooi. The do a much more detailed, longer chant than we do, and our tends to emphasize "contentment" rather than "happiness" ...

Here is another version, by a monk from Sri Lanka, Bhante Indarathana
.

Gassho, J
stlah

Thanks!!
Gassho,
Ester
Satlah

[ssalamena]

Hello friends,
I like to practice metta after zazen, for some reason the only way it works for me is if I chant a mantra, as this helps me to generate loving kindness for myself and then for others. I like Om Mani Padme Hum, as it relates to the Bodhisattva of Compassion.
Is there an equivalent mantra in Japanese Buddhism I could use?
I hope this doesn't sound frivolous, I know that it doesn't matter what technique we use as long as our heart is in the right place, however I wonder if there is any Japanese mantra I could chant, to make me feel closer to this beautiful tradition?
Thank you.

Gassho
Stefano
Sat/lah

[Jundo]

Hello friends,
I like to practice metta after zazen, for some reason the only way it works for me is if I chant a mantra, as this helps me to generate loving kindness for myself and then for others. I like Om Mani Padme Hum, as it relates to the Bodhisattva of Compassion.
Is there an equivalent mantra in Japanese Buddhism I could use?
I hope this sounds frivolous, I know that it doesn't matter what technique we use as long as our heart is in the right place, however I wonder if there is any Japanese mantra I could chant, to make me feel closer to this beautiful tradition?
Thank you.

Gassho
Stefano
Sat/lah

Hmmm. I generally do not undertake practice Mantra here, so please make your own. The Mantra itself has no power other than what you give to it. So, please make some poetic words which say what you wish to say, and that will be a powerful Mantra.

If the sounds have no meaning, and are just sounds, then it is just a magical incantation, and I do not encourage that here.

There are some in Soto Zen, but my teacher rejected such things, and so do I. One is this one.

https://www.sotozen.com/eng/practice/sutra/pdf/01/02.pdf

Nobody can say what it means, it is some obscure Indian dialect via Chinese pronounced a Japanese way ... and is just "abracadabra." So, I would make your own Mantra that speaks to your heart.

Gassho, Jundo
stlah

[ssalamena]

Hmmm. I generally do not undertake practice Mantra here, so please make your own. The Mantra itself has no power other than what you give to it. So, please make some poetic words which say what you wish to say, and that will be a powerful Mantra.

If the sounds have no meaning, and are just sounds, then it is just a magical incantation, and I do not encourage that here.

There are some in Soto Zen, but my teacher rejected such things, and so do I. One is this one.

https://www.sotozen.com/eng/practice/sutra/pdf/01/02.pdf

Nobody can say what it means, it is some obscure Indian dialect via Chinese pronounced a Japanese way ... and is just "abracadabra." So, I would make your own Mantra that speaks to your heart.

Gassho, Jundo
stlah

Thank you very much for the advice
Definitely not interested in mantras as incantations.
I will think of something that speaks to my heart.

Gassho
Stefano
sat/lah

[DaveSumner]

My downstairs neighbor knocked on my door today, we don’t really know each other, but he asked me if I could help him jumpstart his car and as I was sitting in my car waiting for his battery to charge I thought “ok I’m lending a hand”

[Maro]

Hi Frank,

There is a ton of wisdom packed into Jundo's simple advice.

If I may add something about Metta: it seems to be often forgotten, or minimized, but Metta always begins with the self. This is not greedy. It is a recognition that we are not set apart, the beginning of accepting that the barriers we set between ourselves and others are false. Cultivating compassion for oneself is cultivating compassion for all beings. Plant those seeds, care for them well, and they will grow.



Maybe this question is the whispering of the heart, a natural movement toward wholeness.

May I be free of suffering; may I feel safe and still.
May I be free of enmity; may I be loving, grateful and kind.
May I be healthy and at ease in all my ills.
May I be at peace, embracing all conditions of life.

Gassho
Byōkan
sat + lah

[Maro]

I am often amazed when I hear practitioners worrying that metta or compassion towards this suffering self, will intensify the grasping on the self.

sat/lah
Gassho
Maro