Karuna/metta sought

[Jan Filipsky]

Dear Netters,
I wonder if any of the Buddhologists on the list could exercise his/her
karuna and metta
and provide me with a textual reference to the following extract:

"In a recommended meditation exercise, the meditator is asked to pervade the
four directions
successively with thought charged with friendliness, compassion, sympathetic
joy, and
impartiality by considering all beings as one considers oneself and by
having thought that
by being large, sublime, immesurable, generous, and nonviolent, pervades the
whole universe."
Cited by Narayan Champawat, Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama), in: Ian P. McGreal
(ed.),  Great Thinkers of the Eastern World, Harper Collins, New York 1995,
p. 165.
The wording doesn't sound very clear to me - especially the part "by having
thought that by being
large... pervades" seems ambiguous in the subject. Who or what "pervades the
universe", the
meditator or his thought? Maybe the Pali text would sound better. Can
anybody help?
Gratefully Yours, J.F.
Jan Filipsky, Oriental Institute, Pod vodarenskou vezi 4, 182 08  Praha 8
phone 004202 6605 3729
e-mail <filipsky at orient.cas.cz>
private: U Pentlovky 466/7, 181 00 Praha 8 - Troja
phone 004202 855 74 53