Karuna/metta sought

[Roland Steiner]

On 15 May 98 at 10:45, Jan Filipsky wrote:

> 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."

Cf., e.g., Majjhimanikaaya I.38.20-30 (PTS ed.):
So mettaasahagatena cetasaa eka.m disa.m pharitvaa viharati, tathaa
dutiya.m, tathaa tatiya.m, tathaa catutthi.m, iti uddham-adho
tiriya.m sabbadhi sabbatthataaya sabbaavanta.m loka.m
mettaasahagatena cetasaa vipulena mahaggatena appamaa.nena averena
abyaabajjhena pharitvaa viharati. Karu.naasahagatena cetasaa -- pe --
muditaasahagatena cetasaa -- upekhaasahagatena cetasaa eka.m disa.m
pharitvaa viharati, tathaa dutiya.m, tathaa tatiya.m, tathaa
catutthi.m, iti uddha.m-adho tiriya.m sabbadhi sabbatthataaya
sabbaavanta.m loka.m upekkhaasahagatena cetasaa vipulena mahaggatena
appamaa.nena averena abyaabajjhena pharitvaa viharati.

> 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?
The relevant passage has to be translated: "... he pervades the whole
world with a heart (cetasaa) that is connected with friendship
(etc.), that [= the heart] is extensive (or wide, vipula),
enlarged (or great, mahaggata), immeasurable (appamaa.na), without
hostility (avera), invulnerable (abyaabajjha)."

Regards,
Roland Steiner

--
Dr. Roland Steiner
Fachgebiet Indologie, FB 11 der Philipps-Universitaet
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