The Meditation on Love · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral
Parallels & more translations on SuttaCentral
said + indeed + this + thatVuttañhetaṁ by the Blessed Onebhagavatā said + Perfected One·they sayvuttamarahatāti by meme heardsutaṁ:
This was said by the Buddha, the Perfected One: that is what I heard.
whatever“Yāni
whatsoeverkānici,
monksbhikkhave,
worldlyopadhikāni
merit·making·groundspuññakiriyavatthūni
allsabbāni
thesetāni
by lovemettāya
heart·releasecetovimuttiyā
a partkalaṁ
are not worthnāgghanti
a sixteenth partsoḷasiṁ.
love·indeedMettāyeva
thosetāni
heart·releasecetovimutti
over·having takenadhiggahetvā
shinesbhāsate
andca
glowstapate
andca
dazzlesvirocati
andca.
“Mendicants, of all the grounds for making worldly merit, none are worth a sixteenth part of the heart’s release by love. Surpassing them, the heart’s release by love shines and glows and dazzles.
just asSeyyathāpi,
monksbhikkhave,
whateveryā
anykāci
star·formtārakarūpānaṁ
radiancepabhā
allsabbā
thattā
of the mooncandiyā
with radiancepabhāya
a fractionkalaṁ
are not worthnāgghanti
a sixteenth partsoḷasiṁ,
moon·radiance·justcandapabhāyeva
thattā
having surpassedadhiggahetvā
shinesbhāsate
andca
glowstapate
andca
dazzlesvirocati
andca;
in the same wayevamevaṁ
indeedkho,
monksbhikkhave,
whateveryāni
anykānici
worldlyopadhikāni
grounds for making meritpuññakiriyavatthūni
allsabbāni
thattāni
by lovemettāya
by heart's releasecetovimuttiyā
a fractionkalaṁ
are not worthnāgghanti
a sixteenth partsoḷasiṁ,
love·justmettāyeva
thattāni
heart's releasecetovimutti
having surpassedadhiggahetvā
shinesbhāsate
andca
glowstapate
andca
dazzlesvirocati
andca.
It’s like how the radiance of all the stars is not worth a sixteenth part of the moon’s radiance. Surpassing them, the moon’s radiance shines and glows and dazzles. In the same way, of all the grounds for making worldly merit, none are worth a sixteenth part of the heart’s release by love. Surpassing them, the heart’s release by love shines and glows and dazzles.
just asSeyyathāpi,
monksbhikkhave,
of the rainsvassānaṁ
in the lastpacchime
monthmāse
in autumnsaradasamaye
clearviddhe
free of cloudsvigatavalāhake
in the skydeve
the sunādicco
the firmamentnabhaṁ
rising upabbhussakkamāno
allsabbaṁ
in the skyākāsagataṁ
in darknesstamagataṁ
having dispelledabhivihacca
shinesbhāsate
andca
glowstapate
andca
dazzlesvirocati
andca;
in the same wayevamevaṁ
indeedkho,
monksbhikkhave,
whateveryāni
anykānici
worldlyopadhikāni
grounds for making meritpuññakiriyavatthūni
allsabbāni
thesetāni
of lovemettāya
of the heart's releasecetovimuttiyā
a partkalaṁ
are not worthnāgghanti
a sixteenthsoḷasiṁ,
love alonemettāyeva
thesetāni
heart's releasecetovimutti
having surpassedadhiggahetvā
shinesbhāsate
andca
glowstapate
andca
dazzlesvirocati
andca.
It’s like the last month of the rainy season, in autumn, when the heavens are sunny and cloudless. And as the sun is rising to the firmament, having dispelled all the darkness of space, it shines and glows and dazzles. In the same way, of all the grounds for making worldly merit, none are worth a sixteenth part of the heart’s release by love. Surpassing them, the heart’s release by love shines and glows and dazzles.
just asSeyyathāpi,
monksbhikkhave,
of the nightrattiyā
dawn·timepaccūsasamayaṁ
herb·starosadhitārakā
shinesbhāsate
andca
glowstapate
andca
intensive·shinevirocati
andca;
in the same wayevamevaṁ
indeedkho,
monksbhikkhave,
whateveryāni
anykānici
mundane·worldlyopadhikāni
merit·making·groundpuññakiriyavatthūni
allsabbāni
thesetāni
by lovemettāya
heart·releasecetovimuttiyā
a partkalaṁ
are not worthnāgghanti
a sixteenthsoḷasiṁ,
love itselfmettāyeva
thesetāni
heart·releasecetovimutti
over·surpassadhiggahetvā
shinesbhāsate
andca
glowstapate
andca
intensive·shinevirocati
andcā”ti.
this + matterEtamatthaṁ
the Blessed Onebhagavā
spokeavoca.
this + thisTatthetaṁ
it is saiditi
is saidvuccati:
It’s like how, at the crack of dawn, the morning star shines and glows and dazzles. In the same way, of all the grounds for making worldly merit, none are worth a sixteenth part of the heart’s release by love. Surpassing them, the heart’s release by love shines and glows and dazzles.” The Buddha spoke this matter. On this it is said:
whoever“Yo
andca
lovemettaṁ
developsbhāvayati,
not·measureappamāṇaṁ
mindfulpaṭissato;
thinTanū
together·fettersaṁyojanā
becomehonti,
seeingpassato
attachment·endingupadhikkhayaṁ.
“A mindful one who develops limitless love weakens the fetters, seeing the ending of attachments.
one·evenEkampi
ifce
creature·not·hatred·heartpāṇamaduṭṭhacitto,
lovesMettāyati
goodkusalo
by thattena
becomeshoti;
allSabbe
andca
creaturespāṇe
mind·sympathymanasānukampaṁ,
abundant·noblePahūtamariyo
createspakaroti
meritpuññaṁ.
Loving just one creature with a hateless heart makes you a good person. Sympathetic for all creatures, a noble one creates abundant merit.
whoYe
living being·multitudesattasaṇḍaṁ
earthpathaviṁ
having conqueredvijitvā,
king·sageRājisayo
went around sponsoring sacrificesyajamānānupariyagā;
horse·sacrificeAssamedhaṁ
human sacrificepurisamedhaṁ,
yoke-pin·castingSammāpāsaṁ
soma·drinkingvājapeyyaṁ
unimpededniraggaḷaṁ.
The royal potentates conquered this land and traveled around sponsoring sacrifices— horse sacrifice, human sacrifice, the sacrifices of the ‘casting of the yoke-pin’, the ‘royal soma drinking’, and the ‘unimpeded’.
of loving-kindnessMettassa
of mindcittassa
well·developedsubhāvitassa,
part·evenKalampi
thesete
are not worthnānubhavanti
a sixteenth part;soḷasiṁ;
moon·lightCandappabhā
star·host·liketāragaṇāva
all.sabbe.
These are not worth a sixteenth part of the mind developed with love, as starlight cannot rival the moon.
whoeverYo
notna
killshanti
notna
causes to killghāteti,
notna
conquersjināti
notna
encourages to conquerjāpaye;
with loveMettaṁso
for all living creaturessabbabhūtesu,
enmityveraṁ
for himtassa
notna
for anyonekenacī”ti.
Don’t kill or cause others to kill, don’t conquer or encourage others to conquer, with love for all living creatures— you’ll have no enmity for anyone.”
this + tooAyampi
matterattho
spokenvutto
by the Blessed Onebhagavatā,
thusiti
by meme
heardsutanti.
the seventhSattamaṁ.
the thirdTatiyo
sectionvaggo.
This too is a matter that was spoken by the Blessed One: that is what I heard.
its·summaryTassuddānaṁ
mindCittaṁ
loving-kindnessmettaṁ
bothubho
goalsatthe,
heappuñjaṁ
Vepulla·mountainvepullapabbataṁ;
deliberate·false speechSampajānamusāvādo,
giving·anddānañca
loving-kindness·developmentmettabhāvanā.
Its summary: the mind of loving-kindness, both goals, the heap, Mount Vepulla; deliberate false speech, and giving, and the development of loving-kindness.
these twenty-sevenSattimāni
andca
discourses,suttāni,
the precedingpurimāni
andca
twenty;vīsati;
on the one-dhammaEkadhammesu
discourses,suttantā,
comprised in the twenty-seven.sattavīsatisaṅgahāti.
The Book of OnesEkakanipāto
is finished.niṭṭhito.
These twenty-seven discourses, and the preceding twenty; the discourses on the one dhamma are comprised in the twenty-seven. The Book of Ones is finished.
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