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Itivuttaka 27

Mettābhāvanāsutta

The Meditation on Love · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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Vuttañhetaṁ bhagavatā vuttamarahatāti me sutaṁ:

This was said by the Buddha, the Perfected One: that is what I heard.

“Yāni kānici, bhikkhave, opadhikāni puññakiriyavatthūni sabbāni tāni mettāya cetovimuttiyā kalaṁ nāgghanti soḷasiṁ.
Mettāyeva tāni cetovimutti adhiggahetvā bhāsate ca tapate ca virocati ca.

“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.

Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, yā kāci tārakarūpānaṁ pabhā sabbā tā candiyā pabhāya kalaṁ nāgghanti soḷasiṁ, candapabhāyeva tā adhiggahetvā bhāsate ca tapate ca virocati ca;
evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, yāni kānici opadhikāni puññakiriyavatthūni sabbāni tāni mettāya cetovimuttiyā kalaṁ nāgghanti soḷasiṁ, mettāyeva tāni cetovimutti adhiggahetvā bhāsate ca tapate ca virocati ca.

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.

Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, vassānaṁ pacchime māse saradasamaye viddhe vigatavalāhake deve ādicco nabhaṁ abbhussakkamāno sabbaṁ ākāsagataṁ tamagataṁ abhivihacca bhāsate ca tapate ca virocati ca;
evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, yāni kānici opadhikāni puññakiriyavatthūni sabbāni tāni mettāya cetovimuttiyā kalaṁ nāgghanti soḷasiṁ, mettāyeva tāni cetovimutti adhiggahetvā bhāsate ca tapate ca virocati ca.

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.

Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, rattiyā paccūsasamayaṁ osadhitārakā bhāsate ca tapate ca virocati ca;
evamevaṁ kho, bhikkhave, yāni kānici opadhikāni puññakiriyavatthūni sabbāni tāni mettāya cetovimuttiyā kalaṁ nāgghanti soḷasiṁ, mettāyeva tāni cetovimutti adhiggahetvā bhāsate ca tapate ca virocati cā”ti.
Etamatthaṁ bhagavā avoca.
Tatthetaṁ iti vuccati:

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:

“Yo ca mettaṁ bhāvayati,
appamāṇaṁ paṭissato;
Tanū saṁyojanā honti,
passato upadhikkhayaṁ.

“A mindful one who develops limitless love weakens the fetters, seeing the ending of attachments.

Ekampi ce pāṇamaduṭṭhacitto,
Mettāyati kusalo tena hoti;
Sabbe ca pāṇe manasānukampaṁ,
Pahūtamariyo pakaroti puññaṁ.

Loving just one creature with a hateless heart makes you a good person. Sympathetic for all creatures, a noble one creates abundant merit.

Ye sattasaṇḍaṁ pathaviṁ vijitvā,
Rājisayo yajamānānupariyagā;
Assamedhaṁ purisamedhaṁ,
Sammāpāsaṁ vājapeyyaṁ niraggaḷaṁ.

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’.

Mettassa cittassa subhāvitassa,
Kalampi te nānubhavanti soḷasiṁ;
Candappabhā tāragaṇāva sabbe.

These are not worth a sixteenth part of the mind developed with love, as starlight cannot rival the moon.

Yo na hanti na ghāteti,
na jināti na jāpaye;
Mettaṁso sabbabhūtesu,
veraṁ tassa na kenacī”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.”

Ayampi attho vutto bhagavatā, iti me sutanti.
Sattamaṁ.
Tatiyo vaggo.

This too is a matter that was spoken by the Blessed One: that is what I heard.

Tassuddānaṁ
Cittaṁ mettaṁ ubho atthe,
puñjaṁ vepullapabbataṁ;
Sampajānamusāvādo,
dānañca mettabhāvanā.

Its summary: the mind of loving-kindness, both goals, the heap, Mount Vepulla; deliberate false speech, and giving, and the development of loving-kindness.

Sattimāni ca suttāni,
purimāni ca vīsati;
Ekadhammesu suttantā,
sattavīsatisaṅgahāti.
Ekakanipāto 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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