Have you wondered what
are the ingredients of happiness in Buddhism?
To have a rewarding
relationship with people, we need to cultivate the Four Immeasurables.
The Buddha taught the
following to his son Rahula the Four Immeasurables:
“Rahula, practice loving-kindness to overcome anger. Loving kindness has the
capacity to bring happiness to others without demanding anything in return.
Practice compassion to overcome cruelty. Compassion has the
capacity to remove the suffering of others without expecting anything in
return.
Practice sympathetic
joy to overcome hatred.
Sympathetic joy arises when one rejoices over the happiness of others and
wishes others well-being and success.
Practice non-attachment to overcome prejudice. Non-attachment is the
way of looking at all things openly and equally. This is because that is.
Myself and others are not separate. Do not reject one thing only to chase after
another.
I call these the Four Immeasurables. Practice them and you will become a refreshing source of vitality and happiness for others.”
I call these the Four Immeasurables. Practice them and you will become a refreshing source of vitality and happiness for others.”
– Thich Nhat
Hahn in “Old Path White Clouds”
The Four Immeasurables
(四无量心/四梵行)
The Four
Immeasurables, also known as Brahmaviharas (literally means “the abodes of the
Brahma”) is one of the Buddha’s teachings to cultivate the “Heart-ware”.
What are the Four
Immeasurables? They are:
- Benevolence or Loving-Kindness
- Compassion
- Joy or Empathetic Joy
- Non-attachment or Equanimity
Benevolence or
Loving-kindness (Pali: Metta, Sanskrit: Maitri, Chinese: 慈)
Benevolence is an
expression of love and kindness. It means willingness to extend a helping hand,
a listening ear, and a shoulder to lean on for those in need of help. All these
actions are done for the purpose of wanting others to be happy.
True love is unconditional;
it takes tremendous amount of courage and acceptance to express love and
kindness.
Benevolence and
loving-kindness is devoid of attachment. It is not a selfish possession as in a
relationship between men and women, husband and wife, parents and children.
There is no expectation of return for the kindness rendered to another person.
Everything is done for the happiness and welfare of others.
The spirit of kindness
and benevolence is generosity. Giving is the essence of love. Whenever we are
giving – be it a smile, a word of encouragement, our presence to be there for
someone, a gift or souvenir etc – our loving-kindness radiates from our heart.
The nemesis of
benevolence is ego, selfishness, anger.
The future Buddha,
Maitreya Buddha, is a Buddha that embodies the spirit of benevolence and
loving-kindness. The Sanskrit word “Maitri” means kindness and friendship.
“He will be the next
Buddha
with the name
Maitreya,
who will broadly save
all living beings
in numbers beyond
measure.” (Lotus Sutra 1: 4.36)
Compassion (Pali/Sanskrit: Karuna, Chinese: 悲)
The spirit of
compassion lies in alleviating and removing suffering. Empathy is also an
expression of compassion. This is because by putting yourself in the shoes of
others, you are able to vicariously empathize the pain experienced with people.
What is the difference
between compassion and benevolence? While benevolence is giving something
“desirable”, compassion is uprooting something that is “undesirable”.
The essence of the
spirit of bodhisattva is compassion. This is because Buddhism is a teaching of
eliminating suffering in 2 ways: first, ending the cycles of birth and death;
second, attaining Buddhahood.
The nemesis of
compassion is cruelty, hatred, and despotic.
Bodhisattva
Avalokitesvara, or Guan Yin, is the embodiment of compassion. The divine
salvation of Guan Yin stems from her boundless compassion for all living
beings.
“O Infinite Intention!
Bodhisattva Avalokitasvara possesses such mighty divine powers so as to bring
benefits to many people. Hence, living beings should always keep him in mind.” (Lotus Sutra
25: 1.10)
Joy (Pāli and Sanskrit: mudita, Chinese: 喜)
Joy, or empathetic
joy, is a state of exuberance arising from a heart that celebrates the success
and happiness of others.
Happiness is the art
of gratitude and appreciation. We have the eyes to spot all kinds of beauty
around us, be it people or the environment. This is a joy that stems from
appreciation and thankfulness.
When we see the
happiness and success of people, we feel happy for them. When we see luxuriant
trees and blooming flowers in nature, we also experience an uplifting sense of
buoyancy. This is what it means by Empathetic Joy.
The nemesis of
Empathetic Joy is resentment, envy, jealousy, and hypocrisy.
In The Vows of
Bodhisattva Universal Worthy Sutra, one of the ten vows practiced by a
bodhisattva is “Rejoicing in the Merits of Others.”
In the Lotus Sutra,
those who experience spontaneous joy upon hearing the Buddha’s teaching is able
to attain Buddhahood and spread the Dharma widely.
The Buddha replied to
Bodhisattva-Mahasattva Maitreya: “O Ajita! After the parinirvana of the Buddha,
if there are monks and nuns, lay male disciples, and lay female disciples, as
well as other wise people—be they old or young—who respond with spontaneous joy
upon hearing the Lotus Sutra, they will be able to spread the joy of the Law to
their parents, relatives, good friends, and acquaintances according to their
levels of understanding after they have left the assembly to other places such
as monasteries, secluded places, cities, streets, hamlets, or villages. Those
who hear the Law from them will, in turn, respond with spontaneous joy and they
will continue to share the teachings with others. In the same way, the rest of
the others who hear the teachings will also, in turn, respond with spontaneous
joy and share with yet many others until the fiftieth person.” (Lotus Sutra
18: 1.2)
Non-Attachment or
Equanimity (Pali: Upekkha,
Sanskrit: Upeksa, Chinese: 舍)
Non-Attachment is
relinquishment, or letting go, of discrimination to result in a sense of peace
and equanimity.
People practice
forgiveness because they want to let go of resentment, hurt, or grievances.
Forgiveness is the antidote of attachment to the past.
Wise people are able
to look beyond the mere notions of good and bad, right and wrong, to experience
a sense of freedom. They know that nothing in the world is completely good or
bad because it is always a shades of grey. Attachment to the discrimination
between right and wrong, good and bad, results in delusions and suffering.
The nemesis of
non-attachment is apathy and prejudice.
By cultivating
detachment, letting go, and relinquishment, one will be able to understand the
meaning of “Emptiness” as expounded by the Buddha in the Heart Sutra, Diamond
Sutra, Vimalakirti Sutra, and the Threefold Lotus Sutra.
The Buddha replied: “O
virtuous men! This single doctrine is known as the Immeasurable Meanings. If
any bodhisattvas wish to practice and learn the Immeasurable Meanings, then
they should observe and perceive that all realities are originally―from the
beginning and continue to be―empty and tranquil in nature and aspect; there is
neither large nor small, neither birth nor death, neither abiding nor moving,
neither advancing nor retreating, just an empty space with no dualism.
Nevertheless, living
beings make misleading judgment by differentiating between this or that, gain
or loss, thereby giving rise to unsavory thoughts that result in a host of evil
actions. Transmigrating within the six paths of existence, they have undergone
numerous pains and bitter suffering without ever being able to escape for
immeasurable millions of kalpas.”
(Immeasurable Meanings Sutra 2: 1.6 – 1.7)
Source : Lotus-Happiness.com by Minerva Lee
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