The Four Immeasurables and the Sublime States of Mind

When considering the options for my next topic, I was browsing all over the internet for a good source, but then a particular concept caught my eye: the four immeasurables in Buddhism: loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity. The reason that I was drawn to this, is in the way that they have been described as a thought which goes beyond the rational mind and your direct emotions. They are instead described as wholesome, all-encompassing thoughts that are supposed to be constantly exceeding the realm of your immediate environment and what you know well, past those places and persons, onto person's that are very far from you, and those that you do not know at all. These are the thoughts that are intended to include an immeasurable number of people. They are also intended to create within the practitioner, an immeasurable amount of warmth, and thus, meant to destroy an immeasurable amount of hatred and despair.

The writer Nyanaponika Thera, writes of two ways of practicing these immeasurables, “...there are two ways of developing the sublime states: first by practical conduct and an appropriate direction of thought; and second by methodical meditation aiming at the absorptions.” I have chosen to focus this entry around the initial: the practical conduct, and the appropriate direction of thought about these messages. This is because, I feel that in order to truly express how something such as a deep meditation about a concept has affected me, I would have to do so over a sustained period of time. Of which, I may choose to write about later.

The first immeasurable, is loving-kindness. Some have argued that this one is the most important. What is loving-kindness? It is put simply by Ven Sangye Khadro, as "...a genuine feeling of caring and respect for others. We wish them to be happy and to have whatever they need for a healthy, satisfying life...," What makes this inherently different from a normal love emotion, or an average projection of kindness, is that it is meant to include all beings. Only then, can it be considered befitting of an "immeasurable," and only then, will it actually be exceeding the confines of your average thought.

As I was looking through numerous sources, in my quest for more information about this, I felt this idea was most potently stated in the Metta Sutta. "Metta," meaning loving-kindness and "Sutta," meaning a discourse of the Buddha:

This is what should be done by one who is skilled in goodness

And who knows the path of peace:

Let them be able and upright, straightforward and gentle in speech,

Humble and not conceited, contented and easily satisfied.

Unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways.

Peaceful and calm, and wise and skilful,

not proud and demanding in nature.

Let them not do the slightest thing that the wise would later reprove. They should wish:

In gladness and in safety

May all beings be at ease.

Whatever living beings there may be,

Whether they are weak or strong, omitting none,

The great or the mighty, medium, short or small,

The seen and the unseen,

Those living near and far away,

Those born and to-be-born,

May all beings be at ease!

Let none deceive another, or despise any being in any state,

Let none through anger or ill-will wish harm upon another.

Even as a mother protects with her life her child, her only child, 
So with a boundless heart should one cherish all living beings, Radiating kindness over the entire world, 
Spreading upwards to the skies, and downwards to the depths, 
Outwards and unbounded, freed from hatred and ill-will.

Whether standing or walking, seated or lying down, 
Free from drowsiness, one should sustain this recollection.

The second immeasurable that follows this message, is compassion. We all know what compassion is, but what makes it an "immeasurable" concept? It is the wishing for all beings to be free from their suffering, beyond the people that you know. It is considered an immeasurable in Buddhism by including, not only, those people that you might not know, but also those that you may never get to know. This is what makes it different from an average amount of compassion. It is important to remember this, as the Dalai Lama has said, "Compassion and love are not mere luxuries. As the source both of inner and external peace, they are fundamental to the continued survival of our species."

The third, is sympathetic joy (sometimes called "appreciative joy"). It is the grand antidote to torrid jealousy, and a natural cure for envy. This is something that I have personally struggled with many times over, as we all want certain things that others already have.

The definition is: being happy with someone's fortune/happiness. Sympathetic joy here refers to the potential of bliss and happiness of all sentient beings, as they can all become Buddhas.

The near enemy is hypocrisy or affectation.

The opposite is jealousy, when one cannot accept the happiness of others. (Harderwijk)

The final of these ideas, is a very important lesson, called equanimity. It is the idea of treating and thinking of all other beings as your equal, without feeling indifferent toward them- even during a heated argument, and with this I agree:

It enables us to overcome bias and prejudice in our responses to others and functions as an antidote to pride and partiality. As the Buddha taught, pride often occupies center stage in the workings of the ego-self because of our inherent belief that we are more important or more valuable than others. Because of pride, we are likely to feel hostile toward those who seem to threaten our sense of importance. (Hodge)

Sarah

Works Cited

Bhikkhu, Thanissaro. "Head & Heart Together: Bringing Wisdom to the Brahma-viharas." Access to Insight. Buddhist Publication Society. 2009. Web. 29 Jan. 2013.

Harderwijk, Rudy. "The Four Immeasurables." A View on Buddhism. N.p., 27 Dec. 2012. Web. 29 Jan. 2013.

Hodge, Stephen. Zen Master Class: A Course in Zen Wisdom from Traditional Masters. Hampshire: Godsfield Press, 2002. Print.

Khadro, Ven Sangye. "Immeasurable Love." Bodhicitta. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2013.

"Metta Sutta." University of Pennsylvania Department of Linguistics. University of Pennsylvania, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2013.

"Sutta." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 29 Jan. 2013. Web. 29 Jan. 2013.

"The Four Immeasurables." Buddha Studies. BuddhaNet. 2008. Web. Jan 29. 2013.

Thera, Nyanaponika. "The Four Sublime States: Contemplations on Love, Compassion, Sympathetic Joy and Equanimity." Access to Insight. Buddhist Publication Society. 1993. Web. 29 Jan. 2013.