Mettā

Loving-kindness, goodwill, universal benevolence. Mettā (Pāli, equivalent to maitrī in Sanskrit) is the first of the four divine abodes (brahmavihārā).

Mettā is not romantic love nor conditioned affection. It is the genuine wish for all beings to be well, without exception or preference. It begins with oneself, extends to loved ones, to neutrals, to the difficult, to all without distinction.

The classic practice of mettā bhāvanā (cultivation of loving-kindness) uses phrases: “May I be happy. May all beings be happy.” Not self-suggestion; systematic training of the heart’s direction.

In the Dhammapada: na hi verena verāni — “hatred never ceases with hatred; it ceases with non-hatred, that is the eternal law.” Mettā is the direct antidote to dosa (aversion) and the foundation of sīla (ethical conduct).

In Patañjali’s yoga, maitrī appears in YS 1.33 as practice to stabilize the mind: cultivating friendship toward the happy, compassion toward the suffering, joy toward the virtuous, equanimity toward the vicious.