Любящая доброта (Метта/Майтри): Буддийское понятие и его корни

Buddhist term meaning "loving kindness"

Maitrī (Sanskrit; Pali: mettā) means benevolence, loving kindness, friendliness, amity, and active interest in others. Metta as "compassion meditation" is often practiced in Asia by broadcast chanting, wherein monks chant for the laity. The compassion and universal loving kindness concept of metta is discussed in the Metta Sutta of Buddhism, and is also found in the ancient and medieval texts of Hinduism and Jainism as metta or maitri. Small sample studies on the potential of suggest potential benefits. The term is found in this sense in the Vedic literature, such as the Shatapatha Brahmana and various early Upanishads, and Vedanga literature such as Pāṇini's Aṣṭādhyāyī 5.4.36. In Buddhist belief, this is a Brahmavihara (divine abode) or an immeasurable that leads to a meditative state by being a counter to ill will. It removes clinging to negative states of mind, by cultivating kindness unto all beings. The "far enemy" of mettā is hate or ill will, a mind state in obvious opposition. The "near enemy" (quality which superficially resembles mettā but is in fact more subtly in opposition to it), is attachment (greed): here too one likes experiencing a virtue, but for the wrong reason.

In the Pāli Canon, the term metta appears in many texts such as the Kakacupama Sutta and Karaniya Metta Sutta. Other canonical materials, such as in the Paṭisambhidāmagga, elaborate on it as a practice. Yet other canonical sources, such as the Abhidhamma, underline the key role of benevolence in the development of wholesome karma for better rebirths. can also be found in several other canonical discourses.

Metta or lovingkindness here, states Harvey, is a heartfelt aspiration for the happiness of all beings. It is different from "lack of ill will", and more an antidote to fear and hatred. It is the precept to conquer anger by kindness, conquer the liar by truth, conquer the stingy by giving, and conquer evil by good, says Harvey.

Mettā is found in pre Buddhist Vedic Sanskrit texts as Maitrī, Maitra, and Mitra, which are derived from the ancient root Mid (love). Similarly, the term appears in hymn 55 of Book 19 of the Atharvaveda, and various Upanishads. A major early Upanishad of Hinduism, named Maitri Upanishad, discusses universal kindness and amity. The Maitri Upanishad, states Martin Wiltshire, provides the philosophical underpinning, by asserting, "what one thinks, that one becomes, this is the eternal mystery". This idea, adds Wiltshire, reflects the assumption in the ancient thought that one influences one's own environment and situation, causality is equitable, and "good volitional acts conduce pleasant situations, while bad volitional acts conduce unpleasant situations". The Maitri Upanishad teaches, states Juan Mascaró, that peace begins in one's own mind, in one's longing for truth, in looking within, and that "a quietness of mind overcomes good and evil works, and in quietness the soul is one: then one feels the joy of eternity." The Isha Upanishad similarly discusses universal amity and loving kindness, but without the term mettā. These teachings of universal maitri influenced Mahatma Gandhi. In Jainism, Yogabindu – the 6th century yoga text by Haribhadra – uses the Sanskrit word maitri in verses 402–404, in the sense of loving kindness towards all living beings.

Some pilot research studies on the effect of mettā meditation indicate an increase in positive emotions for practitioners. In particular, an immediate impact on positive emotions after practice as well as a long term effect could be shown, though these effects might not hold true for everybody. Compassion meditation, a Science Daily article states, may reduce inflammatory and behavioral responses to stress that have been linked to depression and a number of medical illnesses. Mettā meditation is a central practice within mindfulness based pain management (MBPM), the effectiveness of which has been supported by a range of studies.

A 2015 meta analysis, synthesizing various high quality experiments on loving kindness meditation, found a medium sized[quantify] improvement to daily positive emotion, with meditation on the loving kindness aspect of mettā having a greater effect than practices with a focus on compassion. The length of time meditating did not affect the magnitude of positive impact of the practice. In a 2014 review of multiple studies, Galante et al. reach a similar conclusion, stating "results were inconclusive for some outcomes, in particular against active controls; the methodological quality of the reports was low to moderate; results suffered from imprecision due to wide CIs (confidence intervals) deriving from small studies" and that "the kindness meditation methods show evidence of individual and community benefits through its effects on their well being and social interaction".