Abhidhamma in Daily Life (by Ashin Janakabhivamsa)

by Ashin Janakabhivamsa | 66,666 words

English translation of "Abhidhamma in Daily Life" by Professor Ko Lay. Revised by Sayadaw U Silananda, International Theravada Buddhist Missionary University, Yangon, 1999...

Upekkha is equanimity or even-mindedness on all beings (In Abhidhamma texts, upekkha is referred to as tatramajjhattata cetasaka.

Upekkha is unlike loving-kindness for there is no love involved; it is unlike sympathetic joy for there is no gladness; it is unlike anger, for there is no hatred or malice. It dwells on the fact that kamma brings about good or bad consequences accordingly. The these of upekkha is kamma Saka - One’s own action are one’s assets.

But today we often use this word upekkha concerning naughty children or pupils. That means, people remain indifferent to the welfare of their children or pupils whether they behave well or not. It amounts to sheer neglect of duties. In the case of upekkha, the persons concerned are taken into consideration with an unbiased mind free from extremes of love and hate. Upekkha can occur in the mind of ordinary people. But jhana upekkha can be attained only after the mastery of the three fore runners namely mettá, karuna and Mudita.

The Four Divine States of Mind (The Four Brahavihara)

Mettá (loving-kindness), karuna (pity), Mudita (sympathetic joy), upekkha (equanimity) are collectively called the Four Brahmavihara, the four states of minds. [Brahma = divine and vihara = living].

Therefore in the noble practice of Brahmavihara, one has to anchor his mind and action on one of the four divine states. Living such a life is not arid with the heat of hatred, envy and jealousy. It is a life steeped in and imbued with the four Brahmavihara.

In Myanmar such noble states of mind are collectively classified as brahmaco (saturated and filled with divine thoughts). But some say the word brahmaco is derived from the Pali word Brahmacariya.

Developing Mettá

Keep your mind incessantly occupied with mettá and you will really develop mettá for all. In other words mettá must be developed so that your mind becomes enriched with loving-kindness.

Transmitting Mettá

When you radiate mettá directed to someone while concentrating your thoughts on that person and wishing: “May so and so be prosperous,” your mettá will communicate with the person on the receiving end. It happens as if your mettá has reached that person’s mind. Therefore when you transmit mettá directly to someone, people today say you “send mettá to someone.”

The Common Mode Of Sending Mettá

Recite (in Pali), “Sabbe satta avera hontu, Abyapajja hontu, Anigha hontu, Sukhi attanam pariharantu.” This means:

  1. May all beings be free from danger.
  2. May all beings be free from domanassa (mental suffering) and have peace of mind.
  3. May all beings be free from physical sufferings and be well.
  4. May all beings be prosperous and maintain themselves to live a long life.

Effective Sending Of Mettá

Only when you earnestly wish the well-being of someone or some beings can we say that mettá has been radiated properly. If you just say, “Avera hontu” by rote learning with a wandering mind and without concentration, then you are not sending mettá as you intend to do. It is better therefore to recite in one’s own vernacular rather than in Pali so that you really comprehend what you are uttering. You should mention a person by name when you send mettá;

For example: “May my mother be free from dangers and difficulties; may she attain mental and physical happiness; may she be in good health and may she live long.”

You should say these words with great enthusiasm and sincerity. The same holds true for your father, teacher, etc. In the case of mettá for all living beings also you replace 'my mother' with 'all living beings.'

In short, you can just recite: “May my mother be free from danger and may she be well.” “May my father be…” “May my teacher be…” The only essential point is to have keen interest and enthusiasm for their welfare, peace and progress.

How to Send Karuna

Karuna cetasika means loving compassion for all beings suffering from misery. The essence is the sincere wish to deliver them from their present and future woes. Therefore in propagating karuna people recite in Pali: “Dukkha muccantu” which means, “May one overcome prevailing woes”. Real karuna is the profound wish for others to be free from sufferings and come to prosperity. Wishing “May so and so die quickly” so as to bring his suffering to a quick end is not true karuna. It amounts to byapada ducarita (unwholesome mind tainted with worry).

How to Send Mudita

Mudita is sympathetic joy (altruistic joy) at the success, prosperity and achievements of others. It is the sincere wish to let others continue enjoying their wealth, position, progress, happiness, fame and so on. To send Mudita, one should recite wittingly: “Yathaladdha sampattiyo mavigacchantu” which means, “May they continue to possess success, happiness they have achieved” and radiate sympathetic joy when you witness the well-being of a person. A mere recitation of Pali words does not constitute real Mudita.

How to Send Upekkha

Upekkha is equanimity, which is viewing rightly and having no partiality. To send upekkha is to reflect, “one’s only asset is kamma whether good or bad; it determines the consequences, pleasant or miserable.”

The main concept is that even if you sincerely wish someone to be rich, his past and present kamma is the real deciding factor; similarly even if you feel sincere pity for a person, only his kamma will save him from his troubles. Irrespective of your sympathetic joy and equanimity, his own fate is sculptured by his kamma. Hence kamma Saka are not your worry.

Note:

These Four Divine States of mind, the four Brahmaviharas have different projections. Mettá projects loving-kindness and affection on all living beings. Karuna projects pity and compassion on beings suffering from misery. Mudita will take successful beings as its objects and project sympathetic joy. Upekkha views all beings as subjects to kamma, and projects equanimity on them.

Therefore it should be noted that one couldn’t project four Brahmacariya at the same time onto all beings onto a single person. When you wish to radiate mettá thought-waves, you ought to recite the four lines: “Avera hontu pariharantu…” or either Myanmar version with great concentration of mind.

Similarly you can project karuna onto suffering beings in Pali or in Myanmar. Merely uttering Pali verses without understanding is meaning or with no sincere wish will not be effective. Perfunctory rituals are common among Buddhists nowadays. Therefore pious and faithful are duty bound to put more emphasis on setting good examples for the new generation to emulate.

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