Cattāri Brahmavihārā

After listening to a talk by one of the monks at Abhayagiri on the way he practices metta I can’t away with two things that I have been experimenting with in my own practice: the idea of not getting to send out metta and the realization that metta doesn’t have to feel good to be effective.

At first glance these two ideas may seem contradictory because when you bring the object of your metta in to your heart it feels as if you’re actually concentrating and strengthening the metta and, thereby, experiencing more warmth and peace. But, since we only work on the causes and are advised to let the effects look after themselves it is only an apparent contradiction.