(Back to main translation)

Downloadable pdf of Verse 9 analysis

SUTTA STUDIES - Mettā Sutta analysis

VERSE 9 = Sn 151

Analysis - VERSE 9

tittham caram nisinno vā

sayāno vā yāvat’ assa vigatamiddho

This verse continues the theme of expanding the practice of loving kindness, but now instead of describing the destination or location of the love heralded in all directions, the emphasis is upon the comportment of the meditator. Whether one is standing (tittham), walking (caram), sitting (nisinno) or lying down (sayāno), the concentrated projection of loving kindness is not to be interrupted. These four positions are said to cover the entire range of how the human body is disposed at any moment, but to remove any ambiguity the word however (yāvat) is added. Following the Foundations of Mindfulness discourse, this might be construed as further covering activities such as eating, drinking, going to the bathroom, turning around or wearing one’s clothing. In any of these cases, the meditator should or would be (assa) without (vigata) any vestage of indolence or laziness (middho).

etam satim adhittheyya

Bringing the last four verses (verses 6-9) toward a simple conclusion, and establishing the crucial link between loving kindness (mettā) meditation and insight (vipassanā) meditation, this phrase is added as a general injunction. “One should practice (or develop, or maintain, or be resolved upon, adhittheyya) this (etam) mindfulness (sati).” We might take this as saying that one should practice mindfulness of the body in the four positions, thereby reinforcing the practice of mettā, or that one should maintain mindfulness on the objects of mettā meditation while in all the bodily positions.

brahmam etam vihāram idha-m-āhu

Building upon the last statement, it is now said that this (etam) way of practicing, this way of abiding (vihāram) with the mind in a state of mindfulness and loving kindness, is said to be (āhu) a holy or divine or exhalted (brahmam) way of abiding, even for humans who are here (idha) in this world. Loving kindness and its associated states (compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity) are called the brahma vihāras (divine abidings) because they give humans on earth access to exhalted or purified states of mind that are far more common on higher planes of existence.