Metta (Loving Kindness)

Metta is commonly termed loving-kindness, universal love or unconditional love. Metta is defined as the sincere and genuine wish for the welfare and genuine happiness of all living beings without exception, and without any selfish motive or expectation.

This unconditional love should be extended in equal measure towards oneself, friends, foes and neutral alike. It should also be extended irrespective of country, class, race or religion and to all sentient beings.

The practice of metta is an antidote to anger, ill-will, hatred or aversion (strong dislike). When radiating metta, one must be mindful not to mistaken metta for lust or sensual attachment especially towards the opposite sex.
In exercising metta, it should be practice first towards oneself before including others. Buddhists project the thought and radiate metta by reciting “wishing all beings be happy, well and free from suffering”.
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Benefits in the practice of Metta are:

• Sleeps happily with no bad dreams and wakes happily
• Dear to both human and non-human beings
• Guarded by the gods
• Escapes the danger from fire poison and swords
• Concentrates quickly
• Clear complexion
• Dies without confusion and if one develops no further, will reach at least to brahma world. 

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