The Protection Of Love ( The Power Of Love - Five )

The Protection of Love Loving kindness is a powerful protection from danger ---- the external danger of violence and the internal danger of anger, jealousy , and meanness. Loving- kindness makes the mind soft and pliable , like a green branch full of sap . Without love , the mind is brittle , like a dried up branch . The Buddha's famous discourse-- The Metta Sutta was taught to a group of forest monks. When meditatingin the forest they were disturbed by tree spirits who made all manner of frightening appearance to scare them away. The Buddha urged them to practise loving-kindness towards all being , both seen and unseen. then those spirits tolerated their presence happily. The Metta Sutta is recited frequently by monks to protect people from danger. In my view, the mere recitation of Suttas is not fully effective. Since we recite the suttas in Pali , some people may not reflect well on the meaning. They will know that the sutta is about the practice of loving-kindness, but they may allow their minds to wander to other thoughts while listening to the recitation. Afterwards , they may neglect to practise loving-kindness as urged by the discourse. If so , how could they get any benefits? The benefits of medicine can be gained by taking it properly, not by reciting prescriptions, though we must admit that there might also be a placebo effect. Therefore, it would be better to take up meditation on loving-kindness properly, learning to recite the Pali formulae for oneself, while reflecting on the meaning : May I be free from ill-will. May I be free from enmity. May I be free from affliction. May I be free from suffering. May I not be parted from the good fortune I have attained. I am the owner of my kamma and must inherit its results. Then one should extend loving-kindness to the guardian deities of one's house or monastery: May the guardian deities in this house be free from anger. May they be free from enmity. May they be free from affliction. May they be happy. May they be free from suffering. May they not be parted from the good fortune they have attained. They are owners of their Kamma and will inherit its results. Next one should extend loving-kindness to one's parents teachers, relatives, and associates: May my mother and father, teachers, relatives, and associates be free from anger. May they be free from enmity. May they be free from affliction. May they be happy. May they be free from suffering. May they not be parted from the good fortune they have attained. They are owners of their Kamma and will inherit its results. Then one should extend loving-kindness to all kinds of living beings: may all sentient things , all breathing things, all beings, all persons, all individuals , all women, all men, all noble ones, all ordinary persons, all deities, all human beings , all those destined for the states of loss, be free from anger. May they be free from enmity. May they be free from affliction. May they be happy. May they be free from suffering . May they not be parted from the good fortune they have attained. All beings are the owners of their kamma and must inherit its result. Finally , extend loving-kindness in all directions: In the east ,the south, the west, the north, the south-east, the south-west, the north-west, the north- east, below and above. May all sentient things, all breathing things , all beings, all persons, all individuals, all women, all men, all noble ones, all ordinary persons, all deities, all human beings, all those destined for the states of loss, be free from anger. May they be free from enmity. May they be free from affliction. May they be happy. May they be free from suffering . May they not be parted from the good fortune. All beings every where are the owners of their kamma and will inherit its results. If practised in this way with right understanding of the law of kamma and its results, loving-kindness will be sincere, impartial, equanimous, and very effective. Having calmed and purified the mind with metta , one can more easily develop insight, which leads to nibbana. the end....