Good-Will in the Metta Sutta - This is What Should be Done

Good-Will

Good-will cures ill-will. Simple. Most will agree with this, as it seems logical enough. So far so good.

Except what does that actually mean in lived experience, day to day, in ordinary life as we go about our business in a world ablaze with greed, anger, and delusion?

Sometimes such optimistic ideas sound fine and dandy in theory, but how do they actually stand to make a meaningful difference in the world?

Let’s try to break it down.

The Metta Sutta

First, how about we go to the source. Although but one of many means of implementing good-will, the Buddhist paradigm is the one most accessible to us as writers given first-hand experience in this area. We are by far most familiar with mettā or loving-kindness meditation but certainly invite your reflections in the comments section about complementary practices that invoke good-will.

Let’s take a look at the Buddha’s own words on good-will and loving-kindness from the “Metta Sutta” as featured in Sutta Nipāta 1.8 of the Pāli Canon.

We draw from the Amaravati Sangha’s English translation due to its prosody when chanted. As with any text, checking out multiple alternative translations can prove extremely helpful.

Recall that the backstory to the “Metta Sutta” entailed a simmering conflict in the woods between forest-dwelling monks and a group of tree spirits who called the wilderness home. Confronted with the wrath of these spirits, the monks were on edge and could not meditate. The Buddha instructs the monks to cultivate good-will in order to allay their fears. The spirits symbolically stand for these fears within the minds of the monks.

In instructing these meditators, the Buddha begins with an exhortation.

This is What Should be Done

Setting the stage for the entire discourse, the "Metta Sutta" begins with a call to action.

This is what should be done
By one who is skilled in goodness,
And who knows the path of peace:

This is what should be done. Got it. The Buddha is about to lay it all out. Yet the lines that follow may feel exclusive. While these instructions can initially seem restricted to those already good and peaceful, as if these were the only people in the intended audience, let’s extend the same invitation to anyone who aspires toward goodness and peace, even if these qualities are latent in the mind, even if such people may not even actively reflect on peace or goodness at all. Here we have practically the whole world being invited to bear witness. Everyone is capable of becoming skilled in goodness with practice and may know the path of peace if willing to venture along it. Why not give it a shot?

The next segment begins to flesh out good-will, bringing it to life.

Let them be able and upright,
Straightforward and gentle in speech,
Humble and not conceited,
Contented and easily satisfied,
Unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways.

Here we go. A list of qualities. We could even call them character traits. All of them paint a portrait of a renunciant of some form or another, one who renounces such fires, poisons, or unwholesome roots as greed, anger, and delusion. Rather than indulge these fiery, poisonous weeds, the contemplative cultivates virtues. In such a way, they are able and upright. Able and upright to do what? To walk the path.

Peaceful and calm and wise and skillful,
Not proud or demanding in nature.
Let them not do the slightest thing
That the wise would later reprove.

Who are the wise? Anyone who can clearly see cause and effect, knowing which actions lead to suffering and which actions lead to freedom.



This applies whether such wise people are religious or spiritual or not. So long as their conduct reflects an understanding of which courses of action cause suffering and which courses of action lead to freedom, they may be considered wise. Look to them as exemplars, but don’t feel obligated to mimic them in every way. This is a simple set of checks and balances. Exercise your own discernment, but don’t be arrogant in assuming you’re automatically right in every case, hands down, no exceptions. There’s a lot we may learn from others. Keep a discerning eye open to assess who may be taken as a role model, a mentor, or a source of inspiration.

May All Beings Be At Ease

So what next? The Buddha says:

Wishing: In gladness and in safety,
May all beings be at ease.

Here we are called to cultivate an attitude of good-will, wishing all beings wellness. Such an attitude can take shape as the aspiration to help others, something accessible to us all. Just as you wish not to suffer, so do others. This attitude may also take the forms of the wish to provide protection, to nurture, or a simple instance of respect. In supporting these qualities, good-will or loving-kindness can guide society towards well-being at both the individual and collective levels.



You may wonder... How does this work? The act of wishing others happiness may not seem like much. However, this seemingly small act can have a wide impact in our social interactions. Given that metta means universal friendliness, the next time a person does something else we perceive as an offense, we can perhaps exercise the restraint to not curse them nor try to take revenge. At minimum, try to let go and move on. Even if we can’t extend good-will to them in the heat of the moment, at least avoid spreading ill-will, especially given that it poisons our own minds from the inside out.

Whatever living beings there may be;
Whether they are weak or strong, omitting none,
The great or the mighty, medium, short or small,
The seen and the unseen,
Those living near and far away,
Those born and to-be-born —
May all beings be at ease!

Not to sound trite, but it may seem like the Buddha here is acknowledging that we come in all shapes and sizes. Yes, but there’s more to it than that. Good-will includes everyone, no matter the external distinctions that seem to set us apart. No one is excluded. Whether the drunk elephant Nāḷāgiri or invisible tree spirits, a baby or an ant, one’s best friend or one’s worst enemy, may all beings at ease. Naturally, we form preferences and might choose to prioritize people we know and love, but eventually, all are included within metta’s scope.



In response to such optimistic inclusivity, the skeptic might pose a “so what?” He might further retort, “Are you comparing a baby to an ant? Why should I care about an ant? That’s not going to solve anything.” Perhaps not, but breaking down the boundaries between beings stands a chance.



Good-will breaks down the boundaries between categories and allows for the transcending of personal preferences. We’re not suggesting that everyone should give it all up and enter the forest as wandering recluses chanting, “May all beings be at ease” day in and day out. What we're proposing is actually far more immediately accessible than that.

Friends and Enemies

Sure, categories like “friend,” “enemy,” etc. are useful, practical, convenient - but only to an extent. They’re means toward various ends, not ends in themselves. When we reify categories (“friend,” “enemy,” etc.) we bestow them with power they did not have until we gave it to them. Living in society, such tendencies toward reification are reinforced at every turn. Again, they have their utility. Yet these categories are not as fixed as they may seem to be. Likewise with the supposed boundaries between self and other. Gradually dissolving those boundaries and softening their blunt edges can, at the very least, lead to a more easeful existence.

Let none deceive another,
Or despise any being in any state.
Let none through anger or ill-will
Wish harm upon another.

As we dissolve the boundaries, there’s no sense in deceiving or despising anyone. How could we indulge anger or ill-will? The Golden Rule comes to mind. Treat others as you wish to be treated. How could we wish them harm? Doing so 1.) doesn't work - we see them continue to have a good time which makes us even more resentful, and 2.) poisons our own minds. Let the fire fizzle out rather than fan its flames.

Even as a mother protects with her life
Her child, her only child,
So with a boundless heart
Should one cherish all living beings;

Good-will is the natural warmth a mother feels for her child. Such good-will should be extended to all.



However, this natural warmth is often obscured by the poisons of greed, anger, and delusion. Even some mothers neglect to care for their children, for various reasons. Hence the need to actively cultivate such qualities of care until we can wholeheartedly share good-will without restriction.

Radiating kindness over the entire world:
Spreading upwards to the skies,
And downwards to the depths;
Outwards and unbounded,
Freed from hatred and ill-will.

Metta, good-will, or loving-kindness is without boundaries. This is conveyed by the image of a mother who loves her child unconditionally. So too an individual may cultivate good-will for the entire world. This limitless love towards all beings is something that we may train to extend universally.

You may wonder if this is realistic. There are some beings who resist love and might even view a person’s love with suspicion. In extreme cases, wishing good-will to others might even be perceived as weird or freakish and could provoke someone who is already upset. What would you do in this case?



Obviously, the Buddha did not advocate walking around with a giant grin on one’s face saying to each passerby, “May you be at ease.” That’s too coarse and might raise a few eyebrows. Rather, one may embody such a sentiment in subtler ways.

A skillful alternative is to wish all beings well inwardly without the need to create a show of it. Prodding them incessantly with metta is not going to help. A subtler approach would reduce discomfort for the other party. For instance, even refraining from adding fuel to the fire is an expression of good-will. When someone is upset, don't do further damage. If someone is yelling at you, don't yell back. If someone is insulting you, don't insult them back. Don't feed the cycle. This is among the simplest yet most underrated approaches.

Ultimately, the Buddha says that we will all have to resolve our own problems and cannot depend on others to do the work for us. We may offer assistance, but there’s no use in forcing it if it only makes matters worse. In extending good-will to others, there’s no need to get up in everyone’s face and make it so obvious. If it’s genuine, then it will make an impact, even from afar.

Sublime Abiding

As we near the conclusion of Metta Sutta's description of the practice, let's reflect on the mode in which such cultivation of good-will can be undertaken.

Whether standing or walking, seated or lying down
Free from drowsiness,
One should sustain this recollection.
This is said to be the sublime abiding.

Every mode, not merely sitting in meditation, is fair game.

When cultivating metta, the Buddha suggests that we should be present and attentive. Only when we are free from drowsiness are we then able to sustain the practice. This is crucial. With such presence and attentiveness, we will keep in mind our reasons for cultivating good-will or loving-kindness. The chances of losing track of our purpose or intention drop precipitously.



Our cultivation of good-will is not for personal gain or advantage but for the sake of genuinely extending it to all beings without any expectation of reward in return. Thus, this is said to be sublime abiding. Instead of remaining short-sighted in our practice, we broaden our scope to an all-inclusive awareness.

By not holding to fixed views,
The pure-hearted one, having clarity of vision,
Being freed from all sense desires,
Is not born again into this world.

Again, is this even realistic? Can any of us actually claim to know someone like this, much less embody this ourselves? And wait, what’s this about not being born again into this world?

Let’s try to broaden the scope. While this teaching was spoken in the presence of a specific audience with a particular understanding of the world we may not all share, the wider meaning can be drawn out as follows.



“By not holding to fixed views” refers to freedom from stubborn attachment to one’s own version of “the way things are.” Try to see from more than one angle, or at least be open to hearing out other perspectives. Perhaps there's unity to be found in plurality, common ground amidst diversity.

“The pure-hearted one, having clarity of vision” refers to virtue and wisdom. One whose heart is pure is a person of virtuous character, who does what they can to avoid causing harm to others, instead supporting their well-being. One whose vision is clear can see things as they are, without distortion. Such seeing is unobscured by greed, anger, and delusion. When we’re angry, for instance, this colors the way we see the world. Instead, we can choose to train in seeing the world unfiltered.

“Being freed from all sense desires” refers to the capacity to exercise restraint. We don’t have to gouge our eyes out or cut off our tongue to do so. Simply examine desires as they arise and try not to act on impulse. The spaciousness that comes out of this ability to pause and reflect naturally lends itself to ease in body and mind.

“Is not born again into this world,” broadly interpreted, can be taken to mean one is no longer subject to this cycle of ups and downs. Ordinarily, we are thrown about by this cycle, lacking a foothold. We are like a shipwreck at sea blown about by gusts, with no say where we'll wash ashore, battered and bruised. There's no need to remain stuck here. Instead, we may access an unblemished evenness of mind, equanimity amidst the raging storm. Perhaps our good-will may even provide shelter to other sea-farers stranded in the churning ocean.

This equanimity is the real meaning of ease.