The Four Sublime States and The Practice of Loving- Kindness (Metta‪)‬

This booklet contains two essays: The Four Sublime States: Contemplations on Love, Compassion, Sympathetic Joy, and Equanimity by Nyanaponika Thera and The Practice of Loving-Kindness (Mettā): As Taught by the Buddha in the Pali Canon by Ñāṇamoli Thera.

The “four sublime states,” known as the Brahma-vihāras, are the lofty mental states of love, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity. Ven. Nyanaponika gives us a brief description of all four with a section of contemplation exercises for each. He closes with a section on the interrelationship of all four.

Ven. Ñāṇamoli’s essay focuses on the basic Brahma-vihāra of mettā, translating for us in his usual lucid style the key passages from the Pali Canon in which the Buddha taught the practice of mettā.