There's
a Pali word, a very important Buddhist word: Metta.
Metta can be
translated as loving kindness, benevolence, friendliness, goodwill,
active interest.
Speaking
of metta, Bhikkhu Bodhi says: “Once one has learned to kindle the
feeling of metta towards oneself, the next step is to extend it to
others. The extension of metta hinges on a shift in the sense of
identity, on expanding the sense of identity beyond its ordinary
confines and learning to identify with others. The shift is purely
psychological in method, entirely free from theological and
metaphysical postulates, such as that of a universal self immanent in
all beings.
“The
procedure starts with oneself. If we look into our own mind, we find
that the basic urge of our being is the wish to be happy and free
from suffering. Now, as soon as we see this in ourselves, we can
immediately understand that all living beings share the same basic
wish. All want to be well, happy, and secure.
“To
develop metta towards others, what is to be done is to imaginatively
share their own innate wish for happiness.
“We
use our own desire for happiness as the key, experience this desire
as the basic urge of others, then come back to our own position and
extend to them the wish that they may achieve their ultimate
objective, that they may be well and happy.”
