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The Pāli word mettā is a multi-significant term meaning loving kindness, friendliness, goodwill, benevolence, fellowship, amity, concord, inoffensiveness and non-violence. The Pāli commentators define mettā as the strong wish for the welfare and happiness of others (parahita-parasukha-karaṇa). Essentially mettā is an altruistic attitude of love and
... See moreAcariya Buddharakkhita • Metta: The Philosophy and Practice of Universal Love
The word for loving-kindness in Sanskrit is maitri. Maitri is also translated as unconditional friendliness. So each time you say to yourself “thinking,” you are cultivating that unconditional friendliness toward whatever arises in your mind.
Pema Chodron • When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times (Shambhala Classics)
. This word derives from another word meaning
“friend,” but metta signifies much more than ordinary friendliness. I prefer to translate it by the compound “loving-kindness,” which best captures the intended sense: an intense feeling of selfless love for other beings radiating outwards as a heartfelt concern for their well-being and happiness.
Bhikkhu Bodhi • The Noble Eightfold Path
But loving-kindness—maitri—toward ourselves doesn’t mean getting rid of anything. Maitri means that we can still be crazy, we can still be angry. We can still be timid or jealous or full of feelings of unworthiness. Meditation practice isn’t about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better. It’s about befriending who we are already.
... See morePema Chodron • Comfortable with Uncertainty: 108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion
The word metta is derived from another word, mitta, which means “friend.” Mitta also means “sun.” We depend on the sun’s warmth to survive, and we rely on loving friendship to thrive. Accordingly, my own preferred translation of metta is “loving-friendliness”
Henepola Gunaratana • Loving-Kindness in Plain English: The Practice of Metta
But loving-kindness—maitri—toward ourselves doesn’t mean getting rid of anything. Maitri means that we can still be crazy, we can still be angry. We can still be timid or jealous or full of feelings of unworthiness. Meditation practice isn’t about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better. It’s about befriending who we are already.
... See morePema Chodron • Comfortable with Uncertainty: 108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion
Metta is defined as a state of loving-kindness and refers to the practice of cultivating a vibrational state and tendency of benevolence, friendliness, goodwill, and a genuine concern for all.