THE SUBLIME ATTITUDES
MAIN CONTENT
The Sublime Attitudes
A STUDY GUIDE
ON THE BRAHMAVIHĀRAS
Prepared by
Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu
Copyright
copyright 2014 ṭhānissaro bhikkhu
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonComercial 3.0 Unported. To see a copy of this license visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/. “Comercial” shall mean any sale, whether for commercial or non-profit purposes or entities.
questions about this book may be addressed to:
Metta Forest Monastery
Valley Center, CA 92082-1409
U.S.A.
additional resources
More Dhamma talks, books and translations by Thanissaro Bhikkhu are available to download in digital audio and various ebook formats at dhammatalks.org and accesstoinsight.org.
printed copy
A paperback copy of this book is available free of charge. To request one write to: Book Request, Metta Forest Monastery, PO Box 1409, Valley Center, CA 92082 USA.
Contents
- Copyright
- Introduction
- I : Head & Heart Together
- II : In the Context of Right View
- III : seven misunderstandings
- Misunderstanding # 1: Mettā means love or lovingkindness.
- Misunderstanding # 2: The practice of the brahmavihāras is a form of prayer.
- Misunderstanding # 3: Mettā is best expressed by acts of uncritical tenderness.
- Misunderstanding # 4: The brahmavihāras are part of the innate nature of the human heart.
- Misunderstanding # 5: Other people deserve our mettā, either because of their own innate goodness or because we are all one.
- Misunderstanding # 6: The brahmavihāras are purely heart qualities, needing no input from the analytical mind.
- Misunderstanding # 7: The brahmavihāras are, in themselves, a complete path to awakening.
- Readings
- 1. Mettā Defined
- 2. Prayer vs. Resolve
- 3. Mettā in Words & Deeds
- 4. The Nature of the Heart & Mind
- 5. Motivation for the Brahmavihāras
- 6. Fabricating Skillful Mind States
- Antidotes to Anger & Ill Will
- Antidotes to Partiality
- 7. Further Practice
- Glossary
- Abbreviations
