The Four Immeasurables

In response to a question in yesterday's class, here's some more information about the "Four Immeasurables".

• They are enumerated by the Buddha in the Kalama Sutta. From the excerpt below, you can see why they are called "immeasurable".
• They are defined in the Glossary of Pali and Buddhist Terms at Access To Insight as the brahma-vihara, the four "sublime" or "divine abodes" described as qualities in which to "enter and remain" in Buddha's Warning Label:
  1. mettā: Loving-kindness; goodwill.
     [See John 15:9-13; 1 Corinthians 13]
  2. karuṇā: Compassion; sympathy; the aspiration to find a way to be truly helpful to oneself and others.
     [See Matthew 25:34-40]
  3. muditā: Appreciative/sympathetic joy. Taking delight in one's own goodness and that of others.
     [See Philippians 4:4]
  4. upekkhā: Equanimity.
     [See John 14:27]
• The lam rim will have a lot more to tell us about why and how to "enter and remain" in these qualities.

"In my Father's house are many abodes....
Those who love me will keep my word,
and my Father will love them,
and we will come to them and make our abode with them."
-- John 14: 1,23

"Now, Kalamas, one who is a disciple of the noble ones — thus devoid of greed, devoid of ill will, undeluded, alert, & resolute — keeps pervading the first direction [the east] — as well as the second direction, the third, & the fourth — with an awareness imbued with good will. Thus he keeps pervading above, below, & all around, everywhere & in every respect the all-encompassing cosmos with an awareness imbued with good will: abundant, expansive, immeasurable, free from hostility, free from ill will.

"He keeps pervading the first direction — as well as the second direction, the third, & the fourth — with an awareness imbued with compassion. Thus he keeps pervading above, below, & all around, everywhere & in every respect the all-encompassing cosmos with an awareness imbued with compassion: abundant, expansive, immeasurable, free from hostility, free from ill will.

"He keeps pervading the first direction — as well as the second direction, the third, & the fourth — with an awareness imbued with appreciation. Thus he keeps pervading above, below, & all around, everywhere & in every respect the all-encompassing cosmos with an awareness imbued with appreciation: abundant, expansive, immeasurable, free from hostility, free from ill will.

"He keeps pervading the first direction — as well as the second direction, the third, & the fourth — with an awareness imbued with equanimity. Thus he keeps pervading above, below, & all around, everywhere & in every respect the all-encompassing cosmos with an awareness imbued with equanimity: abundant, expansive, immeasurable, free from hostility, free from ill will.

"Kalama Sutta: To the Kalamas" (AN 3.65).
Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Access to Insight, 30 November 2013