Four Sublime Virtues (Brahmavihāras)
Brahmavihāra comprises two words, namely ‘Brahma’ and ‘Vihāra’. ‘Brahma’ connotes ‘Noble’ or ‘Supreme’; ‘Vihāra’ connotes ‘Dwelling or Living’. Hence ‘Brahmavihāra’ connotes ‘Noble Living, Holy Life or Virtuous Life’ . There are four virtuous constituents of Brahmavihāra, namely, Lovingkindness (Mettā), Compassion (Karuṇā), Appreciative Joy (Muditā) and Equanimity (Upekkhā). Having attained the four basic trances or mental absorptions (jhānas) in tranquility meditation (Samathabhāvanā) , one realizes the these four sublime virtues which are radiated boundlessly or practised indiscriminatively towards all sentient beings. The characteristic feature of these four sublime virtuous qualities is its boundlessness or unlimitedness. Succinctly put, it is non-discriminative benevolence or friendliness towards others. Monotheistically put, one loves the neighbour as one loves oneself. Non-discrimination entails non-grasping or non-clinging (upādāna). Hence, Lovingkindness , Compassion and Appreciative Joy are considered non-discriminative if and only if it is supported by the power of Equanimity.
The pragmatic value of the attainment of these four sublime or boundless virtues is
that one is able to protect the Five Precepts (Pañcasīlas) or the Ten Precepts or Ten Wholesome Courses of Action (Dasasīlas) without transgressing them. It is in this manner that the practioner is able to protect the six sense doors well and purge the mind of self-centric ego. Mundanely put, the practioner is morally well restrained. The power of Brahmavihāra ensures that only the purified wholesome actions or wholesome conduct are or is committed for the benefit and happiness of oneself as well as for those of others non-discriminately.
The four sublime, boundless virtues are exercised towards all living beings in general and human beings in particular. There is neither the selection of what are liked nor the exclusion of what are disliked. Both the objects of likes and dislikes are treated equanimously or non-discriminatively. The central pivot of four sublime virtues is the power of equanimity which helps maintain the power of non-discrimination when all
the remaining three virtues of Lovingkindness , Compassion and Appreciative Joy are exercised towards other beings. Non-attachment to likes and non-aversion towards dislikes are characteristic attributes of Equanimity. Equanimity implies pure consciousness in which self-centric ego or grasping has been completely annihilated.
The four immediate fruits of practising the four sublime, boundless Virtues are four-fold , namely:
- Good will
- Harmony
- Tranquility
- Happiness
The most obvious fruitful effect of the practice is that what ought to be done are done
and what ought not be done are not done. Consequently, the Five Precepts or the Ten Precepts are not transgressed and the corresponding virtues are exercised .
Lovingkindness may be defined by any of the following synonyms : Boundlessness, friendliness, benevolence, goodwill and empathy. The goal of exercising the virtue of boundless Lovingkindness is to eliminate the enmity of hatred, anger or revenge. The positive effects of exercising boundless Lovingkindness are to provide immediate happiness to a recipient, and to invigorate personal patience or tolerance . Patience or tolerance is essential for suppressing hatred or anger. Most importantly, its exercise helps a Buddhist practioner not transgress the Five Precepts and The Ten Wholesome Precepts. Non-transgression of Buddhist Precepts consummates Buddhist ethics .
Boundless Compassion is the execution of non-discriminative sympathy to relief the suffering of a recipient. The aim of its practice is to obliterate the enmity of harmfulness. It is the antidote to malevolence, cruelty or violence. Comparatively, Lovingkindness gives happiness whilst compassion reduces or removes suffering. Boundless compassion is executed selflessly without expectation of any reward. The most ideal form of boundless compassion is the attitude of non-discriminative generosity or giving (dāna). It is performed in terms of three-fold Emptiness or purity .
The three-fold Emptiness or purity connotes that a donor performs generous giving or charity without attachment to the form of a giver, the form of a gift and the form of a recipient. Such formless generous giving of gifts purifies the mind of the giver or donor . In other words, the giver or donor does not reify or objectize the giver, the gift and the recipient substantially. The generosity is performed without any ontological commitment or without grasping upon the giver, the gift and the recipient as self-identity and other identities . Performance of three-fold Emptiness or purity annihilates the self-centric ego completely. The fruit of merit is infinite .
Appreciative Joy may be defined as the rejoicing together with the achiever at the success or achievement won by the achiever. The purpose is to exhilarate the achiever and to celebrate for his success. Such joy obliterates the potential emotion of jealousy or envy. Selfishness is the cause of jealousy whilst jealousy nurtures selfishness. Boundless appreciative joy indirectly annihilates selfishness or egoism .
Equanimity may be defined as the even-mindedness rooted in wisdom or insight. It is a state of impartiality without exercising any sense of discrimination towards all living beings without exception. It indiscriminatively embraces both the good and the bad; the loved and unloved; the pleasant and the unpleasant. It is the exercise of non-attachment and non-aversion supported by wisdom of insight. An equanimous persion is unperturbed by any condition of life, favourable or diverse. It purifies the ordinary consciousness and transforms it into pure, infinite and non-manifestative consciousness. Equanimity supports the exercise of boundlessness or indiscrimination of the first three sublime virtues of Lovingkindness, Compassion and Appreciative Joy . Equanimity is the consummate fruit of the execution of the four establishments of mindfulness (satipațțthāna) .
The power of Equanimity preserves the boundlessness or unlimitedness of the wise and non-discriminative application of Lovingkindness, Compassion and Appreciative Joy towards all sentient beings without discrimination between what are liked and what are disliked. Equanimity, rooted in wisdom or insight, eliminates the ontological commitment to all phenomena or the substantial view of all phenomena. Ontological commitment is the view of substantial ontology in which every designation corresponds with a discrete entity. Buddhist doctrine of Insubstantiality (Anttā) rejects discrete entity. A discrete entity is falsely imagined by an ordinary worldling. Elimination of ontological commitment is the right view of Insubstantiality and Dependent Co-arising. It is the right view of dynamic process becoming. When ontological commitment to all phenomena is eliminated , there is neither attachment to likes nor aversion towards the dislikes . The Four Brahmavihāras are anchored upon the power of Equanimity. Equanimity is constructed upon the non-dual knowledge of process becoming (bhava) . Process becoming is dependently co-arisen non-dual Unity in the form of dynamic stream of continuum (santāna dhamma). Buddhism is process or perennial philosophy. |
