Metta (loving-kindness) meditation is taught worldwide, but it originates from and is most deeply embedded in Sri Lankan Buddhist culture. In Sri Lanka, metta isn't a technique you learn from an app — it's woven into the fabric of daily life, temple practice, and the social contract between people.
Metta in Sri Lankan Daily Life
Walk into any Sri Lankan home before bed and you may hear the family chanting 'Sabbe satta sukhi hontu' — may all beings be happy. Sri Lankan children learn metta phrases before they learn multiplication tables. The morning puja (worship) at temples across the island includes metta chanting directed toward all living beings.
This isn't performative spirituality. Sri Lankan society operates on a foundation of metta in practical ways: the dana system (generosity to monks and temples), the habit of feeding stray animals, the tradition of offering food to anyone who visits your home, and the cultural reluctance to express anger publicly. These aren't just customs — they're metta in action.
The Traditional Practice
The Karaniya Metta Sutta, chanted daily in Sri Lankan temples, provides the original framework for metta meditation. The practice, as taught in Sri Lankan Theravada centres, follows a specific progression:
Phase 1: Self (Attano)
Begin with yourself. In Sri Lankan teaching, this is emphasised more strongly than in some Western adaptations. You cannot genuinely wish happiness for others while withholding it from yourself. The phrases: 'Aham sukhito homi' — may I be happy. 'Aham niddukkho homi' — may I be free from suffering. 'Aham avero homi' — may I be free from enmity. 'Aham abyapajjho homi' — may I be free from ill will.
Phase 2: Respected Person (Guru)
Direct metta toward a respected teacher or elder. In Sri Lankan culture, respect for teachers (gurus) is fundamental. Starting with someone you genuinely respect makes the emotional quality easier to generate.
Phase 3: Dear Friend (Piya Puggala)
Direct metta toward a close friend or loved one. The warmth you naturally feel toward this person is the template for all subsequent phases.
Phase 4: Neutral Person (Majjhatta Puggala)
Direct metta toward someone you have no strong feelings about — a shopkeeper, a neighbour, someone you see regularly but don't know. This phase trains the heart to extend kindness beyond personal affection.
Phase 5: Difficult Person (Veriya Puggala)
Direct metta toward someone you find challenging. Sri Lankan teachers emphasise: start with mildly difficult people, not enemies. The practice isn't about forcing feelings — it's about recognising that even difficult people, like you, want to be happy.
Phase 6: All Beings (Sabbe Satta)
Expand metta in all directions — east, west, north, south, above, below. To all beings in all realms. The traditional Sri Lankan expansion covers all beings without exception: 'May all beings be happy. May all beings be free from suffering. May all beings not be separated from their happiness.'
The Metta Chant (Pali with Meaning)
Sri Lankan Buddhists recite this daily:
Sabbe satta sukhi hontu — May all beings be happy
Sabbe satta avera hontu — May all beings be free from enmity
Sabbe satta abyapajjha hontu — May all beings be free from ill will
Sabbe satta anigha hontu — May all beings be free from distress
Sabbe satta sukhi attanam pariharantu — May all beings maintain their happiness
These phrases, chanted in the original Pali, carry a resonance that translations cannot fully capture. Many meditation practitioners find that using the Pali phrases — even without understanding each word — creates a deeper meditative quality than English equivalents.
How Metta Differs From Western Adaptations
Western loving-kindness meditation, as taught by teachers like Sharon Salzberg, is excellent. But the Sri Lankan tradition has additional dimensions: chanting (adding voice and vibration to mental intention), bodily metta (radiating kindness as physical warmth from the heart centre), directional expansion (systematically sending metta in all directions), and integration with samatha (using metta as a concentration practice leading to jhana). In the Sri Lankan tradition, metta isn't just an emotional exercise — it's a concentration practice that can lead to deep absorption states.
Related: Metta Meditation Complete Guide and Buddhist Meditation for Beginners.
