Immeasurable love
(3) Immeasurable compassion
(4) Immeasurable joy
These are called ‘immeasurables’ because we practise them taking as our observed object all living beings whose number is immeasurable. When we practise immeasurable equanimity we develop the wish for all living beings to gain the realization of equanimity, and we actively dedicate ourself to help them do this. When we practise immeasurable love and immeasurable compassion we develop the wish for others to experience only happiness and freedom from suffering, and we actively dedicate ourself to make this happen. When we practise immeasurable joy we develop the wish that others should never lose the enjoyments and happiness that they experience in the fortunate states of humans and gods, or the supreme joy of liberation, and we actively dedicate ourself to prevent them ever being separated from temporary or ultimate happiness.
Each of the four immeasurables has four parts: an immeasurable wish, an immeasurable prayer, an immeasurable superior intention and an immeasurable request.
Immeasurable equanimity Observing all the beings around us we meditate:
At some time in their past lives all living beings have been related to each other as a mother to her own dear child, but they do not remember this and so now they develop attachment, hatred or indifference towards one another, feeling close to some and distant from others. Hatred and attachment motivate them to commit harmful actions and as a result they continue to experience problems. If everyone were to develop equanimity they would not be governed by attachment and hatred, and they would find freedom from suffering.
Meditating in this way induces in our heart an immeasurable wish, ‘How wonderful it would be if all living beings were to abide in equanimity, free from hatred and attachment, not feeling close to some and distant from others.’ Meditating on this immeasurable wish induces an immeasurable prayer, ‘May all beings abide in equanimity.’ Praying in this way induces an immeasurable superior intention, ‘I myself will make this happen.’ Meditating on this intention compels us to make an immeasurable request, ‘Please, O Buddhas and Spiritual Guides, bless me to do this.’
If we gaze at a perfectly cloudless, blue sky we will not prefer the east to the west or the west to the east. In the same way, when we gain the realization of equanimity we will not prefer some people to others. All beings will be equally important to us. Before we have this realization our gaze is, as it were, fixed upon uneven ground. Some areas look high and others look low.
Most of the personal problems we experience are caused by our own biased mind. We think that we, our family, and our friends are most important. We cherish those who are close to us and take their concerns to heart, but we neglect almost everyone else, thinking that their concerns are insignificant. When we gain equanimity we will see all beings as equally precious and as a result we will find that many of our own problems are overcome.
Equanimity is an equal concern for others and not a mere indifference. Indifference is as far away from equanimity as hatred and attachment. When we develop equanimity we will experience great peace and happiness. Our mind is like a well-ploughed field where we can plant the seeds of compassion, love and bodhichitta.
Immeasurable love Observing all the beings around us we meditate:
All these beings long for happiness, yet most of them do not know what the cause of happiness is, and those who do know cannot create it. Therefore, all of them lack what they desire.
Meditating in this way induces in our heart an immeasurable wish, an immeasurable prayer, an immeasurable superior intention and an immeasurable request:
How wonderful it would be if all living beings were to possess happiness and its cause.
May all beings possess these.
I myself will make this happen.
Please, O Buddhas and Spiritual Guides, bless me to do this.
When we have generated this immeasurable wish continuously and spontaneously, we have gained the realization of immeasurable love. Since living beings are countless, so are the benefits of immeasurable love. Even when our meditation goes badly and we do not experience any special feeling, we still receive many benefits from meditating on immeasurable love.
Immeasurable compassion Observing all the beings around us we meditate:
All these beings are afraid of suffering and wish to be free from it, yet in ignorance they continue to commit negative actions which are the very cause of suffering.
Meditating in this way induces in our heart an immeasurable wish, an immeasurable prayer, an immeasurable superior intention and an immeasurable request:
How wonderful it would be if all living beings were free from suffering and its cause.
May they all be free from these.
I myself will make this happen.
Please, O Buddhas and Spiritual Guides, bless me to do this.
Immeasurable joy Observing all the beings around us we again meditate in order to generate an immeasurable wish, an immeasurable prayer, an immeasurable superior intention and an immeasurable request:
How wonderful it would be if all living beings were never to lose the happiness of humans and gods or the supreme joy of liberation.
May they never be parted from these.
I myself will make this happen.
Please, O Buddhas and Spiritual Guides, bless me to do this.
generating the bodhichitta motivation for a specific practice
Before engaging in our actual meditation we generate the motivation to do it solely for the sake of attaining full enlightenment for the benefit of others. For example, if we are going to meditate on how to rely upon our Spiritual Guide we motivate ourself:
I will now train my mind in faith and respect for my Spiritual Guide so that I can benefit others by building the foundation that supports all other realizations of the stages of the path to enlightenment.
This bodhichitta is called ‘engaging’ or ‘practical’ bodhichitta. It decides to engage in a specific practice as a means of actually accomplishing the goal of aspiring bodhichitta, which is the wish to become enlightened for the sake of all other living beings.
visualizing the field for accumulating merit
There are two ways of visualizing the Field for Accumulating Merit. According to the first way we imagine that the objects of refuge gradually gather into Guru Buddha Shakyamuni who comes to the crown of our head and descends to our heart, and then we visualize the Field for Accumulating Merit in the empty space in front of us. The second way is easier. We simply impute the Field for Accumulating Merit upon our visualization of the objects of refuge.
The objects of refuge are now designated as the Field for Accumulating Merit because when we offer the practice of the seven limbs and the mandala the holy beings act as a field in which we plant and nourish our seeds of virtue. By making these offerings we create and increase our virtuous energy, purify our negative karma and increase our potentiality to gain the realizations of the stages of the path. These results are the good harvest of our virtue.
We begin this practice by remembering all the details of the previous
