Immeasurable virtues

Yoga Sutra 1.33

maitrī-karuṇā-muditopekṣāṇāṁsukha-duḥkha-puṇyāpuṇya-viṣayāṇāṁ bhāvanātaś citta-prasādanam

Due to the meditative cultivation of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity in relation to those who are happy, miserable, virtuous, and vicious (respectively), there comes about tranquility and lucidity of the heart mind. - Hareesh

Our February theme in classes is dedicated to the Brahma-vihāras - the four immeasurable virtues, or the sublime abodes of the heart. These teachings originate from Buddhism and can be found across the Hindu texts, like the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, throughout 7 sutras Patanjali describes the preparatory practices and ways to attain a steady, tranquil heart-mind (citta prasadana), which can then enter into Samādhi (awakening).

It’s a cumulative technique for effecting a radical change of heart, by cultivating Maitrī / Metta (loving-kindness), Karunā (compassion), Mudita (empathetic joy), and Upeksa (equanimity), toward all living beings (yourself included). When we say it’s cumulative, it means that we progress forward - one should practice the 4 virtues one at a time, but it is not that when you are done, you leave one behind. For example, when cultivating compassion, one does not discard or substitute love and loving-kindness, but rather, open love to the sufferings of others and in doing so increase its powers.

The immeasurable virtues also remind us that the practices of meditation and the quest for awakening don’t require detachment from the world. Quite the opposite, it’s the regular everyday life, people around you, relationships that you have, and the world itself in which you find opportunities to practice, and occasional retreating to study and practice can further support it.

Maitrī

The foundation of the heart-focused practices, Maitrī is about loving-kindness, friendliness and love. As every abode, maitrī includes yourself too, and to practice it is to meet your moment-to-moment experience with kindness, and see a friend in your own self. In metta meditations, one is practicing emanating loving kindness towards own self, others (never at the expense of your own well-being), difficult people, and the whole world. My favorite takeaway from practicing maitrī is that every human being is capable of being kind, and to be human is to somehow, somewhere, under all the dust, intrinsically know these qualities of the heart. Practice the Metta meditation here.

Karunā

Karuna, compassion, does not mean sympathy or feeling sorry for others. It is really about feeling the pain and the sorrow of yourself, others and the world - there’s a power differential in opposition to feeling sorry for someone. Karuna is more like - “I see you and I stand with you and alongside you.”, and it happens once you choose to stay with the pain and the suffering while keeping the doors of your heart open. The teachings of Karuna show us our shared humanity and help us navigate hardships and pain.

Mudita

Mudita is the unselfish, sympathetic joy, finding happiness in other people’s good fortune, and taking delight in the abundance of goodness. One who is practicing mudita is not taking any benefit or pride from someone’s accomplishments - it doesn’t include any self-interest, it’s pure, pure, joy. Buddha said, “I declare that the heart's release by sympathetic joy has the sphere of infinite consciousness for its excellence." As with all the others, Mudita is to be practiced towards yourself, your loved ones, neutral people, and towards people whom you find difficult.

Upeksa

The meaning of upeksa is equanimity, which is not the same as indifference or unconcern about others. It’s the inner state of evenness, a spiritual abode, which represents stability in the fluctuations of life in all of its shades, centering you in the reality of things as they are. To embody upeksha is to hold a balanced view, and it truly perfects the other three abodes making life a balanced, sustainable journey.

Join us at SOMA Wandsworth Yoga throughout February as we explore the meditative and movement practices inspired by the four sublime virtues to cultivate the energy of the heart! Check out our schedule and book your class today.