Brahmavihara

The brahmavihārā (sublime attitudes, lit. "abodes of brahma") (Pāli: cattāri brahmavihārā, Sinhala: චත්තාරි බ්‍රහ්මවිහාරා/සතර බ්‍රහ්ම විහරණ) are a series of four Buddhist virtues and the meditation practices made to cultivate them. They are also known as the four immeasurables (Pāli: appamaññā) or four infinite minds (Chinese: 四無量心). The brahmavihārā are: loving-kindness or benevolence (mettā) compassion (karuṇā) empathetic joy (muditā) equanimity (upekkhā) According to the Metta Sutta, cultivation of the four immeasurables has the power to cause the practitioner to be reborn into a "Brahma realm" (Pāli: Brahmaloka). Pāli: cattāri brahmavihārā चत्वारो ब्रह्मविहाराः (IAST: ) | (Wylie: tshad med bzhi) Brahmavihārā may be parsed as "Brahma" and "vihāra", which is often rendered into English as "sublime" or "divine abodes". Apramāṇa, usually translated as "the immeasurables," means "boundlessness, infinitude, a state that is illimitable". When developed to a high degree in meditation, these attitudes are said to make the mind "immeasurable" and like the mind of the loving Brahma (gods). Other translations: English: four divine abodes, four divine emotions, four sublime attitudes, four divine dwellings. East Asia: (), (), (). (four brahmavihara) or (four immeasurables). The four brahmavihārā are: Loving-kindness (Pāli: mettā, Sanskrit: maitrī) is active good will towards all; Compassion (Pāli and Sanskrit: karuṇā) results from metta, it is identifying the suffering of others as one's own; Sympathetic joy (Pāli and Sanskrit: muditā): is the feeling of joy because others are happy, even if one did not contribute to it, it is a form of sympathetic joy; Equanimity (Pāli: upekkhā, Sanskrit: upekṣā): is even-mindedness and serenity, treating everyone impartially. The brahmavihārā are a pre-Buddhist Brahminical concept, to which the Buddhist tradition gave its own interpretation.