The Discourse on Loving-Kindness in the Seven Tamnan printing, beginning at the extension to the whole world.
- When chanted
- Chanted in the Seven Tamnan, and widely used on its own as a meditation text.
A note on this chant. The book prints this chant in Pali only, with no Thai translation. The English here is a working translation prepared for this edition — it is not the book's own, and has not yet been checked by a teacher.
Historical background
The Seven Tamnan is the shorter of the two great paritta collections. Its texts are the same as those of the Twelve Tamnan; what differs is which are included and how far each is cut, and the book's three running orders shorten them further again.
This printing begins more than halfway through the full discourse, at the verse about extending loving-kindness to the whole world. The list of qualifications at the front is left out.
Meaning and purpose
What is kept is the practice rather than the preparation: let him cultivate boundless loving-kindness towards the whole world, above, below and across, unobstructed, without hatred, without enmity.
The three directions and the three negatives between them close every gap. Nothing is above it, below it or outside it, and no exception is allowed for people one has reason to dislike.
The close is unchanged from the full version, and it is the line that shows what the chant is finally about: not falling into views, virtuous and endowed with vision, having removed greed for sensual pleasures, he comes no more to any womb. A text chanted to make people feel safe ends by describing the end of rebirth.
The chant
As the book prints it: page 169 →
page 169เมตตัญจะ สัพพะโลกัส๎มิง มานะสัมภาวะเย อะปะริมาณัง,
Mettañca sabbalokasmiṃ mānasambhāvaye aparimāṇaṃ,
And let him cultivate boundless loving-kindness towards the whole world,
อุทธัง อะโธ จะ ติริยัญจะ อะสัมพาธัง อะเวรัง อะสะปัตตัง,
Uddhaṃ adho ca tiriyañca asambādhaṃ averaṃ asapattaṃ,
above, below and across, unobstructed, without hatred, without enmity.
ติฏฐัญจะรัง นิสินโน วา สะยาโน วา ยาวะ ตัสสะ วิคะตะมิทโธ,
Tiṭṭhañcaraṃ nisinno vā sayāno vā yāva tassa vigatamiddho,
Standing, walking, seated or lying down, as long as he is free of drowsiness,
เอตัง สะติง อะธิฏเฐยยะ พ๎รัห๎มะเมตัง วิหารัง อิธะมาหุ,
Etaṃ satiṃ adhiṭṭheyya brahmametaṃ vihāraṃ idhamāhu,
he should keep to this mindfulness; this, they say, is the divine abiding here.
ทิฏฐิญจะ อะนุปะคัมมะ สีละวา ทัสสะเนนะ สัมปันโน,
Diṭṭhiñca anupagamma sīlavā dassanena sampanno,
Not falling into views, virtuous and accomplished in vision,
กาเมสุ วิเนยยะ เคธัง นะ หิ ชาตุ คัพภะเสยยัง ปุนะเรตีติ,
Kāmesu vineyya gedhaṃ na hi jātu gabbhaseyyaṃ punaretīti,
having removed greed for sensual pleasures, he comes no more to any womb.