Four qualities of the heart for turbulent times

Contemplative traditions have recognized the benefits of compassion for centuries. The capacities of friendliness, compassion, empathetic joy and equanimity, also known as the four “Immeasurables” or “Brahmaviharas” (abode of Brahma) in Buddhism are called the qualities of the heart. Also known as the four virtues, these qualities for ethical human behaviour create an atmosphere of compassion, unity, and benevolence. 

In the last decades, increased research into the benefits of compassion have shown that these pointers to ethical and human behaviour encourage prosocial behaviour, so needed today. In our shifting world, bereft of the positive, nurturing the heart can strengthen our ability to deal with current suffering and future yet unknown scenarios. In recent years compassion meditation has made inroads into the treatment of mental and physical health, echoing ancient Buddhist psychology. 

The qualities of the heart lie at the very essence of mindful living. Often described as the two wings of the eagle, compassion is cultivated alongside insight and wisdom. It is only the embodiment of both, that leads to an awakening of the heart-mind. Heartfulness or Mindfulness of the heart forms the very basis of many languages of the east. In Hindi, the word “dil” stands for both the mind and the heart, in Chinese calligraphy the symbol of mindfulness contains the heart. Both qualities are intertwined, one with the other, like the paths of jnana and bhakti support each other.

So, what are these four Immeasurables? 

Loving-kindness or unconditional friendliness (Pāli and Sanskrit: ‘metta’) is the first of the virtues expounded upon in the Metta-sutta, the discourse on immeasurable friendliness, one of the earliest collections of the teachings of the Buddha. The word “metta “emanates from the Sanskrit/Pali term “mitra” or “mitta” and is translated as “friend”. Loving-kindness is a way of behaviour, the essential nature of which is a yearning that the person you focus your attention on be well and happy and free from suffering. Good wishes are bestowed on another without a reason or for fruit of action.

Compassion (Pāli and Sanskrit: ‘karuṇā’) results from loving-kindness and seeks to identify the suffering of others as one’s own. Whereas ‘metta’ is about the desire for wellbeing and happiness of others, ‘karuna’ seeks to remove harm and suffering from others. Compassion is to be distinguished from pity. Pity or sympathetic sorrow seeks to remove suffering, but for a partly selfish (attached) reason and thus is not a pure motivation that manifests itself in compassion. Compassion is not possible without kindness and the ability to feel kindness for oneself. Compassion for the other requires empathy and good-will and the deep inner willingness to bring suffering and its causes to an end. 

Empathetic joy or (‘mudita’ in Sanskrit), is the pleasure arising out of delight in the wellbeing of others. Sometimes it is compared to the joy of a parent whilst watching their children’s successes. Empathetic joy has no self-interest attached to it. Empathetic joy meditation is used to cultivate appreciative joy at the success and good fortune of others. Joy at the delight of others, be it an exchange of a smile with an unknown or a bout of laughter, in response to other’s laughter is an expression of “mudita”. It is as if the mirror neurons in our brains are activated and fill us with similar feelings. “Mudita” is like an inner wellspring of joy that can always be tapped into, under any conditions. Joy surrounds us all the time. Observing others being joyful, partaking in their joy, and recalling the sense of connection, whenever our reservoirs are low, fills the batteries of the heart. Smile and the world smiles with you!

Equanimity or “upekkha” in Pali or “upeksha” in Sanskrit is the fourth immeasurable. Equanimity implies staying calm no matter what life brings us, be they pleasure or pain, success or failure, joy or  sorrow. Unshakable like a tree or a mountain, come what may.  Equanimity is the gift of poise and balance in the midst of chaos and suffering.

In that these qualities encourage us to delve into whatever conditions we encounter in our lives, they allow us to explore to the very root that which arises with balance and equanimity in friendliness and acceptance. Each quality of the heart is woven into the other, strengthening and nourishing one another as they are cultivated. Often described as our basic traits, seen in the eyes and innocent smile and laughter of a baby, these virtues get veiled on our journey through life and are forgotten. Behind the veil they abide to be awakened.

As we cultivate the four foundations of mindfulness on the direct path to liberation, it is our heart that generates how we relate to ourselves and the world that surrounds us. Kindness, compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity are qualities at the very basis of how we speak, think and act. They influence our relationships to others, to our partners and families, to our friends and loved ones, to our colleagues and neighbours, to the human family in totality.

We all want to be happy. The awareness of these human qualities of the heart and a conscious practice in daily living, gently cultivate new traits, in resonance with our true nature.

A tradition Tibetan Buddhist prayer summarizes the four Immeasurables in the following words:

May all beings have happiness and the cause of happiness. 
May they be free of suffering and the cause of suffering. 
May they never be disassociated from the supreme happiness which is without suffering. 
May they remain in the boundless equanimity, free from both attachment to close ones and rejection of others.

A yoga class often ends with the following prayer: “Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu” (Sanskrit: लोकः समस्ताः सुखिनो भवन्तु). ” May all people in the world be happy”, a gesture of kindness to all of humanity.

Going forward, moving into the hitherto unpredictability of the effects of climate change, resulting in temperature swings, heatwaves, storms, flash floods and the rising of the oceans, landslides or hurricanes, climate migration and more, compassion and equanimity with ourselves and others will be crucial factors in dealing with the yet unknown tsunami, not to speak of all the other crisis facing humanity and all sentient beings at large.

As the German physician, philosopher and theologist Albert Schweitzer, said: “Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace”.

Source: Adapted from “Calm the Monkey Mind – a scientific approach to mindful living”. Hay House India, 2023