for too much of my life i have been consumed by negative emotions affecting those closest to me in an unwholesome way.
loving-kindness is characterized here as promoting the aspect of welfare.
Its function is to prefer welfare.
It is manifested as the removal of annoyance.
Its proximate cause is seeing loveableness in beings.
It succeeds when it makes ill will subside, and it fails when it produces (selfish) affection.
. Compassion is characterized as promoting the aspect of allaying suffering.
Its function resides in not bearing others’ suffering.
It is manifested as noncruelty.
Its proximate cause is to see helplessness in those overwhelmed by suffering.
It succeeds when it makes cruelty subside and it fails when it produces sorrow.
Gladness is characterized as gladdening (produced by others’ success)
Its function resides in being unenvious.
It is manifested as the elimination of aversion (boredom).
Its proximate cause is seeing beings, success.
It succeeds when it makes aversion (boredom) subside, and it fails when it produces merriment.
. Equanimity is characterized as promoting the aspect of neutrality towards beings.
Its function is to see equality in beings.
It is manifested as the quieting of resentment and approval.
Its proximate cause is seeing ownership of deeds (kamma) thus:
“Beings are owners of their deeds. Whose [if not theirs] is the
choice by which they will become happy, or will get free from suffering,
or willnot fall away from the success they have reached?”
It succeeds when it makes resentment and approval subside,
and it fails when it produces the equanimityof unknowing,
which is that [worldly-minded indifference of ignorance] based on the house life.
[Purpose]
97. The general purpose of these four divine abidings is the bliss of insight
and an excellent [form of future] existence. That peculiar to each is respectively
the warding off of ill will, and so on.
For here loving-kindness has the purposeof warding off ill will,
while the others have the respective purposes of warding off
cruelty, aversion (boredom), and greed or resentment.
And this is said too:
“For this is the escape from ill will, friends, that is to say,
the mind-deliverance of loving-kindness …
For this is the escape from cruelty, friends, that is to say, the
mind-deliverance of compassion …
For this is the escape from boredom, friends,that is to say
the mind-deliverance of gladness …
For this is the escape from greed, friends, that is to say,
the mind-deliverance of equanimity”
taken from ' CHAPTER IX — THE DIVINE ABIDINGS ' of The Vishuddimagga translated by Bhikku Nanamoli
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/auth ... on2011.pdf
to those i have offended or hurt i ask your forgiveness.....
love all, serve all