Are devas attracted to metta?

[Maarten]

I remember reading something about this, but i'm not sure it it's from the sutta's.

Are nagas for example drawn to metta? I remember it says in the sutta's that they protect someone with metta.

But do they want to hang out with such a person?

Much metta,

Maarten

[Dhammanando]

I remember reading something about this, but i'm not sure it it's from the sutta's.

• Mettānisaṃsa Sutta — Discourse on the Benefits of Loving-Kindness
  
  “Bhikkhus, when the liberation of the mind by loving-kindness has been pursued, developed, and cultivated, made a vehicle and basis, carried out, consolidated, and properly undertaken, eleven benefits are to be expected. What eleven?
  
  (1) One sleeps well;
  (2) One awakens happily;
  (3) One does not have bad dreams;
  (4) One is pleasing to human beings;
  (5) One is pleasing to amanussas;
  (6) Devatās protect one;
  (7) Fire, poison, and weapons do not injure one;
  (8) One’s mind quickly becomes concentrated;
  (9) One’s facial complexion is serene;
  (10) One dies unconfused;
  (11) If one does not penetrate any higher state, one fares on to the brahmā world.
  
  “When, bhikkhus, the liberation of the mind by loving-kindness has been repeatedly pursued, developed, and cultivated, made a vehicle and basis, carried out, consolidated, and properly undertaken, these eleven benefits are to be expected.”
  
  (AN. 11:15)

Are nagas for example drawn to metta?

I suppose they might be if the term amanussa ("non-humans") above is to be understood as including nāgas. The commentaries variously define it as, "yakkhas and pisācas, etc.," "nāgas and garuḍas, etc.," or "devas and rakkhasas, etc." But in the present case there's no definition given.

[binocular]

As I recall, once Malcolm said, over at DharmaWheel, that devāḥ rarely bother with us, because we smell absolutely revolting to them. I have no clue what the source was for that, but it strikes me as having its own internal logic to it.

In the Pāyāsi Sutta this is Kumārakassapa's explanation to Prince Pāyāsi about why his deceased virtuous relatives don't come from the deva world to visit him:

Pāyāsi:
“Foul, Master Kassapa, is a dung pit, foul and counted as such, stinking, disgusting, repulsive, and counted as such.”

Kumārakassapa:
“Even so, Prince, are human beings in the eyes of the devas, foul and counted as such, stinking, disgusting, repulsive, and counted as such. The smell of man offends the devas a hundred leagues away. What then? Shall your friends and companions, your kinsmen and connections who, having kept the precepts, are reborn into the bright and happy place, come and bring you word that there is another world, that there is rebirth other than by parentage, that there is fruit and result of deeds well-done and ill-done?”

And in the commentary to the Maṅgala Sutta, the question is raised as to why the deva who came to visit the Buddha chose to stand rather than to sit down. Buddhaghosa replies:

“It was out of his desire to get away quickly. For when devas come for any purpose to the human world, they do so like a man of clean habits coming to a latrine. In fact, the human world is naturally repulsive to them even at a hundred yojanas’ distance owing to its stench, and they find no delight in it. So this deva refrained from sitting down since he wanted to get away quickly as soon as he had done what he came to do.”
(Khp-a. 117)

https://dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f ... 59#p435659

[santa100]

But do they want to hang out with such a person?

Most sentient beings in the 6 realms from the lowest hell to the highest heaven all naturally desire peace and happiness, and shun pain and suffering, except a minority few with sadist/masochist orientation. So obviously most beings would tend to hang out with another peaceful and pleasant being rather than a hateful and aggressive one.

[Garrib]

I was practicing metta outside the other night - and two cats (a black one and a white one) came over to hang out near me. Maybe some devas do the same, but its difficult to know for sure...

[LG2V]

I think so. People and animals, too.