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difference between metta and karuna


from an old forum thread in 2018:



 What is the practical difference between metta ( loving kindness ) and karuna ( compassion )? If we feel loving kindness towards somebody, wouldn’t that include compassion towards them?

frankk:

Stepping back, looking at the 4bv (brahma vihara), there’s a progression in wisdom, depth, subtlety as you progress through the 4.

Here’s an example of a practical difference: Someone could be motivated with the emotion of good will for everyone to be happy, wishing everyone has their wishes fulfilled, getting their dream job, getting their dream partner, getting dream kids, etc.

But with more wisdom, one sees that mere having wishes fulfilled, is only going to lead to short term happiness, and may even be just a spring loaded trap for much bigger dukkha bundled with it (getting a dream job means higher pressure, stressful job. Getting a dream wife means other people are jealous, hitting on her, trying to steal her from you… etc.)

So compassion, or wishing people be free of dukkha, is a wiser more subtle emotion, since wishing for people to be free of dukkha would eliminate the wish for them being happy based on things that would simply lead to more dukkha.



Ven. Dhammanando:

P.S.: I did some googling and found people saying that the specific terms near enemy (āsannapaccatthika) and far enemy (dūrapaccatthika) appears to only have matches in the commentaries and later texts (including VIsuddhimagga). Is anyone able to confirm ?

The terms are from the Visuddhimagga and AtthasālinÄ«, though in the case of “far-enemy” I think the basic idea is prefigured in much earlier texts like the Paį¹­isambhidāmagga and the Sallekhasutta.

An equivalent term for “near-enemy” is “deceitful state” (vaƱcaka dhamma or just vaƱcaka) which has its provenance in the Nettippakaraį¹‡a-related literature, starting with Dhammapāla’s Nettippakaraį¹‡a Atthakathā. The list of these is much longer than Buddhaghosa’s āsannapaccatthika, numbering thirty-eight in all:

Five hindrances

appaį¹­ikkÅ«lasaƱƱā > kāmacchanda
paį¹­ikkÅ«lasaƱƱā > byāpāda
samādhi > thinamiddha
vīriyārambha > uddhacca
sikkhākāmatā > kukkucca
ubhayapakkhasantÄ«raį¹‡a > vicikicchā
Miscellaneous

iį¹­į¹­hāniį¹­į¹­hasamupekkhana > sammoha
attaƱƱutā > attani aparibhavane māna
vÄ«maį¹ƒsā > hetupatirÅ«pakapariggahena micchādiį¹­į¹­hi
virattatā > sattesu adayāpannatā
anuƱƱātapaį¹­isevana > kāmasukhallikānuyoga
ājÄ«vapārisuddhi > asaį¹ƒvibhāgasÄ«latā
saį¹ƒvibhāgasÄ«latā > micchājÄ«va
asaį¹ƒsaggavihāritā > asaį¹…gahasÄ«latā
saį¹…gahasÄ«latā > ananulomikasaį¹ƒsagga
saccavāditā > pisuį¹‡avācā
apisuį¹‡avāditā > anatthakāmatā
piyavāditā > cāį¹­ukamyatā
mitabhāį¹‡itā > asammodanasÄ«latā
sammodanasÄ«latā > māyā sāį¹­heyyaƱca
niggayhavāditā > pharusavācatā
pāpagarahitā > paravajjānupassitā
Three kinds of stinginess

kulānuddhayatā > kulamacchariya
āvāsaciraį¹­į¹­hitikāmatā > āvāsamacchariya
dhammaparibandhapariharaį¹‡a > dhammamacchariya
Three vices mentioned in the Adhimāna Sutta

dhammadesanābhirati > bhassārāmatā
apharusavācatāgaį¹‡Änuggahakaraį¹‡a > saį¹…gaį¹‡ikārāmatā
puƱƱakāmatā > kammārāmatā
Miscellaneous

saį¹ƒvega > cittasantāpa
saddhālutā > aparikkhatā
vÄ«maį¹ƒsanā > assaddhiya
Three predominances

attādhipateyya > garÅ«naį¹ƒ anusāsaniyā appadakkhiį¹‡aggāhitā
dhammādhipateyya > sabrahmacārīsu agārava
lokādhipateyya > attani dhamme ca paribhava
Four divine abidings

mettā > rāga
karuį¹‡Ä > soka
muditā > pahāsa
upekkhā > kusalesu dhammesu nikkhittachandatā

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