What is Metta Sutta?
The Metta Sutta—more formally known as the Karaṇīyamettā Sutta after the opening word, Karaṇīyam, “(This is what) should be done”—is one of two Buddhist discourses (Pali: sutta) found in the Pali Canon, appearing in the Suttanipāta (Sn 1.8) and Khuddakapāṭha (Khp 9). Ten verses in length, it extols both the virtuous qualities and the meditative development of mettā (Pali), traditionally translated as “loving kindness” or “friendliness”. The discourse instructs practitioners in generating boundless goodwill toward all sentient beings—regardless of proximity, worthiness, or visible form—as both an ethical ideal and a meditation practice.
Unlike many Buddhist suttas, the Metta Sutta does not open with the canonical formula “thus have I heard” (evaṃ me sutaṃ), indicating it may have been a verse intended for recitation rather than a narrative dialogue. It is one of the most frequently recited texts in Theravada communities and functions as a paritta (protection chant) alongside texts like the Mangala Sutta and Ratana Sutta.
Origins & Lineage
The Metta Sutta is presented in ten verses in the language of Pali, believed to have been the spoken language of the region of India where Gautama Buddha lived and delivered teachings in the 5th and 6th century BCE. The Pali Canon is believed to have been first written down in the first century BCE, following centuries of oral transmission by monastics.
The Metta Sutta is found in the Sutta Piṭaka’s fifth and final collection, Khuddaka Nikāya. Scholarly analysis suggests the Suttanipāta, in which the Metta Sutta appears, contains some of the oldest material in the Canon; however, contemporary metrical analysis indicates that, compared to other canonical verses, this discourse in its current form was finished relatively late, reflecting refinements that may postdate the historical Buddha. Whether or not this verse was actually articulated verbatim by the Buddha, most would agree that it appropriately characterizes core Buddhist teachings on virtue, right intent, practice and wisdom.
According to post-canonical Sutta Nipāta commentary, the background story for the Mettā Sutta is that a group of monks were frightened by the earth devas in the forest where the Buddha had sent them to meditate. When the monks sought the Buddha’s advice in dealing with the situation, the Buddha taught the monks the Mettā Sutta as an antidote to overcome their fear. The commentary tradition attributes this origin story to Buddhaghosa, the fifth-century CE Theravada scholar who compiled authoritative exegeses on the Pali Canon.
How It’s Practiced
The Metta Sutta is practiced in two primary ways: as recitation (chanting) and as a framework for meditation.
Recitation: In Theravada Buddhist monasteries and lay communities across Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, and Cambodia, monks and practitioners chant the Metta Sutta in Pali, often during morning or evening devotional services. It is also included in a popular collection of “protection texts” (paritta), known as The Book of Protection (Pirit Potha). The verses are believed to generate a protective field of goodwill, shielding practitioners from physical harm, psychological distress, and malevolent forces.
Meditation: The discourse outlines a systematic cultivation of metta that begins with ethical preparation—being upright, gentle, content, modest—and progresses to radiating loving-kindness in expanding circles. Practitioners traditionally begin by directing metta toward themselves, then extend it to benefactors, neutral persons, difficult individuals, and finally all sentient beings without exception. The canonical Paṭisambhidāmagga details twenty-two permutations for radiating metta: across five types of beings (all beings, all breathing things, all creatures, all persons, all individuals), across six directions (east, west, north, south, above, below), and combinations thereof.
The practice aims to cultivate metta as one of the four brahmaviharas (divine abodes)—alongside compassion (karuṇā), empathetic joy (muditā), and equanimity (upekkhā)—capable of leading to meditative absorption (jhāna) and ultimately contributing to awakening.
Metta Sutta Today
Contemporary practitioners encounter the Metta Sutta through multiple avenues:
Vipassana and Insight Meditation Centers: Teachers in the Theravada-rooted insight meditation movement—such as Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg, and Jack Kornfield—frequently teach loving-kindness meditation based on the Metta Sutta framework, often as a complement to mindfulness (vipassana) practice. Retreats dedicated solely to metta practice are common at centers like the Insight Meditation Society (Massachusetts) and Spirit Rock (California).
Chanting Recordings: Audio recordings of the Metta Sutta in Pali—chanted by monastics and laypeople—are widely available on platforms like DharmaSeed, YouTube, and Buddhist Geeks, serving as both devotional aids and meditation objects.
Secular Mindfulness Programs: Elements of metta practice have been adapted into secular settings, including Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) curricula and compassion-focused therapy protocols, though the Sutta itself is less frequently cited in these contexts than the general concept of loving-kindness.
Monasteries and Temples: Traditional Theravada temples worldwide continue daily recitation of the Metta Sutta, particularly during paritta chanting ceremonies conducted for protection, healing, or blessing occasions.
Common Misconceptions
The Metta Sutta is often misunderstood as promoting sentimentality or emotional affection. In the Buddhist framework, metta is not affection (pema) or attachment (rāga), which are rooted in clinging. Rather, metta is an impartial wish for the welfare of all beings, cultivated deliberately through mental training regardless of personal feeling.
Another misconception is that metta practice involves suppressing anger or conflict. The discourse does not instruct practitioners to deny negative emotions but to systematically develop a wholesome mental habit that can eventually outweigh unwholesome tendencies. The Parable of the Saw (Majjhima Nikaya 21) illustrates that metta should remain stable even in the face of extreme provocation—not as repression, but as unshakeable goodwill.
Finally, the Metta Sutta is sometimes confused with the Mettānisamsa Sutta (Anguttara Nikaya 11.15), a separate discourse that enumerates eleven benefits of practicing metta, including peaceful sleep, freedom from nightmares, and being dear to human and non-human beings. While related, the Karaṇīya Metta Sutta focuses on instruction and practice, whereas the Mettānisamsa Sutta emphasizes outcomes.
How to Begin
For those new to the Metta Sutta, the most accessible entry point is reading a contemporary translation alongside listening to a chanted version. Translations by Thanissaro Bhikkhu (available free at Access to Insight) and Bhikkhu Bodhi provide scholarly accuracy; the Amaravati Chanting Book offers Pali-English parallel texts for chanting practice.
Beginners may start with guided metta meditations based on the Sutta’s structure, such as those offered by Sharon Salzberg in Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness (1995) or Jack Kornfield in A Path with Heart (1993). Audio guided meditations are available through Insight Timer and the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center.
For those interested in formal study, attending a metta retreat at an established Theravada or insight meditation center provides immersive instruction. Teachers often combine textual study of the Metta Sutta with daily practice sessions, offering guidance on working with difficult mental states that arise during cultivation of universal goodwill.