1.
The Discourse on Friendliness
1.
Thus have I heard -
On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthī in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's park.
There the Blessed One addressed the monks thus:
"Monks."
"Venerable sir," those monks assented to the Blessed One.
The Blessed One said this:
"Monks, when the liberation of mind through friendliness has been practised, developed, cultivated, mastered, made a basis of, practised, accumulated, and thoroughly undertaken, eight benefits are to be expected. What are the eight? One sleeps pleasantly, one wakes up pleasantly, one does not see evil dreams, one is dear to human beings, one is dear to non-human beings, deities protect one, neither fire nor poison nor weapon affects one, if not penetrating further one is reborn in the Brahma world. Monks, when the liberation of mind through friendliness has been practised, developed, cultivated, mastered, made a basis of, practised, accumulated, and thoroughly undertaken, these eight benefits are to be expected."
Mental fetters become thin, for one seeing the elimination of clinging.
One is friendly, by that one becomes skilful;
And compassionate in mind towards all living beings,
The noble one generates abundant merit.
Went about sacrificing;
The horse-sacrifice, the human-sacrifice,
The sammāpāsa, the vājapeyya, the niraggaḷa.
They are not worth even a sixteenth fraction;
Just as all the hosts of stars with the moon's radiance,
Are not worth even a sixteenth fraction.
Having a share of friendliness towards all beings, for him there is no enmity with anyone." The first.