ཚངས་པའི་གནས་བཞི། | Glossary of Terms

Love, compassion, joy, and equanimity.

The “four immeasurable contemplations” (immeasurable love, compassion, joy, and equanimity) are often referred to as the four abodes of Brahmā.

The four qualities that are said to result in rebirth in the Brahmā World. They are limitless loving kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity.

Loving kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity.

Friendliness, compassion, rejoicing, and equanimity are called “Brahma abodes,” according to the commentarial traditions, because one abides with a mind like that of the deity Brahmā and because they are a cause to be born in the world of Brahmā. It is important to point out, though, that the original Sanskrit compound brahma-vihāra does not specify the gender of the term brahman, which could therefore either refer to Brahmā as a deity or to brahman, meaning more generally “what is most exalted,” as is sometimes simply used in the sense of “sublime” etc. We have therefore attempted to retain the ambiguity by using neither “Brahmā” (which is by common convention used only for the deity) nor “brahman” (which is by common convention used only for “what is most exalted” etc.), but rather “Brahma.”

These are love, compassion, joy, and equanimity.

Immeasurable love, compassion, joy, and equanimity.

The practices and resulting states of boundless loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity.