The first Buddhanussati meditation and Metta Bhavana chanting for 2012 was carried out on 1 Jan 2012, which also happens to be the first Sunday of the month, from 1.00 to 3.00pm. It was attended by about 30 devotees from the temple, under the guidance of Ven Raja.
Buddhanusati is one of the four protective meditations. It is the focused recollections of the Buddha and his qualities. During the session, devotees chant ‘ Iti pi so bhagava araham sammasambuddho Vijjacaranasanpanno…Bhuddho bagavati’ 108 times. This was followed by Metta Bhavana chanting, a new activity introduced this year.
Metta bhavana means ‘cultivation of loving kindness’. Metta is a mental state characterized by promoting welfare, amity, goodwill and friendliness. The cultivation of this mental state is ‘bhavana’ or normally translated as ‘meditation’. When we cultivate it, it becomes strong, powerful and useful and brings us abundant deep and intense peace and happiness.