AQA · GCSE · Religious Studies

    Course version: 8062 · Version from Sept 2018

    Buddhism - 3.1.1.2 Practices: loving kindness (metta).

    Metta (loving kindness) is the Buddhist practice of cultivating a deep, unconditional love and goodwill towards all sentient beings.

    Checked against the AQA 8062 specification (opens in a new tab) on .

    • Point 16 of 29
    • 2 key terms

    Study notes

    From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.

    The idea

    Metta (loving kindness) is the Buddhist practice of cultivating a deep, unconditional love and goodwill towards all sentient beings. Unlike romantic or attached love, metta is entirely selfless and expects nothing in return. It is developed through practices such as metta bhavana (loving-kindness meditation), where a practitioner sequentially directs well-wishes towards themselves, a good friend, a neutral person, a difficult person, and finally the entire universe. By developing metta, Buddhists aim to overcome ill will, anger, and hatred, thereby reducing suffering and progressing towards enlightenment. While wisdom overcomes ignorance, metta acts as the specific antidote to hatred. It forms the foundation for harmonious relationships, ethical behaviour, and compassionate action in the world.

    What earns the marks

    • Define metta as unconditional loving-kindness and goodwill towards all beings without attachment.
    • Describe the practice of metta bhavana (loving-kindness meditation) and its five distinct stages.
    • Explain how metta serves as the direct antidote to overcome negative states such as anger, ill will, and hatred.
    • Contrast metta with ordinary love, highlighting its selfless nature and lack of expectation for reward.

    Common mistakes and how to put them right

    • Equating metta with romantic love.

      Put it right by explaining that metta is universal, selfless goodwill without attachment.

    • Confusing metta with karuna.

      Put it right by stating metta is the wish for others to be happy, while karuna is the specific desire to remove their suffering.

    • Claiming that metta overcomes ignorance.

      Put it right by noting that metta specifically counters hatred and ill will, whereas ignorance is overcome by wisdom (panna).

    Exam tips

    • Outline the five stages of metta bhavana meditation to demonstrate specific knowledge of Buddhist practices.
    • Contrast metta with hatred (one of the Three Poisons) to show how it aids spiritual progress and ethical living.

    Try the lesson

    The start of the Buddhism - 3.1.1.2 Practices: loving kindness (metta). lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.

    Have a go first

    What is the primary focus of the Buddhist practice of metta?

    Listen

    Metta (loving kindness) is the Buddhist practice of cultivating a deep, unconditional love and goodwill towards all sentient beings. Unlike romantic or attached love, metta is entirely selfless and expects nothing in return. It is developed through practices such as metta bhavana (loving-kindness meditation), where a practitioner sequentially directs well-wishes towards themselves, a good friend, a neutral person, a difficult person, and finally the entire universe. By developing metta, Buddhists aim to overcome ill will, anger, and hatred, thereby reducing suffering and progressing towards enlightenment. While wisdom overcomes ignorance, metta acts as the specific antidote to hatred. It forms the foundation for harmonious relationships, ethical behaviour, and compassionate action in the world. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Define metta as unconditional loving-kindness and goodwill towards all beings without attachment. Describe the practice of metta bhavana (loving-kindness meditation) and its five distinct stages. Explain how metta serves as the direct antidote to overcome negative states such as anger, ill will, and hatred. Contrast metta with ordinary love, highlighting its selfless nature and lack of expectation for reward. A common slip: Equating metta with romantic love. Instead, explaining that metta is universal, selfless goodwill without attachment. Exam tip: Outline the five stages of metta bhavana meditation to demonstrate specific knowledge of Buddhist practices.

    See it

    A top-down flowchart. The first box defines metta as unconditional loving-kindness and goodwill towards all beings, and points to a box saying it is developed through metta bhavana. That box leads to a chain of five stages in order: stage 1, oneself; stage 2, a good friend; stage 3, a neutral person; stage 4, a difficult person; stage 5, the entire universe. The final stage points to a box saying metta overcomes ill will, anger and hatred, which points to a last box saying it reduces suffering and progresses towards enlightenment.
    The five sequential stages of metta bhavana, from oneself to the entire universe, leading to overcoming hatred and progressing towards enlightenment.

    Key words

    Say what each word means before you turn the card.

    Metta Bhavana

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    Overcoming Hatred

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    See every definition
    Metta Bhavana
    Loving-kindness meditation in which a practitioner sequentially directs well-wishes towards themselves, a good friend, a neutral person, a difficult person, and finally the entire universe.
    Overcoming Hatred
    Developing metta so that ill will, anger, and hatred are overcome, thereby reducing suffering and progressing towards enlightenment.

    Label the diagram

    Some boxes have lost their names. Pick the right name for each number.

    The diagram again, with 3 boxes numbered instead of named. A top-down flowchart. The first box defines metta as unconditional loving-kindness and goodwill towards all beings, and points to a box saying it is developed through metta bhavana. That box leads to a chain of five stages in order: stage 1, oneself; stage 2, a good friend; stage 3, a neutral person; stage 4, a difficult person; stage 5, the entire universe. The final stage points to a box saying metta overcomes ill will, anger and hatred, which points to a last box saying it reduces suffering and progresses towards enlightenment.

    • 1Box 1

    • 2Box 2

    • 3Box 3

    0 of 3 labelled

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