Brahmavihara

Brahmavihāra, often rendered as the sublime abidings or divine dwellings, is a core concept in Buddhism referring to four unbounded mental states cultivated for ethical conduct and inner peace. The term combines brahma, "divine" or "highest," with vihāra, "abiding" or "dwelling," signaling a disposition that remains steady and unthreatened by ordinary afflictions.

The four immeasurables are mettā (loving-kindness), karuṇā (compassion), mudita (sympathetic joy), and upekkhā (equanimity). Mettā is an unconditional friendliness toward all beings; karuṇā involves empathic concern and a wish to relieve suffering; mudita is rejoicing in others’ happiness and success; upekkhā is balanced, impartial awareness that holds all beings with detachment and calmness, including those who may oppose or harm us.

In practice, brahmavihāra is developed through guided meditation, contemplative reflection, and ethical living. Practitioners expand their circle of regard from themselves to loved ones, strangers, adversaries, and eventually all beings, aiming to sustain these states even amid daily challenges. The approach emphasizes habituating the mind to wholesome attitudes that reduce ill-will, bitterness, envy, and reactivity.

Across Buddhist traditions, including Theravada and Mahayana, brahmavihāras are regarded as wholesome, or kusala, mental states that support spiritual development. They are linked with broader meditative training and ethical conduct, and appear in various sutras as foundational practices for cultivating a benevolent and resilient mind.

See also: Metta, Karuṇā, Mudita, Upekkhā.