In short: The Buddha listed eleven benefits of loving-kindness (mettā). The list starts with something everyone wants, you sleep at ease, and ends far beyond this life. Here it is, in his words, with what each one can mean today.
The Buddha's list
You sleep at ease. You wake happily. You don't have bad dreams. Humans love you. Non-humans love you. Deities protect you. You can't be harmed by fire, poison, or blade. Your mind quickly enters immersion. Your face is clear and bright. You don't feel lost when you die. If you don't penetrate any higher, you'll be reborn in a realm of divinity.
AN 11.15, The Benefits of Love, translated by Bhikkhu Sujato on SuttaCentral.
The condition matters: these come when love "has been cultivated, developed, and practiced, made a vehicle and a basis, kept up, consolidated, and properly implemented". Regular practice, not a one-off.
Read the full guide
What they can mean today
These are ANEW's notes, not claims of guaranteed results.
- Sleep at ease. A mind that ends the day wishing others well has less to replay at night. Try metta in bed instead of scrolling.
- Wake happily. Less resentment carried over means a lighter morning.
- No bad dreams. Traditional; many find a calmer mind sleeps more peacefully.
- Humans love you. Kindness is noticed. People relax around someone who wishes them well.
- Non-humans love you. In the traditional worldview, other beings too. At the very least, animals respond to gentleness.
- Deities protect you. Traditional; understood in different ways.
- Not harmed by fire, poison or blade. Traditional protection, which is why metta is also chanted as paritta. ANEW shares this as tradition, not a promise.
- The mind quickly settles. Metta is warm and easy to rest in, a natural doorway to calm meditation.
- A clear, bright face. Less anger shows. People say it.
- Not lost at death. A heart used to kindness meets the end with less fear.
- A good rebirth. In the traditional teaching, love leads to a "realm of divinity".
How to start
- Each evening, sit or lie down and take three slow breaths.
- Silently: "May I be happy. May I be well. May I be at peace."
- Then someone you love, someone neutral, someone difficult, and all beings.
- Five minutes is enough. Keep it up for two weeks and notice your sleep.
Follow metta meditation: phrases and a 5-minute script, or the longer 10-minute loving-kindness script. Metta is the first of the four Brahmavihāras.
When pain comes anyway: the Buddha's teaching of the two arrows.
The full text in Pāli and English
Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato, from SuttaCentral (AN11.15). Ellipses (…) are abbreviations in the original.
| Pāli | English |
|---|---|
| “Mettāya, bhikkhave, cetovimuttiyā āsevitāya bhāvitāya bahulīkatāya yānīkatāya vatthukatāya anuṭṭhitāya paricitāya susamāraddhāya ekādasānisaṁsā pāṭikaṅkhā. | “Mendicants, you can expect eleven benefits when the heart’s release by love has been cultivated, developed, and practiced, made a vehicle and a basis, kept up, consolidated, and properly implemented. |
| Katame ekādasa? | What eleven? |
| Sukhaṁ supati, sukhaṁ paṭibujjhati, na pāpakaṁ supinaṁ passati, manussānaṁ piyo hoti, amanussānaṁ piyo hoti, devatā rakkhanti, nāssa aggi vā visaṁ vā satthaṁ vā kamati, tuvaṭaṁ cittaṁ samādhiyati, mukhavaṇṇo vippasīdati, asammūḷho kālaṁ karoti, uttari appaṭivijjhanto brahmalokūpago hoti. | You sleep at ease. You wake happily. You don’t have bad dreams. Humans love you. Non-humans love you. Deities protect you. You can’t be harmed by fire, poison, or blade. Your mind quickly enters immersion. Your face is clear and bright. You don’t feel lost when you die. If you don’t penetrate any higher, you’ll be reborn in a realm of divinity. |
| Mettāya, bhikkhave, cetovimuttiyā āsevitāya bhāvitāya bahulīkatāya yānīkatāya vatthukatāya anuṭṭhitāya paricitāya susamāraddhāya ime ekādasānisaṁsā pāṭikaṅkhā”ti. | You can expect eleven benefits when the heart’s release by love has been cultivated, developed, and practiced, made a vehicle and a basis, kept up, consolidated, and properly implemented.” |
| Pañcamaṁ. |
To put "you sleep at ease" into practice, try this Buddhist sleep meditation.
Try it
Tonight, try the guided kindness practice before sleep.
Questions people ask
What are the benefits of loving-kindness meditation according to the Buddha?
In AN 11.15 the Buddha lists eleven: you sleep at ease, wake happily, have no bad dreams, are loved by humans and non-humans, are protected by deities, cannot be harmed by fire, poison or blade, your mind quickly becomes collected, your face is clear and bright, you don't feel lost when you die, and you are reborn well.
Does metta really protect you from harm?
That benefit is part of the traditional text and is understood in different ways. ANEW shares it as tradition, not as a promise. Many people do find that a kinder heart meets fewer conflicts and handles danger more calmly.
How long until I feel the benefits of metta?
Many people notice calmer sleep and softer reactions within a couple of weeks of a few minutes a day. The text stresses practice that is 'kept up' and 'consolidated': regular beats intense.