The Karaniya Metta Sutta is the Buddha's best-known teaching on loving-kindness. It is short, ten verses, and it is chanted every day in Theravāda temples from Thailand to Sri Lanka. It describes the kind of person who practices love, the wish at its heart, "may all beings be happy," and the famous image of a mother protecting her only child. Here is the full text in Pāli and English, verse by verse.
What the discourse is about
The sutta has three parts:
- Verses 1–3a: the character of someone who practices love. Capable, upright, gentle, humble, content, living lightly.
- Verses 3b–8: the practice itself. A wish for the happiness of every being, "with not a one left out," and a heart as protective as a mother's.
- Verses 9–10: keeping it always. Standing, walking, sitting or lying down, keep this in mind, and let it lead to freedom.
The full text in Pāli and English
| Pāli | English |
|---|---|
| Karaṇīyamatthakusalena, Yanta santaṁ padaṁ abhisamecca; Sakko ujū ca suhujū ca, Sūvaco cassa mudu anatimānī. | Those who are skilled in the meaning of scripture should practice as follows to realize the state of peace. Let them be capable and upright, very upright, easy to speak to, gentle and humble; |
| Santussako ca subharo ca, Appakicco ca sallahukavutti; Santindriyo ca nipako ca, Appagabbho kulesvananugiddho. | content and unburdensome, unbusied, living lightly, alert, with senses calmed, courteous, not fawning on families. |
| Na ca khuddamācare kiñci, Yena viññū pare upavadeyyuṁ; Sukhino va khemino hontu, Sabbasattā bhavantu sukhitattā. | Let them not do the slightest thing that others who are wise would blame. May they be happy and safe! May all beings be happy! |
| Ye keci pāṇabhūtatthi, Tasā vā thāvarā vanavasesā; Dīghā vā ye va mahantā, Majjhimā rassakā aṇukathūlā. | Whatever living creatures there are with not a one left out— frail or firm, long or large, medium, small, tiny or round, |
| Diṭṭhā vā ye va adiṭṭhā, Ye va dūre vasanti avidūre; Bhūtā va sambhavesī va, Sabbasattā bhavantu sukhitattā. | seen or unseen, living far or near, those who have been born and those about to be born— may all beings be happy! |
| Na paro paraṁ nikubbetha, Nātimaññetha katthaci na kañci; Byārosanā paṭighasañña, Nāññamaññassa dukkhamiccheyya. | Let none deceive another, nor look down on anyone anywhere. Though provoked or aggrieved, let them not wish pain on each other. |
| Mātā yathā niyaṁ puttam Āyusā ekaputtamanurakkhe; Evampi sabbabhūtesu, Mānasaṁ bhāvaye aparimāṇaṁ. | Even as a mother would protect with her life her child, her only child, so too for all creatures unfold a boundless heart. |
| Mettañca sabbalokasmi, Mānasaṁ bhāvaye aparimāṇaṁ; Uddhaṁ adho ca tiriyañca, Asambādhaṁ averamasapattaṁ. | With love for the whole world, unfold a boundless heart: above, below, all round, unconstricted, without enmity or foe. |
| Tiṭṭhaṁ caraṁ nisinno va, Sayāno yāvatāssa vitamiddho; Etaṁ satiṁ adhiṭṭheyya, Brahmametaṁ vihāramidhamāhu. | When standing, walking, sitting, or lying down while yet unweary, keep this ever in mind; for this, they say, is a divine meditation in this life. |
| Diṭṭhiñca anupaggamma, Sīlavā dassanena sampanno; Kāmesu vinaya gedhaṁ, Na hi jātuggabbhaseyya punaretī. | Avoiding harmful views, virtuous, accomplished in insight, with desire for sensual pleasures dispelled, they never return to a womb again. |
Pāli and English from Snp 1.8, translated by Bhikkhu Sujato. Thai chanting books use the same verses with small spelling differences, for example Sukhino vā khemino hontu, sabbe sattā bhavantu sukhitattā.
The verses people remember
Mātā yathā niyaṁ puttam, āyusā ekaputtamanurakkhe;
Evampi sabbabhūtesu, mānasaṁ bhāvaye aparimāṇaṁ."Even as a mother would protect with her life her child, her only child, so too for all creatures unfold a boundless heart."
This is the heart of mettā: not a feeling you wait for, but a care you choose to grow, until it has no edges.
Just as striking is verse 6: "Though provoked or aggrieved, let them not wish pain on each other." Loving-kindness is tested most on hard days, with difficult people.
How it is used in Thailand
In Thailand the sutta is part of the paritta, the protective chants. Monks chant it at house blessings, weddings and merit-making, and many families chant it at home. Thai tradition also tells that the Buddha first taught it to monks who were frightened while meditating in a forest, and that their fear turned to calm. We share this as tradition; the text itself speaks of a boundless, kind heart.
How to live it every day
- Chant or read one verse each morning, slowly, and let one line stay with you.
- Practice the wish: follow our metta meditation or the 10-minute loving-kindness script.
- Test it on a hard moment: when someone provokes you, remember verse 6, and silently wish them well.
Curious where "may all beings be happy" shows up today? Read "May all beings be happy and free": meaning and origin.
Questions people ask
What is the Karaniya Metta Sutta?
A ten-verse discourse on loving-kindness from the Sutta Nipāta (Snp 1.8). It is named after its first word, karaṇīya, 'what should be done'.
Why is it called Karaniya Metta Sutta and not just Metta Sutta?
There are several discourses on mettā. Adding its first word, Karaṇīya, makes clear which one is meant.
How long does it take to chant?
About two to three minutes at a calm temple pace.
Why do Thai people chant it?
It is one of the paritta, the protective chants, and is chanted at blessings, at home and in daily temple chanting. ANEW shares the protective use as tradition; the text itself is about cultivating a boundless, kind heart.