Metta towards a non-sentient entity or substance (e.g. rice)?
Upvote:1
Is there a Buddhist tradition or practice, which involves developing or showing metta towards a non-sentient entity ... for example, towards a jar of rice?
Not that I know of.
If not, why not?
This essay says,
These four attitudes are said to be excellent or sublime because they are the right or ideal way of conduct towards living beings (sattesu samma patipatti). They provide, in fact, the answer to all situations arising from social contact.
Rice isn't a "living being", and one does not have "social contact" with rice.
Also I don't think that rice is capable of "suffering" (because it isn't sentient; it's inanimate), and so it's not a suitable object for "metta".
Is it theoretically possible (according to Buddhist theory) that such a practice might have an effect, an effect not only on the mind of the practitioner but also on the object
I don't think so. I think you're asking that the rice last longer before spoiling, that it be less impermanent; and I don't remember seeing doctrine which I could construe as saying that "wishing that something were less impermanent is enough make it so".
Conversely there's doctrine about doing rather than wishing: saying e.g. if you want a long life then you should do things which are conducive to long life (not just wish for it).
Perhaps being careful about preparing the rice you care for, and doing something such as cleaning the jar more carefully or sealing the jar more tightly, might show an experimental effect.
Upvote:1
Metta is practitioner's consciousness that thinking to make happy consciousness arise in the other lives. (sukhī attānaṃ pariharantu)
Rice never have happy consciousness arising.
Masuro Emoto's rice experiment was just utuniyāma. That experiment was just regular of nature. It doesn't mean rice has consciousness arising.
Upvote:1
Metta is practiced in order to overcome the feeling of negativity and alienation towards the world in the practitioner's mind. The grudge towards the world is replaced with compassion for the people. If this negativity is not removed it remains a drain of emotional energy and precludes attainment of Jhanas.
Since no-one normally has grudge against rice or apple, Metta towards it is a nonsensical concept.
More post
- 📝 Why is the Buddha described as trackless?
- 📝 Can reincarnation be proved with using a mixture of logic, science, and philosophical belief?
- 📝 Prostration and attachment to rites and rituals
- 📝 I have a question about mantra, and Vajrayana Buddhism?
- 📝 Why is human population increasing? Better kamma?
- 📝 Reference request for "our Buddha nature chooses not to be enlightened"?
- 📝 What is the purpose of the 5th precept?
- 📝 How accurate is AN 9.20 – Velāma Sutta?
- 📝 Where did the Buddha say: "What a person considers and reflects upon for a long time, to that his mind will bend and incline."?
- 📝 Does Dogen bring good news?
- 📝 Is lack of inherent existence the same as 'not real'?
- 📝 Can you be a Buddhist if you don't believe in reincarnation?
- 📝 Is killing vermin and insects justifiable?
- 📝 Is stream entry in 20 or 30 years of practice realistic?
- 📝 What does "ease" mean in the phrase "dharma gate of ease and joy"?
- 📝 Are there "safe" practices to follow before meeting one's teacher?
- 📝 Is there any Buddhist society / group / organisation in Mumbai, India? Where we can meet similar like minded people, attend cultural events
- 📝 Will smoking cigarettes permanently hinder meditation?
- 📝 What makes someone enlightened?
- 📝 Meditation through clearing the mind of all thoughts
- 📝 Buddha's Comment on Compassion Meditation
- 📝 How do you understand Ananda Sutta?
- 📝 What are the cause(s) of a biased or sticky mind?
- 📝 Being bored :anapanasati meditation
- 📝 Mindfulness during walking meditation
- 📝 What is right view regarding rebirth?
- 📝 Is there another term than "Mahayana"?
- 📝 What is the last reward in AN 6:103 ("The Teacher will have been served with goodwill.")?
- 📝 How do enlightened people think?
- 📝 I don't understand bodhicitta
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Metta towards a non-sentient entity or substance (e.g. rice)?
- 📝 Is there a middle way between working towards personal liberation and liberation for all sentient beings?
- 📝 metta towards women
- 📝 Metta towards yourself - useless?
- 📝 Is Buddhism "opposed" to striving, or working towards a goal that you really want
- 📝 Does being in a commited married life make it impossible to attain Nirvana? If not, how can one progress towards Nirvana?
- 📝 Do metta practices and anatta contradict each other?
- 📝 Metta for dead father
- 📝 As a Buddhist how do I get over hatred towards my previous religion?
- 📝 Do monks not have responsibility towards parents and family?
- 📝 How to keep balance in the thin line between non attachment to reputation and "not caring about anything"
- 📝 Plants may be sentient beings like animals so how do you decide what to eat?
- 📝 Can Buddhist marry non Buddhist?
- 📝 Why is Metta Practice so Hard?
- 📝 New to metta meditation
- 📝 Is curiosity, for non Dhamma subjects, a bad thing?
- 📝 Can Metta make you likable?
- 📝 How to view people with metta and karuna?
- 📝 If a substance enhanced the ability to stay mindful, and didnt cause intoxication or carelessness, would it still violate the fifth precept?
- 📝 How we can develop metta for terrorists?
- 📝 How to practice Metta without a Benefactor?
- 📝 Two Extremes of Metta
- 📝 If there be no soul or transmigrating entity that takes rebirth, who or what bears or enjoys the consequences or fruits of karma?
- 📝 How does metta sutra develop loving kindness
- 📝 Why do enlightened beings want to save sentient beings? Does everyone want to be saved?
- 📝 How does our inactions contribute to Karma?... For eg:How can you justify act of your cook killing an animal for your non buddhist guest?
- 📝 I have some metta problem
- 📝 "I fear the man of one book" - What is your attitude towards this thought?
- 📝 Non duality - does it quash ambition?
- 📝 How to practise without having aversion towards life?