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Metta Meditation Generator

Built by Tim Yu, Founder & Editor · Published

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This metta meditation generator builds a loving-kindness sequence for you: wishes of goodwill, and the order of people to send them to, from yourself to a benefactor, a friend, a neutral person and all beings. Choose a phrase set (the canonical wish from the Pali discourses, a simple modern set, or Sharon Salzberg’s), then read it through or step through it one person at a time. Free, and nothing you type is stored.

Choose your phrases
Add names (optional, never saved)

Yourself

The Visuddhimagga begins with yourself, as the example: just as you want to be happy and free from suffering, so do others.

May I be happy.

May I be safe.

May I be well.

May I be at ease.

Four short wishes in plain English, the set our loving-kindness guide uses.

A teacher or benefactor

Someone you respect who has helped you. The Visuddhimagga names a teacher or preceptor; recall their kindness and their good qualities.

May you be happy.

May you be safe.

May you be well.

May you be at ease.

Four short wishes in plain English, the set our loving-kindness guide uses.

A dear friend

Someone easy to love. Let the warmth be real rather than forced.

May you be happy.

May you be safe.

May you be well.

May you be at ease.

Four short wishes in plain English, the set our loving-kindness guide uses.

A neutral person

Someone you neither like nor dislike, such as a neighbour or a shopkeeper you see often. Wish them well as you would a friend.

May you be happy.

May you be safe.

May you be well.

May you be at ease.

Four short wishes in plain English, the set our loving-kindness guide uses.

All beings

Let the wish spread without limit, to every being near and far, seen and unseen.

May they be happy and safe!

May all beings be happy!

And, from the same discourse:

With love for the whole world,

unfold a boundless heart:

above, below, all round,

unconstricted, without enmity or foe.

Snp 1.8, the Metta Sutta, trans. Bhikkhu Sujato.

Difficult feelings can come up, especially toward yourself or toward someone who has hurt you. You can pause, go back to an easier person, or stop. This is a practice of goodwill, not a test.

Your phrase choice is saved on this device only; names you type are never stored or sent anywhere.

Where the sequence comes from

The order follows chapter IX of the Visuddhimagga, Buddhaghosa’s fifth-century Theravāda manual. It begins with yourself, not because you come first but as the example: just as you want to be happy, so do others. It then moves to someone you respect, a dear friend, a neutral person and, only if you have one, a hostile person, before the barriers between them are broken down and goodwill is extended to all beings. The manual is practical about difficulty: you need not look for an enemy to practise on, and if resentment rises towards the hostile person, go back to an earlier one and return later. The generator asks you to choose someone mildly difficult, never someone who has seriously harmed you.

The wishes are labelled by source. The canonical set adapts a goodwill wish that recurs in the Pali discourses; the closing stage quotes the Metta Sutta directly, in Bhikkhu Sujato’s public-domain translation. The two short English sets are modern teaching wordings, and are presented as that. For the method in full, why the feeling may be faint, and how metta sits among the four brahmavihāras, read our guide to loving-kindness meditation.

Pair it with the meditation timer or count recitations on the digital mala. See all our free tools.

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Frequently asked questions

What is a metta meditation generator?

It builds a short loving-kindness (metta) sequence for you: the wishes to repeat, and the order of people to send them to, from yourself to all beings. You choose the phrases and whether to include a difficult person, and can step through it one person at a time. It is free, runs in your browser, and never stores the names you type.

What are the traditional metta phrases?

The Pali discourses have a goodwill wish, 'May these sentient beings live free of enmity and ill will, untroubled and happy!' (AN 10.176, trans. Bhikkhu Sujato), and the Metta Sutta's 'May all beings be happy!' (Snp 1.8). Short sets such as 'May I be safe, may I be happy' are modern teaching wordings. The generator labels which is which.

Who do you send loving-kindness to first?

In the Visuddhimagga, Buddhaghosa's fifth-century manual, you begin with yourself as the example, then a teacher or preceptor whom you love and respect. To break down the barriers between people you go on to a very dear friend, a neutral person, and a hostile person if you have one, before extending goodwill to all beings. Modern sequences vary, and the generator lets you leave the difficult person out.

What if I feel nothing, or feel worse?

Either can happen, and neither means you are doing it wrong. Distress can surface when people first try to be kind to themselves; in self-compassion programmes this is called 'backdraft', though it has had little research. You can pause, go back to an easier person, or stop. If distress persists, talk to someone you trust or a professional.

Does the Visuddhimagga say not to start with certain people?

Yes. It advises against beginning with someone you dislike, a very dear friend, a neutral or a hostile person, and against developing metta specifically towards someone of the opposite sex, where desire may arise, or towards someone who has died. These are its cautions for building concentration; many modern teachers simply ask you to begin with someone easy.

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