Mettā — Good Will for All Life

本週重點

Overview

💬 English Goal

英文目標

Use the well-wishing pattern “May you be happy and healthy” and “I send love to…” to name the people you care for. Learn kind-heart vocabulary: loving-kindness, good will, universal, recipient, and the Pali word Mettā.

🪷 Spiritual Goal

佛學／心靈目標

Understand Mettā (Loving-Kindness) as good will — wishing others well. See that love is universal and crosses every boundary, and practice a daily guided meditation to strengthen the “good-will muscle.”

單字 Vocabulary

點 🔊 聽發音

聽、跟著念、大聲說三次。

loving-kindness(n.)	慈悲／仁愛
Mettā(n.)	慈心
good will(n.)	善意
universal(adj.)	普遍的
recipient(n.)	接受者
healthy(adj.)	健康的
interconnected(adj.)	相互依存的

句型 Sentence Patterns

Key Patterns

Pattern 1 · Wishing someone well

May you be ___.

May you be happy and healthy.

May you be safe and peaceful.

May all beings be happy.

Pattern 2 · Naming who you love

I send love to ___.

I send love to my family.

I send love to my classmates and to the animals.

Pattern 3 · What I am doing now (present continuous)

I am sending ___.

I am sending good will to everyone on Earth.

I am breathing slowly and sending kindness from my heart.

✏️ Grammar Focus · “May you…” & the present continuous

The modal verb “may” is used to make a gentle wish for someone: May you be happy. We do not add -s after may. We also use the present continuous (am / is / are + verb-ing) to say what is happening right now: I am sending love.

故事 The Story

Story

Imagine the kindness in your heart as a small, warm light. （想像你心中的慈愛是一道溫暖的光。） When you practice Mettā, that light grows brighter and spreads outward in circles of love.

The first circle is the smallest — it is you. You say, “May I be happy and healthy.” You cannot give away a light you do not first hold. The next circle is your family, then your friends and classmates, then the animals and all of nature.

The last circle is the biggest of all: everyone on Earth — even strangers, and even people we find hard to like. （甚至包括陌生人，以及我們不喜歡的人。） Mettā is universal, because our happiness and the happiness of all beings are interconnected. Loving-kindness is for everybody.

🤔 Check your understanding

Who is in the very first circle of love? 第一個愛的圈圈裡是誰？
Why does the last circle include people we don’t like? 為什麼最後一個圈圈也包含我們不喜歡的人？
What does it mean that love is “universal”? 愛是「普遍的」是什麼意思？

佛法小品 The Principle

Principle

In the guided meditation, place your hand on your heart and repeat: “May you be happy, may you be healthy.” Then think about how good will can be trained, like a muscle, a little every day.

🌟 Good Will, a Friendly Heart 善意的友善心

Mettā is not only a feeling — it is a steady attitude of friendliness toward all life. When we stop harming others (Ahimsa), we fill that space with active kindness. Through Bhāvanā (training the mind), we make the heart used to producing kind thoughts. The more you practice loving-kindness, the stronger your good-will muscle grows — and you learn to rejoice in the happiness of every living being.

練習 Practice

Homework

For the next 7 days, do the “Hand on Heart” meditation for 2 minutes each morning, then write one journal line. Choose the tier that fits you. 每天早上練習兩分鐘，再寫下慈心日記。

Beginner 入門

One sentence

Ages 5–8 · new learners

Write 1 sentence naming today’s recipient: “Today, I sent love to ______.” Then say the wish out loud.

ExampleToday, I sent love to my mom. I said: “May you be happy and healthy.”

Intermediate 中級

3–4 sentences

Ages 9–12 · developing fluency

Write 3–4 sentences. Name two recipients from different circles, use “I send love to…”, and add the “May you be…” wish.

ExampleToday, I sent love to my family and to the street cats. I send love to people I have never met. May you all be happy and healthy.

Advanced 進階

5+ sentences

Ages 13–16 · fluent speakers

Write 5+ sentences. Include someone you find difficult to like, explain why love is universal, and reflect on how good will is interconnected with your own happiness.

ExampleToday I am sending good will to a classmate I argued with. Although it is hard, I know my peace and his peace are interconnected. May you be safe; may you be peaceful.

小考 Mini Quiz

Check Yourself

選出最適合的答案，點選後會看到解析。

Question 1 of 10

What does the Pali word Mettā mean?

Correct: B. Mettā (慈心) is the Buddhist word for loving-kindness — a heart of good will toward all life.

Question 2 of 10

Finish the wish: “May you ___ happy and healthy.”

Correct: C. After “May you…” we use the base verb be: “May you be happy and healthy.”

Question 3 of 10

Which sentence correctly names who you care for?

Correct: A. The pattern is “I send love to ___.” Don’t forget the word to.

Question 4 of 10

“Good will” means…

Correct: D. Good will (善意) is the warm wish that others be well and happy.

Question 5 of 10

If love is universal , it is for…

Correct: C. Universal (普遍的) means for everybody — even strangers and people we find hard to like.

Question 6 of 10

A recipient is…

Correct: A. A recipient (接受者) is the one who receives — here, the person you send your loving-kindness to.

Question 7 of 10

In the Circles of Love, who is in the very first circle?

Correct: D. The first circle is you. You cannot give away a light you do not first hold.

Question 8 of 10

Choose the correct present-continuous sentence.

Correct: B. Present continuous = am / is / are + verb-ing: “I am sending good will.”

Question 9 of 10

During the meditation, where do you place your hand?

Correct: C. You place your hand on your heart and repeat, “May you be happy, may you be healthy.”

Question 10 of 10

Why does the Teacher’s Note say loving-kindness is “like schoolwork”?

Correct: A. Good will is like a muscle — through daily practice (Bhāvanā), the heart grows stronger at producing kind thoughts.

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