Metta in Pali or Maitri in the Sanskrit language means loving-kindness or compassionate love. It is the wish for all sentient beings to be well and happy. Metta is a great healing force. It promotes the development of virtues, such as compassion, altruistic joy, and equanimity. It also promotes patience, tolerance, gratitude and above all, a forgiving heart. Forgiveness is an important factor which helps in releasing certain emotional blockages due to grudges, remorse or guilt conscience.

                                                                                        Bhante Mahinda

The Pali commentaries explain:

One loves all beings:
(a) by the non-harassment of all beings and thus avoids harassment;

(b) by being inoffensive (to all beings) and thus avoids offensiveness;

(c) by not torturing (all beings) and thus avoids torturing;

(d) by the non-destruction (of all life) and thus avoids destructiveness;

(e) by being non-vexing (to all beings) and thus avoids vexing;

(f) by projecting the thought, "May all beings be friendly and not hostile";

(g) by projecting the thought," May all beings be happy and not unhappy";

(h) by projecting the thought, "May all beings enjoy well-being and not be distressed."

In these eight ways one loves all beings; therefore, it is called universal love.

And since one conceives (within) this quality (of love), it is of the mind.

And since this mind is free from all thoughts of ill-will, the aggregate of love,

mind and freedom is defined as universal love leading to freedom of mind.

Extracted from : Metta
The Philosophy and Practice of Universal Love
by Acharya Buddharakkhita