Upholding metta sutta

[befriend]

Chanting the karaniya metta sutta for a few hours a day makes me happy, is it wrong practice to chant the metta sutta because it makes me happy? It also makes me friendlier and gives my mind something wholesome to do in my spare time. And obviously reduces hatred in my conciousness.

[befriend]

Is this tanha or Chanda? Is craving for spiritual happiness wholesome? I also do mindfulness.

[befriend]

My intention should be to reduce hate.

[budo]

There is a sutta where a bunch of women go up to the Buddha and say something along the lines of "We want to continue wearing perfumes and make up and to keep doing what we enjoy to do, what is one thing that we can practice?" and the Buddha responds with Brahma Viharas.

In other words, it's better than doing nothing.

[Polar Bear]

Joy is a factor of awakening. Pleasure in general is also a motivating force to continue to do whatever brought in that pleasure. So doing wholesome things that bring pleasure, like developing Metta and chanting the Metta Sutta, is practical because you’re likely to keep doing it. Desire for developing the wholesome and experiencing blameless forms of happiness is wholesome desire. Keep up the good work.

[tamdrin]

It's great that you are enjoying chanting the metta sutta. You shouldn't feel this is a wrong kind of desire, it's the right kind of desire.

Keep up with your practice!

[befriend]

Thanks friends I get confused a lot about Buddhist practice theory.

[JohnK]

Thanks friends I get confused a lot about Buddhist practice theory.

I agree that what you are doing is wholesome practice.
I assume it is helping with other aspects of the path such as generosity and non-harming.
However, you might balance it some with vipassana/satipatthana now or in the future (if you are not already).
Be well, befriend.

[dharmacorps]

This sutta absolutely has this effect I find, of reducing ill-will. If that is what you are using it for, then I don't see the harm in chanting it both in Pali and in your native language.