Mettā Stage 4: "Difficult Person" Thinking about the fourth stage of Mettā meditation practice, which is traditionally said to have you focus on a "difficult person", I wonder: 


Does the person have to be someone that you know personally?
Could you, for instance, focus on someone in the media or a celebrity (whom you don't know personally, but believe to be a "difficult person")?
Is it important that you have a personal connection with this person at this stage of practice?


Thanks!
A "difficult person" can be anyone you know or don't know.



For example  a "difficult person" can be someone you do not know personally


example - Hitler,Mussolini




A "difficult person" can be someone you know personally


The girl who broke your heart for the first time
The childhood bully
Boss
The loud neighbor
That guy in your office




A "difficult person" can be someone entirely different

For example it is easy to do Meththa mediation to a deer or a rabbit because they are cute innocent animals.  But have you tried Doing mettha to a snake or a shark?

"One day a monk died  because of a sanke bite and rest of the monks asked Lord Buddha why he died.Lord Buddha said "Even though he did meththa he did not concentrated it to snakes and because of this reason his meththa was incomplete.That is why he was attacked."

You must consider why you have left some out of your meditation and join those animals or people.But this does not mean you should take every creature alone and meditate on them.

May triple gems bless you!

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