AN 1.55 - AN 1.55
Translated by Bhikkhu Candana
Source: https://www.mindreleased.com/s/Book-1_Anguttara-Nikya-A-New-Translation.pdf#page=52
License: Candana — free distribution, unaltered contents
Copyright © Bhikkhu Candana, 2020, 2026. Free distribution only; do not alter the contents. The original book, including its complete permission notice, accompanies this text.

55. “Bhikkhus, if the Bhikkhu were to stay with and continue on permeating Mettā in his heart, even for just a snap of a finger, he is to be declared ‘a Bhikkhu who is able to attain to jhāna, living and training according to The Dispensation of The Teacher.’ Thus, he would be rightfully and blamelessly partaking of the food offered to him by the public, and therefore not be considered blameworthy at all, in consuming all that is offered to him.

“And if this can be said about a Bhikkhu who shines genuine Mettā from his heart for such a small fraction of time, then how much more could be said about the Bhikkhu, who is fully dedicated to and immersed in suffusing and permeating Mettā, throughout his entire life?”