The four immeasurables—metta (loving-kindness), karuna (compassion), mudita (joy), and upekkha (equanimity)—are four fundamental heart qualities in Buddhist practice. Deva Premal created a mantra-based meditation piece centered on these qualities after Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield chanted them during a guided meditation at Blue Spirit retreat center. The composition uses a single drone note with minimal melody, allowing the listener to be "carried on the words and sounds" of the mantra, making it suitable for deep meditation or shavasana (final relaxation pose). The piece exemplifies how traditional Buddhist wisdom traditions are channeled into contemporary contemplative music.
How the Four Immeasurables Came into Being
Deva Premal explains that mantras and spiritual teachings often arrive when the student is ready to receive them. She held a vision for a meditation piece that would unfold "without melody, without structure"—a pure channeling of sound and meaning rather than conventional composition. However, she hadn't yet identified which mantra would serve as the vehicle for this experiment.
The turning point came when Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield visited Blue Spirit, the retreat center in Spain where Deva and her musical partner Miten are based. Kornfield had come to lead a program and agreed to guide a meditation for participants in a live-streamed session on the Gayatri Sangha app (which the couple broadcasts weekly on Saturdays). During this meditation—described as a moment when everyone entered "a deep space" together—Kornfield began chanting the four immeasurables: metta (loving-kindness), karuna (compassion), mudita (joy), and upekkha (equanimity).
Immediately after the meditation, Deva asked Kornfield if she could create a mantra or melody from what he had chanted. Kornfield agreed, and Deva recognized in that moment that she had found exactly what she had been waiting for. The following day, she entered the studio and worked with only a single drone note—one sustained pitch—to let herself be "inspired by these four qualities" without imposing any predetermined melodic structure.
What Are the Four Immeasurables in Buddhist Practice?
The four immeasurables (also called the four brahmaviharas or "divine abodes" in Pali Buddhist terminology) represent the cardinal virtues of the heart in Buddhist contemplative tradition:
- Metta (Loving-kindness): The quality of unconditional friendliness and benevolence toward all beings, beginning with oneself and extending outward without limit.
- Karuna (Compassion): The heart's capacity to feel and respond to the suffering of others, to wish for the alleviation of pain.
- Mudita (Joy): Sympathetic joy or celebration of others' happiness and good fortune, free from envy or resentment.
- Upekkha (Equanimity): A balanced, peaceful presence that remains calm and centered amid both pleasure and pain, gain and loss, success and failure.
In traditional Buddhist meditation, practitioners often cultivate these qualities through formal loving-kindness (metta) practice, where one systematically extends wishes of well-being to oneself, loved ones, neutral people, difficult people, and all beings. The four immeasurables together form a complete emotional and spiritual development path, moving from specific acts of kindness to a universal equanimity that holds all experience with grace.
The Role of Mantra and Sound in Channeling These Qualities
Deva Premal's approach to this composition reflects a deep understanding of how mantra functions in spiritual practice. Rather than imposing a rigid melody, she allowed the inherent power of the words and sounds themselves to guide the expression. By working with a single drone—a steady, unchanging note—she created a sonic foundation that emphasizes the mantra's content rather than musical complexity.
This method is intentional. Mantra, in both Hindu and Buddhist contexts, is understood to carry spiritual resonance beyond mere lyrics. The vibration of chanting, the rhythm of breath, and the repetition of sacred words are believed to attune the nervous system and consciousness to the qualities being invoked. By stripping away melody, Deva positioned the listener to experience the direct power of metta, karuna, mudita, and upekkha as living energies rather than as concepts set to music.
The Collaborative Creation: Joby's Harmonic Foundation
After Deva recorded her voice singing these four qualities over the drone, the piece moved into a collaborative phase with Joby, the harmonic vocalist who regularly works with Deva and Miten. Joby's role was crucial: he took each note that Deva had recorded and matched it with a corresponding chord, building harmonic layers by stacking his own voice multiple times to create what Deva calls "a musical carpet" or "ground to stand on."
This approach creates a rich textural landscape that honors Deva's minimalist vocal line while providing sonic support and depth. Rather than drums, strings, or traditional instrumentation, the vocal harmonies become the entire instrumental bed of the piece, keeping the focus on the mantra itself and the human voice as the primary vehicle for transmitting the teachings.
What Makes This Piece Suitable for Meditation and Shavasana?
Deva describes the piece as "long" and "timeless," qualities that make it ideal for extended contemplative practice. In a traditional yoga class, shavasana (the final resting pose) typically lasts five to fifteen minutes—a window in which a long, sustained, melodically open composition can fully settle the nervous system into stillness.
The absence of conventional musical structure (verse-chorus-bridge patterns) removes mental landmarks the brain might otherwise anticipate. Instead, the listener surrenders to the sustained vibration of the mantra and harmonic layers, allowing awareness to deepen rather than follow a narrative arc. This is particularly effective for meditation practitioners because the mind has fewer rhythmic or melodic hooks to grasp onto; instead, it can rest into the presence of the four heart qualities themselves.
The piece is also appropriate for self-directed meditation outside of a yoga class context. Someone might use it as a foundation for a personal metta practice, repeating the four immeasurables internally while the recording provides sonic support and frequency.
The Role of Teacher and Lineage in Modern Spiritual Music
Deva's framing of how this piece came to be reveals something important about the relationship between teacher, student, and spiritual transmission. Jack Kornfield, a Western Buddhist teacher trained in Thai and Zen traditions, brought the four immeasurables not as abstract teaching but as a lived, embodied chant. His willingness to guide a meditation and allow his own inspired chanting to be captured and transformed into art created a direct lineage connection between classical Buddhist wisdom and contemporary contemplative music.
This mirrors Deva's own philosophy, expressed in her opening statement: "When the disciple is right, the teacher will appear." She was not seeking Kornfield; rather, she had already opened herself to receive whatever teaching or mantra the moment would offer. Kornfield's arrival and his spontaneous chanting of the four immeasurables was, in this framework, a response to her readiness and her clear intention to create a meditation vehicle grounded in authentic spiritual principle.
The piece also reflects the democratization of dharma (Buddhist teachings) in the contemporary West. Rather than remaining confined to monastic traditions or formal Buddhism courses, the four immeasurables are here made accessible through music and mantra, reaching people who might never attend a Buddhist retreat but who seek to cultivate heart qualities through meditation and sound.
Where to Go from Here
If you are drawn to exploring the four immeasurables, you might begin with formal metta (loving-kindness) meditation practice, which systematically cultivates these qualities. Many teachers, including Jack Kornfield, offer guided recordings and teachings on this technique. You might also experiment with Deva Premal's composition during your own shavasana or meditation sessions, allowing the mantra and harmonics to work on a subtler level while you rest your mind.
For those interested in the intersection of traditional Buddhist teaching and contemporary contemplative music, explore more of Deva Premal and Miten's catalog, particularly pieces from The Inevitable Blossoming of the Heart album. You can also connect with their live community through the Gayatri Sangha app, where they offer weekly meditations and teachings, or attend one of their retreats and gatherings. The Four Immeasurables—metta, karuna, mudita, and upekkha—are not merely concepts to understand but qualities to embody, and they become more alive through consistent practice and the guidance of authentic teachers.
