To mindfulness practitioners, joy - particularly mudita (translated as “sympathetic joy” or “appreciative joy”) - is something quite different from conventional notions of happiness.
While conventional happiness is defined by personal pleasure and self-centered gratification, mudita is the joy we feel for others, when we witness their progress and wellbeing.
We are genuinely uplifted by the thought and observation of someone else doing and living well. There is no trace of envy, jealousy, or feeling threatened - only a warm-hearted sense of delight.
In the age of social media, where constant comparison fuels competition, and filtered realities stir feelings of inadequacy, mudita becomes a beautiful and noble quality to cultivate within ourselves.
When you see someone post about their latest milestone in life, do you find yourself whole-heartedly rejoicing in their good fortune, or do you notice subtle traces of resentment and unease, as if their light dims your own?
Unlike ordinary happiness, which is always conditioned by grasping at what we want and lamenting what we lack, mudita is rooted in generosity of spirit. It asks for nothing and yet, it nourishes the heart and mind simply by celebrating the wellbeing of others.
Ordinary happiness tends to be fleeting and will last only as long as the positive experience remains, but sympathetic joy is boundless.
Being happy for others does not take away from our own joy. In fact, the more we revel in the happiness of others, the more expansive and joyful our own heart becomes.
In this Take A Pause session recorded live on 23 March 2025, the TAP community practiced mudita, wishing both ourselves and others happiness and joy.
We brought to mind someone we knew and offered some thoughts of loving kindness:
May you experience happiness and success in your life.
May your joys be many and your burdens be light.
May we celebrate each other’s success with open hearts.
May we rejoice in the wellbeing of the world.
We also brought awareness and compassion to the experience, and acknowledged any resistance or indifference to the practice.
We closed the session by sharing a prose “This Is My Wish For You”, often attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson:
This is my wish for you:
Comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, sunsets to warm your heart, hugs when spirits sag, beauty for your eyes to see, friendships to brighten your being, faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you doubt, courage to know yourself, patience to accept the truth, love to complete your life.
Meditation Begins: 08:15
Reading Begins: 29:15
Meditation Duration: 21 minutes
Finding Joy in Absence
While the world urges us toward more - more doing, more consuming, more achieving, mindfulness invites less: less clutter, less busyness, less stimulation, less excess.
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