MUDITA: Unselfish Joy Discussed
The Blessed One said:
Here, monks, a disciple lets his mind pervade one direction with his heart filled with unselfish joy, likewise the second, the third and the fourth direction; extending above, below, and across the world, everywhere and equally with his heart filled with unselfish joy, abundant, grown great, measureless, free from hatred and enmity.
It’s Nature
Mudita as one of the four immeasurables, is popularly translated into English as; Gladness, Sympathetic Joy, Altruistic Joy or Unselfish Joy. Unfortunately, Mudita has received few attentions in its expositions as well as in its meditative development.
This virtue, which is finding joy in the happiness and success of others, also implies looking for the goods in others. We have to be able to see some good in a person before we can appreciate that person, otherwise, it would be difficult for us to experience joy in the good fortune or success of the person. In a broader sense, Mudita is also sympathy towards all mankind.
Some Thoughts and Observations
While the acts of loving-kindness and compassion reaches out to all sentient beings, altruistic joy and equanimity are inner personal mental states of mind, something intensely personal. People are much more ready to sympathize with the misfortunes of others than to rejoice with them. To be able to share genuinely in another's joy, some element of true affection or friendliness have to be present. On the hand, it is possible to feel compassion for suffering even without any friendliness for the sufferer.
There is plenty of suffering around us, with charitable organizations existing with the purposes of alleviating the suffering of these less fortunate. It gives volunteers of these organizations the privilege to offer their services to assist others, which in turn, help to grow their virtues of compassion and loving kindness. While compassion is the inspiration for this charitable acts and social work, unselfish joy is its close companion. Unselfish joy will prevent compassionate action from being affected by a condescending attitude creeping into our charitable acts. Also, when active compassion and unselfish joy go together, it will be less likely that this social work will turn into dead routine, performed indifferently. Indifference, listlessness, boredom are all 'distant enemies' of unselfish joy.
But sharing of altruistic joys are few and far in between for most people, such occasions are usually restrict within a narrow circle of one's family and friends. It would also require a deliberate effort to identify oneself with the joys and successes of others even though the capacity to do so is inherent in our human's nature.
Unselfish joy is most abundantly seem in young children, usually in their spontaneous visible smile, laughter and happiness that flow out of their joy when for instant, seeing their schoolmate’s success in winning a race in a sporting event. It is a reaction which is pure, innocent, spontaneous, uncontaminated as yet by greed, envy or jealousy. We should constantly and continuously encourage and developed this potential in our children, so that they can grow up to be better and happier adults.
Practices and Cultivation
Unselfish joy will also act as a powerful agent in helping to release other dormant forces of the Good in the human heart, such as magnanimity, tolerance, and generosity. When unselfish joy grows with cultivation, many other undesirable mental states such as craving, which gives rise to envy, jealousy, covetousness, avarice, and greed in all of its manifestations; the craving for possessions, for sensual pleasures, all these unprofitable mental states will eventually be eliminated. The Blessed One had said, "If it were impossible to cultivate the Good, I would not tell you to do so."
We should also try and create opportunities for ourselves in the cultivation of unselfish joy, by the active practice of loving-kindness and compassion, in actions, words, and in our meditation practices. In the process, we should also arm ourselves with equanimity to protect us from discouragement and feelings of frustration, should we encounter difficulties in our efforts to expand the realm of unselfish joy.
When we are able, and can reach the stage of sharing with others their joy of possession, their financial or social successes, etc. conceits of any kinds and craving would be counteracted in the self. The happiness born of shared pleasures, shared love, shared delight in another's success is indeed a peaceful and divine way of living.
As a Focus for Meditation
The Theravada tradition detail forty meditation subjects that can be used in Concentration Meditation, most of the themes used are abstract or inanimate. It is in the cultivation of the Four Sublime States, that four different types of living beings are used as initial subject of meditation.
In loving-kindness, the individual self is used. In compassion, an unlucky, unfortunate unsightly person, who is reduced to utter misery, is a suitable subject. In altruistic joy, one would choose a very dear close friend, and in the meditation on equanimity, the suitable subject is a neutral person.
The Path of Purification (Visuddhimagga) provides some details on how a meditator can go about generating the state of altruistic joy in the self;
One who begins the development of unselfish joy should not start with a dearly beloved person, a neutral person or hostile person. Persons of the opposite sex and those who are dead are also not suitable subjects for this meditation. If we used a dearly beloved person first as the meditation subject, our progress will stall and we will not be able to move forward. It is easy to share our unselfish joy with a dearly beloved person, but for such joy to flow forward to a neutral person or hostile person would not be easy as envy, jealousy or resentment will likely arises in the meditator’s mind and hinder further progress.
It is thus important that a suitable subject be selected. A very close dear friend who is always in a joyous and happy mood would be one. Meditation will be focus on happy and joyous occasions we have witness or heard, both present and past about the very dear friend. Unselfish joy can thus be aroused and he should be the first to be pervaded with unselfish joy in our mind.
Having thus aroused unselfish joy with respect to a dear person, the meditator can then direct it towards a neutral one, and after that towards a hostile one.
When meditating on a hostile one and resentment arise, the meditator should make it subside in the way as described under the exposition of loving-kindness i.e. the methods stated that can be used to overcome anger and irritation.
After breaking down the barriers in pervading the dear, neutral and hostile persons and himself with unselfish joy, he should then go on to “lets his mind pervade one direction with his heart filled with unselfish joy, likewise the second, the third and the fourth direction; extending above, below, and across the world, everywhere and equally with his heart filled with unselfish joy, abundant, grown great, measureless, free from hatred and enmity for all beings.”
“Breaking down the barriers” here means that there is no more distinction separating oneself, dear person, neutral person and hostile person. What is experience in our meditation at this stage is total impartiality toward oneself and the other three people.
One who have successfully reached this stage of absorption (jhana) with a mind accompanied by unselfish joy would have obtain the following eleven advantages: he sleeps in comfort, wakes in comfort, and dreams no evil dreams, he is dear to human beings, dear to non-human beings, deities guard him, fire and poison and weapons do not affect him, his mind is easily concentrated, the expression of his face is serene, he dies unconfused, if he penetrates no higher he will be reborn in the Brahma World.
Conclusion
The Ven. Nyanaponika has summed up the interdependence of the Four Divine Abidings in the following quotation:
Love imparts to equanimity its selflessness, its boundless nature and even its fervor...
Compassion guards equanimity from falling into cold indifference and keeps it from indolent or selfish isolation. Until equanimity has reached perfection, compassion urges it to enter again and again into the battlefields of the world.
Sympathetic joy gives to equanimity the mild serenity that softens its stern appearance. It is the divine smile on the face of the Enlightened One.