The Miracle of Sympathetic Joy (From the Dharma Talk blog archives)

 

Sunday, August 15, 2010

The Miracle of Sympathetic Joy

Sympathetic Joy, mudita in Pali, the language of the Buddha, is one of the natural abodes that are cultivated through the practice of meditation. Generally speaking, it refers to the joy we feel at the good fortune and joy of others.

Some years back [1997?] I came into possession of a sitar through a set of circuitous circumstances. I had never considered learning to play one of these instruments, even though I had been playing guitar since I was nine. The sitar, however, is much more complicated. For example, in addition the seven "playable" strings, it also has sixteen "sympathetic" strings, each tuned to match one of the strumming strings and closely aligned below them. These strings are not plucked, but merely vibrate sympathetically when the main strings are played. This is one of the familiar sounds of the sitar: the resonating tonal buzz after the striking of a main string.

Sympathetic Joy has the same quality. It is not we who are directly experiencing the joy. We are merely vibrating in resonant sympathy with the person who is having the joyful experience. [The ember of joy that always resides within us is growing into a flame. Since we all have this ember of mudita within us, we can also kindle another person's joy with a smile, a friendly "good morning," or a humorous conversation with them. The Dalai Lama has said that, since there are about 9 billion people on earth, we can multiply our joy by 9 billion times when we experience sympathetic joy.] 
Sympathetic Joy can be a useful antidote to negative emotional states, such as jealousy, envy, or ill-will toward someone who is experiencing good fortune. When we are attacked by jealousy about someone else's experience, we can bring to mind how much pleasure that experience must have given the other person. I have used this panacea many times, and I can actually feel myself tingle with a sympathetic vibration. For a moment, at least, I can allow myself to feel the joy the other person must have felt, and for that moment, the joy is mine as well.

Blessings,
Roger 
Strumming strings (top) and sympathetic strings on a sitar.

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