The Joy of "Unselfish Joy" (Mudita)

Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Crystal Quintero (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly; Mudita (BPS.lk, Wheel #170/ATI), four essays by Nyanaponika Thera, Natasha Jackson, C.F. Knight, L.R. Oates

The Buddha overcoming near and distant "enemies" of meditation (David Adams/flickr)

 

Mudita: The Buddha's Teaching on Unselfish Joy

The Awakened One known as the Buddha said:

 

Herein [within this Dharma and Discipline], O meditators, a disciple's mind/heart pervades one quarter of the world with thoughts of unselfish joy, and so the second, and so the third, and so the fourth. And in this way the whole wide world, above, below, around, everywhere and equally, one continues to pervade with a heart/mind of unselfish joy, abundant, grown great, measureless, freed of hostility and ill-will.

 

Is Unselfish Joy Practicable?

Introduction by Ven. Nyanaponika Thera

Rainbow magic (Jasspierxia/flickr)

The virtue of mudita [unselfish joy, appreciative joy, altruistic joy, sympathetic joy, i.e., resonating or vibrating in line (in sympathy) with another person's happiness] is finding and experiencing joy in the happiness and success of others.

It has not received sufficient attention either in expositions of Buddhist ethics or in the meditative development of the Four Sublime States (Brahma Viharas), of which it is one. It was, therefore, thought desirable to compile this brief collection of essays and texts and to mention in this introduction a few supplementary features of this rather neglected subject.
 
It has been rightly stated that it is relatively easier for one to feel compassion or friendliness in situations that demand them than to cherish a spontaneous feeling of shared joy, outside of a narrow circle of one's family and friends.'
 
It mostly requires a deliberate effort to identify oneself with the joys and successes of others. Yet, the capacity of doing so has psychological roots in human nature that may be even deeper that one's compassionate responses.
 
There is firstly the fact that people do like to feel happy (with or without good reason) and would prefer it to the shared sadness of compassion [com-passion = con+passion = with+suffering]. Our gregarious nature (our "sociability") already gives us some familiarity with shared emotions and shared pleasure, though mostly on a much lower level than that of our present concern [which is the meditative development of this Sublime State].

There is in humans (and in some animals) more than an aggressive impulse, but also a natural bent towards mutual aid and cooperative action. There is the fact that happiness is infectious, and an unselfish joy can easily grow out of it. Children readily respond by their own smiles and happy mood to smiling faces and happiness around them. Though children can be quite jealous and envious at times, they also can visibly enjoy it when they have made a playmate happy with a small gift, and they are then quite pleased with themselves.

Let parents and educators wisely encourage this potential in children. Then this seed will quite naturally grow into a strong plant in the adolescent and the adult, maturing from impulsive and simple manifestations into the Sublime State of unselfish joy (mudita-brahma-vihara). Here too, the child may become "the parent of a person." Such education towards joy with others should chiefly be given in a practical way by gently making the child observe, appreciate, and enjoy the happiness and success of others, and by trying to create a little joy in others.

This can be aided by acquainting the child with examples of selfless lives and actions for the joyful admiration of them (and these, of course, go beyond Buddhist history to all human history). This feature should is present in Buddhist youth literature, schoolbooks, and as a theme in Buddhist magazines and adult literature.
 
Our negative impulses -- like aggression, envy, jealousy, and so on -- are often more in evidence than our positive tendencies toward communal service, mutual aid, unselfish joy, generous appreciation of the good qualities of others and so on. Yet, as all of these positive features are definitely found in humans (though rarely developed), it is realistic to appeal to them and activate and develop them by whatever means we can -- in our personal relationships, education, and so on.

"If it were impossible to cultivate the good, I would not tell you to do so," said the Buddha. This is, indeed, a positive, optimistic assurance.
 
If this potential for unselfish joy is widely and methodically encouraged and developed, starting with the Buddhist child (or any child) and continued with adults (individuals and Buddhist groups, including the Sangha), the seed for unselfish joy can grow into a strong plant that blossoms and finds fruition in other virtues, a kind of beneficial "chain reaction": magnanimity, tolerance, generosity (of heart and purse), friendliness, and compassion. When unselfish joy grows, many noxious weeds in the human heart will be displaced: jealousy and envy, ill will in various degrees and manifestations, cold-hearted indifference, miserliness, and so forth. Unselfish joy can, indeed, act as a powerful agent in releasing dormant forces of the good in the human heart.
 
We know very well how envy and jealousy (the chief opponents of unselfish joy) can poison our character as well as our social relationships on many levels of life. They can paralyze the productivity of society on governmental, professional, industrial, and commercial levels. Should we therefore not endeavor to cultivate their antidote: unselfish joy?
 
It will also vitalize and ennoble charity and social work. While compassion (karuna) is the inspiration for it, unselfish joy is its boon companion. It prevents compassionate action from being marred by a condescending or patronizing attitude, which often repels or hurts the recipient. Also, when active compassion and unselfish joy go together, it is less likely that works of service turn into droning routine performed with indifference.

Indifference, listlessness, boredom (all nuances of arati, famously regarded as one of Mara's daughters) are said to be the "distant enemies" of unselfish joy. They can be vanquished by the alliance of compassion and unselfish joy.
 
In one who gives and helps, the joy one finds in such action will enhance the blessings imparted by these wholesome deeds: Unselfishness will become more and more natural, and such ethical unselfishness will help one toward a better appreciation and the final realization of the Buddha's central doctrine of No-self (anatta, egolessness). One will also find it confirmed that one who is joyful in heart gains more easily the serenity of a concentrated mind. These are, indeed, great blessings which the cultivation of joy with others' happiness can bestow!

The compilation ends with a fifth "essay," an entry from the Path of Purification by the great Buddhist commentator Buddhaghosa on how to cultivate unselfish joy to the intensity of absorption. The 11 advantages listed at the end of this entry come not from merely trying to develop mudita but from actually attaining absorption through practicing it. It is the absorption (jhana) that powers the benefits.

Meditative Development of Unselfish Joy

Ven. Buddhaghosa (5th-century), excerpt from the Path of Purification (Visuddhimagga)

Meditation mudra (mysecretpsychiclife.com)

One who wishes to begin developing unselfish joy (mudita) meditation must avoid starting with a dearly beloved, neutral, or hostile person.
 
For it is not the mere fact that a person is dearly beloved that makes that person an immediate cause of developing unselfish joy, and still less so a neutral or hostile person. A person of the opposite sex or anyone who has passed away is also unsuitable subjects in this form of meditation [the former being likely to inspire lust, the latter being impossible to achieve absorption through].

• [The only purpose of selecting a proper person as subject is to quickly gain mastery of this form of meditation; thereafter, one may it expand it to anyone. Rather than getting bogged down here, bear in mind that "Perfection is the enemy of good."]

A very close friend, however, can be a suitable subject -- one who is called in the Commentaries a close companion, for that person is always in a joyous mood, laughs first and speaks afterwards. That person should be the first to be pervaded with unselfish joy [sympathetic joy, joy in that person's joy, happiness in his or her happiness]. Or on seeing or hearing about a dear person being happy, cheerful, and joyous, unselfish joy can be aroused in this way: "This being, truly, is happy! How good, how excellent!" For this is what is referred to in the Vibhanga: "And how does a meditator dwell pervading one direction with heart imbued with unselfish joy? Just as one would be joyful on seeing a dear and beloved person, so one pervades all beings with unselfish joy" (Vib. 274).
 
But if this affectionate friend or dear person was happy in the past but is now unlucky and unfortunate, then unselfish joy can still be aroused by remembering that person's past happiness, or by anticipating that the person will be happy and successful again in the future.
 
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.
 
But if resentment towards the hostile one arises, one should make it subside in the same way as described under the exposition of loving-kindness (metta).
 
One should then break down the barriers by means of impartiality (upekkha) towards the four, that is, towards these three and oneself. And by cultivating the sign (nimitta, counterpart sign, after-image, which is obtained by deep concentration), developing and repeatedly practicing it, one should increase the absorption (jhana) to triple or (according to the Abhidhamma division) quadruple absorption.
 
Next, the versatility (in this meditation) should be understood in the same way as stated under loving-kindness. It consists of:

(a) Unspecified pervasion in these five ways:

"May all beings... all breathing things... all creatures... all persons... all those who have a personality be free from enmity, affliction, and anxiety, and live happily!"

(b) Specified pervasion in these seven ways:

"May all women... all men... all Noble Ones [ariyans, those who have attained any of the noble states]... all non Noble Ones... all devas... all human beings... all those in states of misery (in lower worlds) be free from enmity, and so on."

(c) Directional pervasion in these ten ways:

"May all beings (all breathing things, etc.; all women, etc.) in the eastern direction... in the western direction... northern... southern direction... in the intermediate eastern, western, northern, and southern direction... in the downward direction... in the upward direction be free from enmity, and so on."

This versatility is successful only in one whose mind has reached absorption (jhana).
 
When this meditator develops the mind-deliverance of unselfish joy through any of these kinds of absorption, one obtains these 11 advantages: One sleeps in comfort, wakes in comfort, and dreams no upsetting dreams, one is dear to human beings, dear to non-human beings, devas guard one, fire and poison and weapons do not affect one, one's mind is easily concentrated, the expression of one's face is serene, one dies unconfused, if one [with insight] penetrates no higher one will be reborn in the Brahma World (A v 342). More

• The Jhanas in Theravada Buddhist Meditation
• Mental States (cetasikas) in Buddhism: In the 89 types of consciousness enumerated in the first chapter, 52 mental states arise in varying degrees. There are seven concomitants common to every [kind of] consciousness. There are six others that may or may not arise in each and every consciousness. They are termed pakinnakā("particulars"). All of these 13 are designated aññasamāna, a technical term: Añña means "other," samana means "common." Sobhanas(good), when compared with asobhanas (harmful), are called añña, "other," being of the opposite category. So are the asobhanas in contradistinction to sobhanas.

The Way without blind faith (sutra)

Ven. Ñanamoli Thera, Salha Sutta: "To Salha" (AN 3.66), Dhr. Seven (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly

The historical Buddha had blue-eyes and golden skin (Tenzin Osel//flickr.com).

 

Thus have I heard. Once Venerable Nandaka was living at Savatthi in the Eastern Monastery, Migara's Mother's Palace. Then Migara's grandson, Salha, and Pekhuniya's grandson, Rohana, went to him, and after a salutation sat respectfully to one side. When they had done so Ven. Nandaka said to Migara's grandson:

 

This abbreviated message is misleading.

"Come, Salha, do not be satisfied with hearsay or with tradition or with legendary lore or with what has come down in scriptures or with conjecture or with logical inference or with weighing evidence or with a liking for a view after pondering it or with someone else's ability or with the thought, 'This ascetic is our teacher.' 

"But when you know in yourself, 'These things are unprofitable, liable to censure, condemned by the wise, being adopted and put into effect, they lead to harm and suffering,' then abandon them.

"What do you think? Is there greed?" — "Yes, venerable sir." — "Covetousness is the meaning of that, I say. Through greed a covetous person kills breathing things, takes what is not given, commits sexual misconduct, and utters falsehoods [perjury, divisive speech, harsh words, idle chit chat], and one gets another to do the same. Will that be long for one's harm and suffering?" — "Yes, venerable sir."

"What do you think, is there hate?" — "Yes, venerable sir." — "Ill-will is the meaning of that, I say. Through hate a malevolent person kills breathing things [and likewise disregards the other precepts]... Will that be long for one's harm and suffering?" — "Yes, venerable sir." 

"What do you think? Is there delusion?" — "Yes, venerable sir." — "Ignorance is the meaning of that, I say. Through ignorance a deluded person kills breathing things... Will that be long for one's harm and suffering?" — "Yes, venerable sir."

 

"What do you think? Are these things profitable or unprofitable?" — "Unprofitable, venerable sir." — "Blameworthy or blameless?" — "Blameworthy, venerable sir." — "Condemned or commended by the wise?" — "Condemned by the wise, venerable sir." — "Being adopted and put into effect, do they lead to harm and suffering, or do they not, or how does it appear to you in this case?" — "Being adopted and put into effect, venerable sir, they lead to harm and suffering. So it appears in this case." 

 

"Now that was the reason why I told you, 'Come Salha, do not be satisfied with hearsay [and so on as stated famously by the Buddha in the Kalama Sutra]... 

"But when you know in yourself, "These things are unprofitable," then abandon them.'

Nongreed, nonhatred, nondelusion 

The Kalama Sutra in brief: There is no need to take anything on faith but instead consider, Do greed, hatred, and delusion arise in a person to that person's benefit or detriment, or how do you see it? To a person's detriment. In that case, abandon them not because of faith, hearsay, my teaching, another teacher's teaching...but because you yourself can see that this is the case. And if you can see this, is it not also true that...?

 

"Come Salha, do not be satisfied with hearsay... or with the thought, 'This ascetic is our teacher.' But when you know in yourself, 'These things are profitable, blameless, commended by the wise, being adopted and put into effect they lead to welfare and happiness,' then practice them and abide in them. 

 

"What do you think? Is there non-greed?" — "Yes, venerable sir." — "Uncovetousness is the meaning of that, I say. Through non-greed an uncovetous person does not kill breathing things or take what is not given or engage in sexual misconduct or utter falsehoods, and one gets another to do likewise. Will that be long for one's welfare and happiness?" — "Yes, venerable sir."

"What do you think? Is there non-hate?" — "Yes, venerable sir." — "Non ill-will is the meaning of that, I say. Through non ill-will an unmalevolent person does not kill breathing things... Will that be long for one's welfare and happiness?" — "Yes, venerable sir."

"What do you think? Is there non-delusion?" — "Yes, venerable sir." — "True knowledge is the meaning of that, I say. Through non-delusion a person with true knowledge does not kill breathing things... Will that be long for one's welfare and happiness?" — "Yes, venerable sir."

 

"What do you think? Are these things profitable or unprofitable?" — "Profitable, venerable sir." — "Blameworthy or blameless?" — "Blameless, venerable sir." — "Condemned or commended by the wise?" — "Commended by the wise, venerable sir." — "Being adopted and put into effect, do they lead to welfare and happiness, or do they not, or how does it appear to you in this case?" — "Being adopted and put into effect, venerable sir, they lead to welfare and happiness. So it appears to us in this case."

"Now that was the reason why I told you, 'Come Salha, do not be satisfied with hearsay... but when you know in yourself, "These things are profitable..." then practice them and abide in them.'

 

"Now a disciple who is ennobled [by reaching the Noble Path, attaining at least the first stage of enlightenment], who has rid oneself in this way of covetousness and ill-will and is undeluded, abides with one's heart imbued with loving-kindness extending over one quarter, likewise the second quarter, likewise the third quarter, likewise the fourth quarter [all four cardinal directions, east, south, west, north], and so above, below, around, and everywhere, and to all as to oneself.

"One abides with one's heart abundant, exalted, with measureless loving-kindness, freed of hostility and ill-will, extending over the all-encompassing world-system. One abides with heart imbued with compassion... gladness [over the happiness of others]... equanimity extending over the all-encompassing world-system.

"Now one understands this state of meditation in this way: 'There is this [state of Divine Abiding in one who has entered the stream to full enlightenment]. There is what has been abandoned [which is the amount of greed, hate, and delusion exhausted by the stream-entry Path moment]. There is a superior goal [which is full enlightenment or arhatship]. And there is an ultimate escape from this whole field.'

Novice Rahula, the Buddha, and Ven. Ananda

"When one knows and sees in this way, one's heart is liberated from the taint of sensual craving, from the taint of clinging to being [becoming], and from the taint of ignorance. When liberated [by reaching the arhat Path moment], there comes thereafter the knowledge that it is liberated. One knows that rebirth is ended, that the Highest Life has been lived to perfection, that what had to be done is done, and that there is no more of this [suffering] to come. 

 

"One understands thus: 'Formerly there was greed, which was harmful, and now there is none, which is beneficial. Formerly there was hate, which was harmful, and now there is none, which is beneficial. Formerly there was delusion, which was harmful, and now there is none, which is beneficial.'

"So here and now, in this very life, one is parched no more [by the fever of craving's thirst], one's fires of greed, hate, and delusion are extinguished and cooled out; experiencing bliss, one abides [for the remainder of one's final life-span] supremely pure in oneself." 

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The METTA of Martin Luther King Jr. (video)

Jason Espada; Ashley Wells, CC Liu, Pat Macpherson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly: MLK DAY!

The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Christian minister, with his friend, fellow peace activist, and anti Vietnam War agitator, the Buddhist monk Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh

Remembering Rev. King and the March on Washington, D.C. (history.com)

 

There are parallels between Dr. King’s ideas and the Buddha's teachings on metta (universal loving kindness).

 

Both figures show us love as a method of personal and social transformation. There are a few places where they overlap and in some ways potentially complement one another.

Metta is the traditional step-by-step method of Buddhist loving-kindness practice. It begins with oneself, moves on to those who are closest to us [usually our spiritual teacher(s)], and aims to reach a magnitude that includes everyone. It is a universal or illimitable state, one of the "Divine Abidings" (Brahma Viharas), because eventually it includes all living beings in all directions without bias.

Trayvon Martin teaches us that it is not over.

By contrast, Dr. King drew on Christian sources to speak of love. The first parallel is his teaching on the different types of love. "There are three words for 'love' in the Greek version of the New Testament; one is the word 'eros,' a sort of esthetic, romantic love. Plato used to talk about it a great deal in his dialogues, the yearning of the soul for the realm of the divine. And there is and can always be something beautiful about eros, even in its expressions of romance. Some of the most beautiful love in all of the world has been expressed this way."

It is interesting that Rev. King, a Baptist minister, starts here. It is an expression of love we can all relate to, not one too high up in the clouds. Metta practice also begins with the feelings we have for those closest to us. But the Buddha points out, as does King, that there is more to love.

Dr. King in living color in D.C. (easternct.edu)

Metta teachings from the outset have us distinguishing between attachment and a purer (more altruistic) love between people. Basically, if we crave for something in return, if we are motivated by possessiveness, or if it is liable to turn into something else -- such as anger or hatred if it is unrequited -- then it is done with attachment (clinging, upadana) not with metta. 

We must be clear about this. King goes on to speak of another kind: "Then the Greek language talks about 'philia,' which is another word for love, and philia is a kind of intimate love between personal friends. This is the kind of love you have for those people [whom] you get along with well, and those whom you like on this level you love because you are loved."

  

MLK (meditationandspiritualgrowth.com)

This is also something we have all known in our lives. I recently came across a beautiful teaching on the most noble qualities of friendship in Fr. Wayne Teasdale's book, A Monk in the World. In it, he mentions the tradition of Latin Christianity, which "places the emphasis on friendship’s spiritual character, calling a friend in the monastic context acustos animi, or a guardian of one’s soul." 

Teasdale adds, "All friendship requires other centeredness," and this is "really knowing our friends’ hearts.

No more racism, sexism! (FEMEN)

It includes committed friendship’s usual intense affective power, but it also serves our friends’ ultimate well being." That metta practice moves from oneself, or those closest to us, to our friends, is intended to touch this vital quality of caring in us, to awaken and enhance it so we can share it with more and more people. There is refinement of our love, an elevating quality that we develop.

King concludes the passage: "Then the Greek language has another word for love, and that is the word 'agape.' Agape is more than romantic love, it is more than friendship. Agape is understanding, creative, redemptive good will toward all [humans]. Agape is an overflowing love which seeks nothing in return."

MLK, John F. Kennedy, and other prominent civil rights activists in black history

  

In the same way, metta aims to become mature love. In contrast to Christian methods, which have many wonderful features, the strength of the Buddhist tradition of metta is that it sets out a path of practice that shows us what step we can take next. This brings us to a second parallel teaching, one King called The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life.

The peace activist diet (PETA)

"There are three dimensions...length, breadth, and height. Now the length of life as we shall use it here is the inward concern for one’s own welfare. In other words, it is that inward concern that causes one to push forward, to achieve [one's] own goals and ambitions.

The breadth of life as we shall use it here is the outward concern for the welfare of others. And the height of life is the upward reach for God. Now you [have] got to have all three of these to have a complete life.

"Now let’s turn for the moment to the length of life. I said that this is the dimension of life where we are concerned with developing our inner powers. In a sense this is the selfish dimension of life. There is such a thing as rational and healthy self-interest. Before you can love other selves adequately, you’ve got to love your own self properly.

MLK, Thay, Dr. Browne (digitalunion.osu.edu)

"And you know what loving yourself also means? It means that you’ve got to accept yourself."

 

It is great King started here. A lot of us have problems being kind to ourselves. And even if it is not essential as the very first step towards loving others, from a Buddhist point of view, it is still something we all need to learn to do if we are going to make progress in our metta practice.

 

United We Stand - with love/metta

One of the skillful means in metta is that we should start with whomever we find easiest and progress from there. After cultivating thoughts wishing others well, beginning with those most dear, for days or weeks or months, we have some metta to work with.

We then start to see how we, too, are worthy of respect and the kindness of others.

For some people this is a long process, but it is something we can all do. This is very encouraging. 

MLK made our collective dream a reality!

"Now the other thing about the length of life: after accepting ourselves and our tools, we must discover what we are called to do. And once we discover it we should set out to do it with all of the strength and all of the power that we have in our systems.

"Be the best of whatever you are. And when you do this, when you do this, you’ve mastered the length of life.

"Now don’t stop here, though. You know, a lot of people get no further in life than the length. They develop their inner powers; they do their jobs well. But do you know, they try to live as if nobody else lives in the world but themselves.

 

10 Things About MLK (history.com)

A lot of people never get beyond the first dimension of life. So I move on and say that it is necessary to add breadth to length. Now the breadth of life is the outward concern for the welfare of others, as I said. And a [one] has not begun to live until [one] can rise above the narrow confines of...individual concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity."

 

Let's laugh and end racism (sodahead.com)

Metta is just this -- starting with what is nearest to us and extending outwards, becoming more and more inclusive until it reaches what are called the Divine Abodes: universal love, compassion (the active side of love), appreciative joy (happiness in others' success and happiness), and equanimity (non-bias) -- all born of the strength of our dedication. (Let us return to equanimity or upekkha, further on as it is a quality so impressively demonstrated by King and others in the Civil Rights movement). More