RIGHT INTENTION
Cultivating Appreciative Joy
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Whatever you intend,
whatever you plan, and whatever you have a tendency toward, that will
become the basis upon which your mind is established. (SN 12.40) Develop
meditation on appreciative joy, for when you develop meditation on
appreciative joy, any discontent will be abandoned. (MN 62)
Appreciative joy succeeds when it makes discontent subside. (Vm 9.95)
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The third brahma-vihara,
appreciative joy, is not mere joy. It is the gladness that arises when
you witness or contemplate the good fortune and happiness of another
being. It is a celebration of all that is good in the world, an
appreciation of healthy enjoyment itself. If you allow yourself to
experience this often, your mind will naturally incline toward this
state. It is impossible to feel any discontent when you genuinely feel
good about others.
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This is a
practice the world needs greatly, and it is deeply healing to the
wounded heart. Living beings abide together in such profound
interdependence that when relationships are fused with appreciative joy
rather than discontent, the entire system becomes healthier. Practice
celebrating the good things you see around you every day and use
appreciative joy as a powerful antidote whenever you feel discontent.
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Tomorrow: Refraining from Harsh Speech
One week from today: Cultivating Equanimity
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