A personal blog by a graying (mostly Anglo with light African-American roots) gay left leaning liberal progressive married college-educated Buddhist Baha'i BBC/NPR-listening Professor Emeritus now following the Dharma in Minas Gerais, Brasil.
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Intention: Cultivating Appreciative Joy
Whatever you intend,
whatever you plan, and whatever you have a tendency toward, that will
become the basis on 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)
Reflection
It is not
uncommon to experience discontent. There are so many things we can feel
we are lacking in our lives, so many things in the world not going the
way we would wish, and so much with which we can find fault. Or we can
move in the other direction, cataloging and celebrating what is good and
right in our experience, especially when we seek out and notice when
good fortune comes to other people.
Daily Practice
Get in the
habit of taking note of the positive experiences of people around you
and match it with an attitude of appreciation and wishing them well for
their good fortune. Appreciative joy is not about rejoicing in your own
situation but recognizing and appreciating the blessings experienced by
others. If you do this, there will be endless opportunities for feeling
good about things and no room for discontent.
Tomorrow: Refraining from Harsh Speech One week from today: Cultivating Equanimity
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