Mudita

Mudita ( sympathetic joy ) is a central concept of the Buddhist mind training and ethics. Mudita is part of the Four Immeasurable ( Appamaññā ) - the "Four Divine Verweilungszustände " ( Brahmavihara ) called.

The shared joy is essentially directed to the fact that one is pleased even with other beings for their erlangtes well-being and wish them not to lose this well-being again. In the same way, for example, aims karuna, compassion, from it, to really understand the present suffering of others and suffer because of mutual identification, in a spirit of interdependence, even ( Mitzu ). The consequence of this compassion is then the desire that other beings may be freed from his suffering. Thus, while the nature Karuna wants liberation from suffering, Mudita is the desire for obtaining and maintaining a suffering -free state of well-being. What makes this well-being is caused, first of all does not matter. Above all, it is important to understand that something that makes another person happy does not have to be the same as what makes a self happy. One must refrain from their own ideas and try to really understand and nachzufühlen the joy of others - to empathize.

The opposite of sympathetic joy is the envy ( issa ). This is a karmically unwholesome ( akusala ) mental factor that is described in the Abhidhamma as the hateful mental formations belonging ( cf. greed, hatred and delusion as the three poisons ). For practitioners difficult to detect than the opposite state of mind is the near enemy of sympathetic joy, of worldly gaiety, the entertainment.

In his commentary on the Tipitaka, the Visuddhimagga ( Path of Purification ), Buddhaghosa summarizes the shared joy together:

Development of sympathetic joy

The development of sympathetic joy ( Mudita - bhavana ) is again more accurately described by Buddhagosa ( Vis.IX.3 and Vis.IX.5 ) section below follows this illustration:

" First, it should be thought of as an object of sympathetic joy a very dear friend. One who is filled through and through with joy. At its filled state to rejoice and to teach his sympathetic joy to him. One should think and feel about the following case: ' Oh, how would this creature. How nice is that! ' - A sensation of joy, as they have been at the sight of a loved one. "

" For the beginner in the practice of active sympathetic joy unsuitable to be a beloved, an indifferent or even hostile person choose as the object is. In the beloved very likely creates more desire than joy in the sense of Mudita, the person is a matter of indifference, one is indifferent face, and the enemy rather dislike or even hate will rise in one. Above all, the Extreme lust and hatred are unwholesome states of mind that not Kulitivierung the Brahmavihara, sympathetic joy ( Mudita ), compassion ( karuna ), equanimity ( upekkhā ) and loving kindness ( metta ), contribute. "

"Did you call it done to feel regarding the dear friend shared joy, so wide you this practice to an even indifferent persons and the enemies. Only if one has been here again in full measure success, one should include other people and being with. For example, you could extend the shared joy only to their own family, then all the friends, all the neighbors, the city, and so on until eventually the sympathetic joy excludes no more beings. "

Related forms of sympathetic joy

In the sub-culture of polyamory there is a similar form of sympathetic joy, expressed in joy, that a loved one of someone else is loved and feels lucky. For this " opposite of jealousy " the term exists Compersion.

Swell

  • Nyanatiloka: Buddhist dictionary. Fifth Edition. Stammbachstrasse - Herrnschrot 1999. ISBN 3-931095-09-6.
  • Buddhaghosa: Visuddhi Magga. read online
Buddhist ethics Karuṇā Abhidhammapitaka Three poisons (Buddhism) Upekkha
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