The Wellspring of Joy

Envy may seem to be human nature, but deeper still is mudita, the innate delight in the well-being of others.

By Anne Cushman

It's easiest to resonate at first with the joys of those we love—our children, our dearest friends. But as we become more sensitive to our own joys and sorrows, the barrier between the self and others begins to break down. "Mudita is boundless," writes vipassana teacher Sharon Salzberg. "As it develops in us, we are able to rejoice in the happiness and well-being of others, whether we like them or not. Remembering the truth of the vast potential for suffering in this world, we can feel happy that someone, anyone, also experiences some happiness."

It's not that we won't ever be visited by envy or Schadenfreude (that guilty pleasure in the misfortune of others that's the polar opposite of mudita). But when we root ourselves in gratitude for our own blessings, we are more likely to be able to remember that there is enough happiness to go around, and that anything that truly enriches the store of human joy also inevitably enriches our own lives. And the profound relief and freedom we feel when we genuinely let go of envy and embrace sympathetic joy becomes a powerful incentive to continue the practice. Mudita breaks down the inner walls we tend to erect between ourselves and others, and as it does so, we experience the tremendous joy and comfort of realizing that we are not alone.

Through the practice of mudita, we find our hearts naturally lifting at the good fortune of others rather than contracting in envy. We might feel uplifted by a coworker's promotion or delighted by the sight of two lovers holding hands on a park bench. Sneaking a peek at a lithe yogi arching into a perfect backbend on the mat next to us, we might sense our spirits soaring at the sight of a human body exuberantly expressing its potential, instead of feeling upset because our own body can't bend like that.

And who knows? After a long, blissful yoga practice, snuggling my son in my arms, I might even glance at the review of Yoga Hotel and think, with genuine delight, "Hey, that sounds wonderful! I'm so glad someone wrote it."

Anne Cushman is a contributing editor at Yoga Journal and the West Coast editor of Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. She is the author of From Here to Nirvana: The Yoga Journal Guide to Spiritual India.

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