Today, I want to talk about joy.
There are so many practices that are meant to cultivate pleasant emotions like joy.
And I've made a practice of looking for joy wherever I am.
Like when I'm writing at a coffee shop,
I feel a sense of ease seeing other people studying and talking.
And it brings me joy to know others are enriching their lives with knowledge and real conversation.
I also find joy in seeing others help each other.
And when I see parents being patient and loving with their children.
There are so many opportunities for us to catch joy from what's going on around us.
This practice took a while to become a habit for me,
and there are times when accessing joy for others can be challenging.
If we're unsatisfied in certain areas of our lives,
we may feel resentment or jealousy bubble up when we see others feeling happy.
And that's okay.
In those moments,
we can bring compassion to how we feel and send loving kindness to that part of us that wishes to be joyful and at ease too.
Sympathetic joy describes the practice of finding joy in others' joy and rejoicing in others' good fortune.
We can practice this both on and off the cushion, meaning whether we're meditating or not.
In meditation,
you can think of someone you care about and then imagine them feeling joy and at ease.