Mindfulnessinaction’s Blog
An interactive Mindfulness Meditation blogBe Happy for others
One of the hardest things for some people is being genuinely happy for others when good things happen to them. In Buddhism one of the four sublime states the Buddha encouraged people to develop is called sympathetic joy which is the complete opposite of envy. It is the practice of being happy instead of jealous when good things happen to other people. If you are not developing this trait you are really robbing yourself of a great deal of joy. When you are genuinely happy for others you will always have something to celebrate! When something good is not happening to you something good is happening to someone else and you can rejoice in that. We all know that life is not easy and we should want our fellow beings to get some relief.
Developing sympathetic joy also works to disarm those that would brag about their accomplishments in order to lift themselves up above you. I have been in countless situations when people have tried to lord their success over me, for one reason or another, and when I expressed genuine happiness for them they were stunned. The bragging became a little more humble and they were actually surprised and relieved that some one really was happy for them.
Here is a short meditation you can practice throughout the day to help you develop sympathetic joy.
Sit quietly and think:
Knowing that life is no easy road I will train my mind to be happy for myself and for others when good things happen.
May I be happy and joyful for the good things that happen to me in my life!
May I be happy and joyful for the good things that happen to my parents!
May I be happy and joyful for the good things that happen to my teachers!
May I be happy and joyful for the good things that happen to my family members!
May I be happy and joyful for the good things that happen to my friends!
May I be happy and joyful for the good things that happen to those who are unfriendly toward me!
May I be happy and joyful for the good things that happen to people I feel might not deserve it!
May I be happy and joyful for the good things that happen to people even when it is at my expense!
May I be happy and joyful for the good things that happen to my enemies!
May I be happy and joyful for the good things that happen to all living beings!
May we all be well, happy and peaceful!
