gratitude and appreciation: talk and instruction

Appreciation (Mudita)


The most common translation for mudita is sympathetic joy. This
encourages us to be able to sympathize with or participate in the
happiness of others. It is the antidote to jealously and envy.


Mudita has the ability and characteristic of gladdening. It helps
us to overcome the common attitude of “how come them and not me.”
We may find that we often become jealous or self-conscious when
we are faced with the good fortune of others. This creates the
experience of separation and we become disconnected and
self-centered. We may consider how unfortunate it is to be unable
to participate in the happiness and success of others, especially
when the person is somebody we care about. Whether it is a good
friend, colleague, or family member, wouldn’t we want to be able
to appreciate his or her good fortune? We want to develop a
specific practice to evoke and embody this quality of
appreciation.


Such a practice gives us the ability to participate in all the
happiness, joy, success, and pleasure of this world without the
need for it to be our own. If we restrict our experience of
gratitude to our own gains and successes, we severely limit our
potential joy and happiness. We create a mind that compares and
contrasts. We may become competitive, bitter, and even resentful.
If we can bring awareness and appreciation to the good fortune of
others, it allows us to keep from closing off from the world and
revel in happiness and connection.