Dhamma Wheel Buddhist Forum

Would generating feelings of joy for others when they receive joy from sensual pleasures still count as mudita?

ccharles wrote:Would generating feelings of joy for others when they receive joy from sensual pleasures still count as mudita?

ccharles,

I am not sure myself, but I have begun seriously working on developing Mudita lately and so I would like to provide a response for both of our sakes.

I think that, at least from my limited knowledge and experience, that Mudita is best applied to the admirable mental qualities that a person exhibits at a time. Somewhat like a "There's some good to everyone" sort of thing. Of course, there is more "good," or more accurately, "skillfullness" to the actions of some rather than others.

Yes, I do think that it is possible to be happy for someone else's happiness, say, if they're happily asleep or eating delicious food. But it seems that such sympathetic joy would be quite limited in comparison to the feelings of gladness that one would experience by contemplating, for example, how someone worked hard to achieve a goal or developed qualities that made himself or herself a better person. I suppose that an practical example would be being happy for someone being wealthy versus being happy for someone having worked diligently to acquire the wealth he or she possesses. I believe that the latter is stronger, and leads to development of the former as well.

Hope this helps!

Best Wishes,
LG2V

Thanks for the response. I'm also curious if generating feelings of joy for the joy someone else may develop at others' expense would constitute mudita.

ccharles wrote:Would generating feelings of joy for others when they receive joy from sensual pleasures still count as mudita?

This sounds like householder mudita.

Pleasurable feelings are good fortune IMO. So yes, I would say it is Mudita. But I would keep in mind the greatest blessing is final Nibbana.

Coyote wrote:Pleasurable feelings are good fortune IMO.

So having a good trip on drugs would be good fortune?

Shaila Catherine have a very good talk on appreciative joy(mudita).
http://imsb.org/teachings/audio.php

I tend to approach "the brahmaviharas" in this way:

“And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting others one protects oneself? By patience (khantiyā), harmlessness, lovingkindness, and sympathy (anudayatāya). It is in such a way that by protecting others one protects oneself.

Mudita is absent from this formulation, which avoids the problems attendant on being tasked with mudita with respect to beings undergoing sensual pleasures or other unwholesome actions.