Mudita

Mudita

In Buddhism, there is the ancient Pali word: Mudita. It means to have empathic joy at seeing the goodness in another. It is not that kind of "Rah! 

Rah! Let's go celebrate!" kind of joy. 

Rather, it is more like being able to see and appreciate the manifestation of the latent goodness in someone. 

It is easy in these trying times to sink into the darkness of seeing only that which  is bad. We need to remember, that it was due to “kusala"   - (wholesomeness), that a given sentient being took re-birth in the human realm. In other words, there has had to have been a basic goodness in a given person for him/her to have taken on human existence. 

This is where Mudita comes in. People need an "admirable friend" — someone who sees that basic goodness within them. Why would that be important? It is important because that latent goodness may be very faint, poorly developed, unappreciated, unknown, to the individual. 

When we can see that goodness in others, and we react with appreciation and joy, we highlight that latent tendency which has just been manifest. So? Big deal! Right? No — IT truly is a big deal! Mudita is a "reinforcing event". 

Years ago, a famous psychologist, B. F. Skinner, meticulously documented the importance of "reinforcement" in strengthening behavioral tendencies. 

Mudita reinforces "goodness" It makes it more likely to appear again in the  future. It  strengthens and develops that tendency in others. 

Thus, when we are genuinely happy at seeing the goodness in others and express it openly, it assists in their future development and strengthening of that particular good quality.

Just imagine how important that could be to a given individual. It might be a very rare kind of experience for that person to have someone else see, and acknowledge, a basic goodness in them. Such might be the case for a person with poor self-esteem, an inmate, a homeless person, even a "deplorable" person. Can you imagine what it would be like to have others not recognize any goodness in you and you not even being able to see any goodness in yourself? Mudita can be that shot-in-the-arm — that toe-hold — that stepping stone — that helps the person to turn away from evil and start the process of developing into something better.

In order to extend Mudita to others, however, one has to be in a place of being free of envy, jealousy, ill will, etc. Only then, can one extend genuine mudita to others. Also, one must be able to see goodness, even if it is barely discernable, and react accordingly. 

We want so badly to build a better world, but often we are so unskillful in the way we engage in protests, counter-protests, finger-pointing, criticism, etc., when we could be doing so much more by focusing on that little goodness that already exists and reinforcing it via. mudita.

🌹  May all sentient beings, everywhere — now, or at some future time — realize the great value to be had in seeing the good in otherso and reacting joyfully when they do meritorious things.   🌹 

🌹  With metta ....