Session 54: Empathetic joy and Achieving Greater Balance by Attending to the Good in the World

B. Alan Wallace, 18 Nov 2010

Strong mental afflictions catch our attention. We do not notice good deeds as much as bad. This is especially true of the media. We need to make a conscious effort to have an antenna up for joy. In a single meditation session we can take delight in doing the practice well. Even if our mind wanders, we can bring it back joyfully.
The meditation includes the Mahayana prayer:
May we all never be parted from genuine happiness and the causes of happiness. Why couldn’t we? May we never be parted from genuine happiness and well-being. May I make it so! May my own spiritual mentors bless me so I may be enabled to help others to achieve genuine happiness!
The questions and answers dealt with the “cascading waterfall” of thoughts listed in the Stages of Shamatha and practical suggestions for using insight to improve the practice.

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