Unselfish Joy
by Nyanaponika Thera
It
has been rightly stated that it is relatively easier for man to feel
compassion or friendliness in situations which demand them, than to
cherish a spontaneous feeling of shared joy, outside a narrow circle of
one’s family and friends. It mostly requires a deliberate effort to
identify oneself with the joys and successes of others. Yet the capacity
of doing so has psychological roots in man’s nature which may be even
deeper that his compassionate responses. There is firstly the fact that
people do like to feel happy (with—or without—good reason) and would
prefer it to the shared sadness of compassion. Man’s gregarious nature
(his “sociability”) already gives him some familiarity with shared
emotions and shared pleasure, though mostly on a much lower level than
that of our present concern. There is also in man (and in some animals)
not only an aggressive impulse, but also a natural bent towards mutual
aid and co-operative action. Furthermore, there is the fact that
happiness is infectious and an unselfish joy can easily grow out of it.
Children
readily respond by their own smiles and happy mood to smiling faces and
happiness around them. Though children can be quite jealous and envious
at times, they also can visibly enjoy it when they have made a playmate
happy by a little gift and they are then quite pleased with themselves.
Let parents and educators wisely encourage this potential in the child.
Then this seed will quite naturally grow into a strong plant in the
adolescent and the adult, maturing from impulsive and simple
manifestations into the sublime state of unselfish joy
(muditā-brahmavihāra). Thus, here too, the child may become “the father
of a man.” Such education towards joy with others should, of course, not
be given in a dry didactic manner, but chiefly in a practical way by
gently making the child observe, appreciate, and enjoy the happiness and
success of others, and by trying himself to create a little joy in
others. This can be aided by acquainting the child with examples of
selfless lives and actions for his joyful admiration of them (and these,
of course, should not be limited to Buddhist history). This feature
should not be absent in Buddhist youth literature and schoolbooks,
throughout all age groups. And this theme should be continued in
Buddhist magazines and literature for adults.
Admittedly,
the negative impulses in man, like aggression, envy, jealousy, etc.,
are much more in evidence than his positive tendencies towards communal
service, mutual aid, unselfish joy, generous appreciation of the good
qualities of his fellow-men, etc. Yet, as all these positive features
are definitely found in man (though rarely developed), it is quite
realistic to appeal to them, and activate and develop that potential by
whatever means we can, in our personal relationships, in education, etc.
“If it were impossible to cultivate the Good, I would not tell you to
do so,” said the Buddha. This is, indeed, a positive, optimistic
assurance.
If
this potential for unselfish joy is widely and methodically encouraged
and developed, starting with the Buddhist child (or, for that matter,
with any child) and continued with adults (individuals and Buddhist
groups, including the Sangha), the seed of muditā can grow into a strong
plant which will blossom forth and find fruition in many other virtues,
as a kind of beneficial “chain reaction”: magnanimity, tolerance,
generosity (of both heart and purse), friendliness, and compassion. When
unselfish joy grows, many noxious weeds in the human heart will die a
natural death (or will, at least, shrink): jealousy and envy, ill will
in various degrees and manifestations, cold-heartedness, miserliness
(also in one’s concern for others), and so forth. Unselfish joy can,
indeed, act as a powerful agent in releasing dormant forces of the Good
in the human heart.
We
know very well how envy and jealousy (the chief opponents of unselfish
joy) can poison a man’s character as well as the social relationships on
many levels of his life. They can paralyse the productivity of society,
on governmental, professional, industrial, and commercial levels.
Should not, therefore, all effort be made to cultivate their antidote,
that is muditā?
Muditā
will also vitalize and ennoble charitable and social work. While
compassion (karuṇā) is, or should be, the inspiration for it, unselfish
joy should be its boon companion. Muditā will prevent compassionate
action from being marred by a condescending and patronising attitude
which often repels or hurts the recipient. Also, when active compassion
and unselfish joy go together, it will be less likely that works of
service turn into dead routine performed indifferently. Indifference,
listlessness, boredom (all nuances of the Pali term arati) are said to
be the ’distant enemies’ of muditā. They can be vanquished by an
alliance of compassion and unselfish joy.
In
him who gives and helps, the joy he finds in such action will enhance
the blessings imparted by these wholesome deeds: unselfishness will
become more and more natural to him, and such ethical unselfishness will
help him towards a better appreciation and the final realisation of the
Buddha’s central doctrine of No-self (anattā). He will also find it
confirmed that he who is joyful in his heart will gain easier the
serenity of a concentrated mind. These are, indeed, great blessings
which the cultivation of joy with others’ happiness can bestow!
Nowadays,
moral exhortations fall increasingly on deaf ears, whether they are
motivated theologically or otherwise. Preaching morals with an
admonishing finger is now widely resented and rejected. This fact
worries greatly the churches and educators in the West. But there are
ample indications that this may, more or less, happen also in the
Buddhist countries of the East where ethics is still taught and preached
in the old hortatory style and mostly in a rather stereotype and
unimaginative way, with little reference to present-day moral and social
problems. Hence modern youth will increasingly feel that such
“moralizings” are not their concern. In fact within the frame of the
Buddhist teachings which do not rely on the authoritarian commandments
of God and church, but on man’s innate capacity for self-purification,
such conventionalized presentation of ethics which chiefly relies on
over-worked scriptural references, must appear quite incongruous and
will prove increasingly ineffective for young and old alike. The need
for reform in this field is urgent and of vital importance.
It
was also with this situation in view, that the preceding observations
have stressed the fact that a virtue like unselfish and altruistic joy
has its natural roots in the human heart and can be of immediate benefit
to the individual and society. In other words, the approach to a modern
presentation of Buddhist ethics should be pragmatic and contemporary,
enlivened by a genuine and warm-hearted human concern.
In
this troubled world of ours, there are plenty of opportunities for
thoughts and deeds of compassion; but there seem to be all too few for
sharing in others’ joy. Hence it is necessary for us to create new
opportunities for unselfish joy, by the active practise of loving
kindness (mettā) and compassion (karuṇā), in deeds, words, and
meditative thought. Yet, in a world that can never be without
disappointments and failures, we must also arm ourselves with the
equanimity (upekkhā) to protect us from discouragement and feelings of
frustration, should we encounter difficulties in our efforts to expand
the realm of unselfish joy.
Source: BPS, Kandy. Wheel 170 (excerpt). For Free Distribution Only.
