Apr 01 2016 91 mins 8
Alan continues on the topic of the four immeasurables, now turning to the third one, Empathetic Joy. He explains that each of the four immeasurables serves as an antidote when another of the four immeasurables goes astray.
First, loving-kindness turns into an antibody to empathetic joy, in case the latter becomes hedonic fixation. Alan adds that hedonia never turns well, it is all about acquiring, whereas loving kindness is all about a vision, a vision of what would truly makes us happy.
Second, compassion becomes an antidote when equanimity goes aloof. This happens for example, when we see all the suffering surrounding us and we become dispirited. So, compassion is the antidote for the apathy of cold indifference.
Third, empathetic joy is the antidote when compassion goes astray and falls into despair. We may think: “I’m so ordinary, what can I do?” Alan traces a parallel of one’s achieving shamatha, as it may look so out of our reach at first. But then, if we only achieve stage two, it is already worth it. He explains that is not about turning low self esteem into high self esteem, we should instead see that there is a lot to take satisfaction and reflect upon the good things we brought to the world. Alan then recalls Tsong Khapa, which says that the easiest way for us to accrue merit is to rejoice in our own virtue. We can then extend this to other people's virtue, for example that of the Dalai Lama and other great beings who brought so much goodness to the world.
Meditation is on Empathetic Joy.
After meditation, Alan returns to the text (page 26 of Naked Awareness) and gives comment on the “Generation of the Mahayana Aspiration”. He elaborates on the first two of the twenty-two stages of bodhicitta and the importance of having a sane mind, achieved by way of shamatha, as a basis for that. He finishes expanding on the three types of bodhicitta, that differ on whether one achieves liberation before liberating others, together with all sentient beings or after all sentient beings have achieved awakening – the highest one.
Meditation starts at 23:47
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Please contribute to make these, and future podcasts freely available.
First, loving-kindness turns into an antibody to empathetic joy, in case the latter becomes hedonic fixation. Alan adds that hedonia never turns well, it is all about acquiring, whereas loving kindness is all about a vision, a vision of what would truly makes us happy.
Second, compassion becomes an antidote when equanimity goes aloof. This happens for example, when we see all the suffering surrounding us and we become dispirited. So, compassion is the antidote for the apathy of cold indifference.
Third, empathetic joy is the antidote when compassion goes astray and falls into despair. We may think: “I’m so ordinary, what can I do?” Alan traces a parallel of one’s achieving shamatha, as it may look so out of our reach at first. But then, if we only achieve stage two, it is already worth it. He explains that is not about turning low self esteem into high self esteem, we should instead see that there is a lot to take satisfaction and reflect upon the good things we brought to the world. Alan then recalls Tsong Khapa, which says that the easiest way for us to accrue merit is to rejoice in our own virtue. We can then extend this to other people's virtue, for example that of the Dalai Lama and other great beings who brought so much goodness to the world.
Meditation is on Empathetic Joy.
After meditation, Alan returns to the text (page 26 of Naked Awareness) and gives comment on the “Generation of the Mahayana Aspiration”. He elaborates on the first two of the twenty-two stages of bodhicitta and the importance of having a sane mind, achieved by way of shamatha, as a basis for that. He finishes expanding on the three types of bodhicitta, that differ on whether one achieves liberation before liberating others, together with all sentient beings or after all sentient beings have achieved awakening – the highest one.
Meditation starts at 23:47
___
Please contribute to make these, and future podcasts freely available.
