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Joy in meditation practice
“We each need to regularly do things that create joy and love within us. If we want to offer joy and love to one another, we need to build up some excess love.” Jarem Sawatsky
Joy is one of four immeasurable powers that support meditation, antidotes to negative mental habits and emotions.
In meditation, it speaks of the delight found in the present moment and the contentment that arises with shared joy.
Named Great Joy, “wellspring of well-being and peace”, a practice that helps tap into sources of joy in times of sorrow.
Why Great Joy? Because it rises above thoughts that center around the “self”, its hopes and fears, its pain and cravings.
When we feel scattered, strained and we think we’ll never make it, it’s time to introduce hopelessness to its medicine.
Great joy shifts our focus to the little things that makes our heart glad, simple moments that bring about a smiling face 🙂
A joyful mind makes a joyful heart
“Acknowledging the preciousness of each day is a good way to live, a good way to reconnect with our basic joy.” Pema Chodron
Meditation, allows us to experience the movement of the mind, one that constantly travels on a continuum.
Shifting our mood back and forth between feelings of boredom and nervousness, optimism and insecurity.
In practice, we come to realize that we’re easily drawn by the negative messages born within that motion.
We also come to grasp the role of memory in reinforcing our “feeling”, by supplying supporting arguments.
It is vital we attend these immediately, while its hot, drawing our attention back to that which bring us joy.
Great Joy helps shift back to the positive side of the continuum, by directing the mind to focus on what is.
We aim to bring practice to life, in daily activities, to nourish our mind with reasons to smile throughout the day.
As we move, work, run errands, we remember to enjoy, to spend a moment on thoughts that help keep our balance.
Grow joy in this moment
“Joy and humor in everyday life come from being fully there.” Chogyam Trungpa
That’s where practice comes in, with the help of mindfulness, we learn to be present in the moment.
We come to appreciate the satisfaction and well-being that is already here.
The more present, the more aware we become of the environment and its effect on us and vice versa.
Our appreciation and understanding of our mutual relationship with things deepens.
Great Joy serves as a harmonizing force, if we apply it on time, the moment we notice dissatisfaction.
To truly harness its power, we must first find what makes us and others joyful, see how it manifests in everyday life.
This inquiry is an invitation, one that reminds us to stop and take a moment to notice what is present and available.
Mindfulness opens us to experience, free to appreciate the joy that lies in a smile, open skies, flowers in bloom or a fine flavor.
Joyful whatever comes
“If you are not at home in the world, you live in the fear of one who can never truly relax and enjoy Life.” By Gary Zukav
The practice of Great Joy allows us to better the relationship with ourselves and the world, no matter what happens.
By directing the mind towards the abundance present now, we alleviate the dread that stems from focusing on “lack”.
We deliberately note the many moments of peace, satisfaction, joyousness, enthusiasm and kindness that cross our way.
Free from thoughts circling around success, failure, profit and loss, that infuse our mind all day, we meet reality at its full.
Thus, we steer away from jealousy and envy, emotions that typify an unbalanced mind, and keep us from connecting.
Since joy brings more of the same, we don’t stop at the joys closest to our heart, we cultivate it with the joys of others.
Your joy is my joy
“All the joy the world contains has come through wishing happiness for others. All the misery the world contains has come through wanting pleasure for oneself.” Shantideva
Happiness and security are central in our mind, driving us to work unceasingly for professional and personal success.
When we work to ensure nothing is lacking in the future, we tend to see lack, there is little room left for pleasure or joy.
When life feels like unrewarding work, everything looks gray, negative thoughts feed on negative thoughts and we suffer.
How do we get out of the loop? We look to the world around, by seeing ourselves as part of a wider whole, we find joy elsewhere.
In the end, being joyful isn’t about success or failure, it is about the quality of our being with and working with each other.
Through meditation we are invited to rejoice in the success and happiness of others, to celebrate the joys of the world.
You’ve been warned, it’s contagious?
Just be ~ enjoy?
Joy works like vitamin in our mind
“Do you know what gaiety is? It is just to laugh, to take delight in anything or nothing, to know the joy of living, smiling, looking straight into the face of another without any sense of fear.” Jiddu Krishnamurti
The aim of mind training is to set us free, to feel satisfaction and joyousness, to be at home in the world.
The future is born here, by growing a joyful heart, we direct our mind towards abundance both present and future.
This practice is an effective remedy in moments of gloom, if we are mindful and don’t fall into old mental habits.
Reality is experienced through filters, carrying negative and positive connotations, awareness helps clear the filters.
With right perceptive, joy is found everywhere; in every action, encounter and difficulty lies the choice to see differently.
The more we invite Great Joy into every experience, the faster our mind will adopt and integrate the strategy.
In this moment, somewhere, someone is feeling ecstatic, join the party the more joy you grow the happier you get❣❣❣
Nathalie Bizawi, founder of Wisdom & Mindfulness meditation center. Senior Meditation, Mindfulness and philosophy instructor, From Wingate Academic College. M.A in Education from TAU University, Tel Aviv.
Wisdom & Mindfulness your meditation center in Tel Aviv.