Open Hearted Joy
This is the fourth part of the four immeasurables and in this practice we’re going to be talking about open hearted joy. I think out of all the immeasurables I like this one the best because it’s something we can all do every day.
Open hearted Joy means appreciating the happiness of others. It’s about appreciating what they have, what they’ve achieved and being really happy for them. And when I say really happy, I mean it, as this is the key to open hearted joy. So, I’m talking about real joy. Not fake joy or saying ‘Oh, that’s lovely’ and not really meaning it. Open hearted joy is real.
We spend an awful lot of time on searching for our own happiness. We don’t really appreciate other people’s happiness. Open hearted joy gives us the opportunity to be happy and joyous for another’s good fortune.
In life it’s difficult to find true and lasting happiness. It takes a lot of effort. We all have fleeting moments of happiness that we enjoy and so we shouldn’t begrudge people their fleeting moments of happiness. We should join in with their feelings of happiness. Recent surveys show that if something happens to someone and they’re happy, and you share in their happiness, you get the same feelings. Sharing in someone’s joy really deals a killer blow to envy, jealousy, and pride.
In Buddhism, there is a practice called Mind Training and part of this practice is sharing our feelings of joy and happiness with others. So, instead of keeping that feeling to ourselves, we mentally share it with others. If something bad or negative happens to us, we wish that this doesn’t happen to other people. You make a wish that they don’t suffer in the same way. I personally feel this is very close to open hearted joy. Instead of us just thinking ‘I’m so happy this has happened to me,’ we try and share it, and instead of feeling jealous of other people’s joy, we rejoice in their happiness.
Now let’s look at an ‘Open Hearted Joy’ meditation practice. As before with the other immeasurables we’re going to look at the three different types of people, namely someone we care about, a stranger, and someone we are having difficulties with.
Open Hearted Joy Meditation
Sit comfortably and focus your awareness on your breath.
When you are settled, bring to mind somebody you care about. It could be a friend, family member or a loved one.
As this person comes to mind, see if you can picture them experiencing happiness. Imagine the person smiling and content.
With the intention of caring for their happiness, begin offering these phrases of open hearted joy.
(Repeat each phrase three times and pause after each one and contemplate the meaning of the words and how they make you feel)
May you be happy and have peace of mind
May your happiness flourish
I am so pleased you are feeling joy
I am truly happy for you
Now, sit with the feelings of appreciating that this person is happy and you are truly grateful for their joy.
Now bring to mind a neutral person in your life. Someone you may see on a regular basis but do not know anything about.
As this person comes to mind, see if you can picture them experiencing happiness. Imagine the person smiling and content.
With the intention of caring for their happiness, begin offering these phrases of open hearted joy.
(Repeat each phrase three times and pause after each one and contemplate the meaning of the words and how they make you feel)
May you be happy and have peace of mind
May your happiness flourish
I am so pleased you are feeling joy
I am truly happy for you
Now, sit with the feelings of appreciating that this person is happy and you are truly grateful for their joy.
Now, picture someone you are having difficulties with. As you do this practice, try to put those difficulties to one side.
As this person comes to mind, see if you can picture them experiencing happiness. Imagine the person smiling and content.
With the intention of caring for their happiness, begin offering these phrases of open hearted joy.
(Repeat each phrase three times and pause after each one and contemplate the meaning of the words and how they make you feel)
May you be happy and have peace of mind
May your happiness flourish
I am so pleased you are feeling joy
I am truly happy for you
Now, sit with the feelings of appreciating that this person is happy and you are truly grateful for their joy.
Now, slowly open your eyes.
This brings us to the end of the four immeasurables. We’ve looked at Equanimity, how we can break down the boundaries and barriers between different types of people. We’ve also looked at Kind Heartedness, where we want everybody to be happy. We’ve further looked at compassion, where we don’t want anybody to suffer, and finally we looked at Open Hearted Joy, where we want to join in and appreciate everybody’s happiness. These are the four immeasurables.
I would encourage you to keep practicing these four immeasurable meditations. In the end, they will make you more kind, more caring, more compassionate, and more able to join in other people’s joy.
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