Take Delight in Shared Joy

Sharing joy with others is not only a virtue, it is also a delightful experience.

To take delight in shared joy is to give willing support to those who are compassionate in helping the needy; it is to give genuine praise to those who have dedicated themselves to the highest achievements in life. If we want to be successful in this world, we must cultivate the important virtue of feeling happy when others have done what we cannot do ourselves. The Buddha once said, “If there were really no differentiation between the self and the other, there would be no discrimination between merit acquired from good deeds.”

Unfortunately, in today’s society there are too many people who take pleasure in the misfortune of others. Instead of practicing the virtue of shared joy, they choose to criticize and impart unwarranted abuse. Instead of praising the charity of others, they remark sarcastically that it is just a drop of water in the vast ocean or it is just a boastful act. It is indeed very sad to see that society in general has become so deprived of amiable feelings. It is not surprising that there are very few virtuous people and even fewer virtuous acts.

Something has definitely gone wrong in our society when the majority of our fellow human beings are lacking a good and agreeable nature. Instead of hoping for a better future, it seems like everyone is content waiting for doomsday to approach, when everything in this world will be reduced to nothingness. Why do people indulge themselves in jealous sarcasm and baseless slander? Do we really want to see the end of civilization or the end of our race?

What we need to do is to cultivate and practice the virtue of shared joy, to give encouragement and exaltation as often as possible.

Instead of feeling jealousy or envy, we should instead feel happy for others when they encounter good fortune. Instead of pity, we should be compassionate and helpful toward those who are less fortunate. Instead of criticizing, we should praise other’s good deeds no matter how trivial they might be.

If we really wish to better our country and society, it is imperative for us to foster the virtue of shared joy. We should be willing to cast our vote for political candidates who are dedicated to serving people. We should be happy to give our contributions to those who are devoted to helping the needy. Where there is a need for volunteers, we should put forth all our efforts toward the common goal; where there are good deeds, we should selflessly promote them to achieve a more far-reaching effect.

Since the world of shared joy is a delightful place to be, we should strive to develop the habit of imparting praise, doing good deeds, and supporting worthy causes. If everyone in society can be amiable and pleasant, it will create an atmosphere of great peace, harmony and happiness for all the world’s people.

From All in a Thought, written by Venerable Master Hsing Yun.

Image from Pixabay.

More Featured Articles

Do you feel inspired when you see people help each other? Not everyone is. Some people may look at a generous donation and say, “Donating such a small amount of money is nothing extraordinary for such a rich person.” When other people suffer from disasters and pain like the many people killed in the South Asian tsunami and earthquakes, don’t you feel for them? Doesn’t Read more
Some people may think it is strange that in this scientifically enlightened century anyone would want to talk about ghosts. In the past, even sages avoided the subject of the supernatural if they could. Confucius never spoke about ghosts. At the mere mention of ghosts, frightful images instantly arise in our minds of their pale faces, their wild hair and their sharp fangs. The truth Read more
Why should people create Buddha images? Did the Buddha really want everyone to make images of him and worship his body?In truth, the purpose of creating the Buddha images is not to create symbols for worship. Buddha images are reminders that “the mind is the Buddha,” and that everyone has Buddha nature. Buddha images also remind us to frequently recollect the virtues of the Buddha Read more
In this modern world, people are constantly saying, "Life is too stressful!" Why are people so stressed out? How can we rid ourselves of stress? Students feel stressed because of heavy schoolwork; parents feel stressed because they have too many chores and family obligations; policemen feel stressed because they have too much work; and workers feel stressed and are unhappy because their work hours are Read more
Most of us have an idea of what constitutes the space outside us; it is the environment in which we live. This includes the house we live in, the city we live in, or even the world we live in. Just as we need to skillfully manage our relationship to others, to the environment, and to wealth, we also need to properly manage our relationship Read more
In the past, during the feudal period of Chinese history, men were respected while women were thought of as being rather contemptible. The birth of a son was compared to fashioning an ornament as precious as jade, which not only made everyone happy, but also raised the status of his mother. Read more
What, exactly, is the meaning contained within this gong’an? For instance, some have asked, what are people like? This is a very difficult question to answer because if there are things they are like, then there are things they are not like. If we answer that people are like ghosts, then there are also people among ghosts. If we say ghosts are like people, then Read more
The analysis of the mind in Buddhism is both multifaceted and sophisticated. As a spiritual practice, Buddhism contains numerous descriptions of the nature and function of the mind and instructions on how to search for, abide with, and refine it. In this regard, Buddhist psychology has much to offer, as does Western psychology.In the beginning, “psychology” referred almost exclusively to “a science that explains the Read more
In devoting my life to Buddhism, in order to keep Buddhism current with the advances in society, in terms of thoughts, I am always making improvements at every hour and moment; in terms of practice, I am constantly and continuously making adjustments. Even though I know that Buddhism must be reformed, innovation never comes into being in the heat of the moment. My “silent revolution” Read more
Humans are thinking animals! Since the beginning of time, there have always been people who fantasize, who have delusions, who dream—and many who have ideals. When we lie in our beds at night, we should be free from worry. Yet thoughts about our lives often arise then; thoughts about family, country, or even the world. Everything is within our minds.The average person often tends to Read more
Observing the precepts is the concrete manifestation of compassion and the bodhisattva path. Read more
Love and affection are infinitely valuable. There are various levels of love and affection that we can aspire to. Some people describe how people love this way: Young people love with their words, middle-aged people love with their actions, and elder people love with their hearts.  Read more