Page 50 - The Buddha‘s Noble Eightfold Path

wasteful life, yet since he was capable of compassion there was
still hope for him. He was even ready to give up his own life

rather than let the monk sacrifice his — there was so much
compassion deep down in the heart of this apparently worthless
man. The abbot saw all this. He thought, 'We've got a budding

Bodhisattva here,' and acted accordingly.

(d) Mudita, or Sympathetic Joy
This is the happiness we feel in other people's happiness. If we
see other people happy, we should feel happy too, but

unfortunately this is not always the case. A cynic has said that we
feel a secret satisfaction in the misfortunes of our friends. This is

very often only too true. Next time someone tells you of a stroke
of bad luck that they have had, just watch your own reaction.
You will usually see, if only for an instant, that little quiver of

satisfaction; after which, of course, the conventional reaction
comes and smothers your first real reaction. This is the sort of

thing that happens. It can be eliminated with the help of
awareness, and also by means of a positive effort to share in
other people's happiness.

Speaking generally, we may say that joy is a characteristically

Buddhist emotion. If you are not really happy and joyful, at least
on some occasions, you can hardly be a Buddhist.

In the East, though you might find this rather strange, there is no
association of religion with gloom. In England, in the old days at

least, there certainly was a tendency to associate religion with
gloom. People tended to think that the more serious, and
solemn, and sad you looked, the more religious you. were. If

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