One Week Retreat - Shamatha and the Four Immeasurables
D5S3 - Empathetic Joy, and Delighting in the Good Fortune of Others
David Oromith · 91 minutes · recorded August 22, 2025
The third immeasurable, and the most uplifting: being happy with someone rather than only for them, on the understanding that joy is not locked inside one person. David says this one comes to life out in the world, and tells of a low, isolated spell when he could not face going outside but could watch kids playing and a dog running after a ball from his window, and feel delight instead of the miserly mind asking why he did not have that. Questions afterwards on giving within our means, and on sustaining motivation when shamatha is not all or nothing.
Attachment and craving Comparison and self-cherishing Gratitude and appreciation Relationships and family Empathetic joy (mudita) Shamatha (calm abiding) The four immeasurables