Instructions - Mudita Practice. Short reflection with oneself - good, helpful, skillful things we've done. Mudita phrases with - some it's easy to rejoice for/with--------and a benefactor, a friend, a family member, fellow yogi, all yogis on retreat.
Mudita - the natural response of the heart - our capacity to see joy in relationship to another's happiness, success, beauty, goodness or well being. Exploring and recognizing the joy that has no 'self' at the center of it… the momentary joy of the pure heart.
Cultivating a strong and clear mindful attention that meets the experience of the moment allows us to see the afflictive emotions clearly.. To see through them like we see through the colors of a rainbow. This 'seeing' brings with it the possibility of the transformation of afflictive states into wholesome energies.
Judgement is a defense against feeling inadequate. The belief in inadequacy is a defense against the fear of being nothing. The fear of being nothing is a defense against silence, in which our nothingness is confirmed.
Reigning the mind in from all it's myriad distractions… cultivating the power of concentration in order to see clearly. Pay attention in a non judging, non manipulative, non grasping, non rejecting attention - the magic of mindfulness, taking us out of illusion directly into reality.
By learning the qualities of faith-trust, devotion, confidence and clarity of mind, we can begin to see faith unfolding in our own hearts. How faith helps to motivate and energize our practice.
The natural expression of emptiness or anatta is compassion or friendliness. This motivation of heart develops naturally as wisdom and mindfulness deepen and we cannotice this happening both in retreat and in our daily lives.
