Joy isn't a distraction from the spiritual path — according to the Buddha, it's an essential part of it. In this talk, Ginger Clarkson guides the group through mudita, or sympathetic joy, the third of the four brahmaviharas, exploring why it may be the most challenging of the heart practices to cultivate.

Ginger reflects honestly on how easy it is to feel genuine warmth toward strangers while still harboring judgment toward others, and how mudita asks us to celebrate the good fortune of others even when we ourselves are struggling. The talk includes a guided meditation sending appreciative joy to others and to oneself, followed by an interactive partner practice where participants share something good in their lives and receive it with an open heart.

About Ginger Clarkson

Ginger Clarkson is a Community Dharma Leader certified by Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California, where she studied under the mentorship of Jack Kornfield and completed the Dedicated Dharma Practitioner program with Eugene Cash and other senior teachers.