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Mudita
If a handful of salt is thrown into a bowl of water, it becomes too salty to drink, but if thrown into a river, the water remains drinkable because the river is immense. When the heart is unlimited and boundless, small things do not cause suffering. The practice is to enlarge the heart through the four apramāṇāni, or boundless states:
- Maitrī: loving-kindness, the capacity to offer well-being and happiness.
- Karuṇā: compassion.
- Muditā: joy, altruistic joy, or rejoicing in the joy of others.
- Upekṣā: equanimity.
These four elements are the brahma-vihāras, the divine or sublime abodes where Buddhas and bodhisattvas dwell. Cultivating them makes one’s presence refreshing and healing, like a linden tree. Many people attempt to cover their blocks of suffering, fear, and despair through unmindful consumption—such as drugs, alcohol, or violent media—but this only makes suffering grow. A meaningful life is found by developing understanding and compassion, which transform suffering and offer a wholesome path. Dialogue with oneself and loved ones helps identify this path, providing the strength to overcome obstacles through the power of love.
True love is impossible without understanding. To understand oneself or another, one must practice deep looking through mindfulness in every moment of daily life, whether driving, watering vegetables, or drinking tea. This practice is rooted in the Eightfold Path, expressed concretely in the Five Mindfulness Trainings:
- Right understanding
- Right thinking
- Right speech
- Right action
- Right livelihood
- Right concentration
- Right mindfulness
Mindfulness, concentration, and insight together generate the energy of maitrī, karuṇā, and muditā. Loving with spiritual eyes brings the divine heart, as understanding is the ground and foundation for true love.
They Eye of True Love