Joy is an important aspect of the Buddha’s path to freedom, appearing as both an awakening factor and one of the four heart qualities known as the brahmavihāra. However, for many people it can feel elusive - or even irrelevant – in the midst of so much global, societal and individual suffering. For this reason, the word Joy in the title of this talk is accompanied by question marks, as an invitation for us to explore together some common questions and/or doubts that often come up in relation to joy in the context of insight practice. Together we’ll discover some of the ways that cultivating joy can help nourish the heart and deepen wisdom, even amid the challenging everyday realities that most of us face.

Learning how to shift the awareness from the primary object toother physical sensations and back.

Q1 In some sessions I find my self repeatedly lightly dreaming and then waking after a few seconds. How can I deter this? 25:46 Q2 If the mind has been trained to engage in either zero or 100% and knows very little of the in-between, how would one engage the mind via the body to find the middle path? 29:03 Q3 Can you say more about becoming as a cause for suffering?

The benefits of pure metta are manifold. Even a short moment of metta is more powerful than a big offering of food. Do not dismiss small acts of kindness.

In February 2026 London Insight Meditation hosted Jill Shepherd for an online evening on the theme of "Joy".