This is a guided meditation on the quality of appreciative joy, or mudita. There is also a short introduction on the role of appreciative joy in the four divine abidings (brahma vihares).
The practice of Mudita or Appreciative Joy cultivates an open and joyful heart that naturally inclines towards connecting with what is uplifting and beautiful in others and in our own lives. It works to counteract the subtle or not-so-subtle tendency towards envy, which tells us that we are deficient in some way.
The near enemy of metta is attached affection, common in romantic love. The far enemy is aversion, which takes many forms, such as resentment and fear. The talk explores these responses and how to work with them in metta practice.
To believe that clinging is a requisite for engagement is like believing that the food needs to stick to the pan in order to cook. Yet sticking only leads to burning. Likewise with clinging: it only detracts from true intimacy with life.
