2022-12-06 Gladness Pentad (2 of 5) Joy of Practice
IInsight Meditation CenterDec 15, 2022 at 7:50 am15min
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00:12Gil Fronsdal
Hello everyone. This is the second talk on the Gladness Pentad. As I said yesterday, the remarkable thing about the gladness pentad is that it is a natural phenomenon. Just like a seed, with all the conditions in place, will grow. When the seed is planted in us, nourished and supported, this amazing natural process unfolds.
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00:54Gil Fronsdal
It requires the momentum of practice. It is really supported a lot by having cultivated, developed some modicum of concentration – the ability to really dive deep or be really present in one's experience mindfully. That momentum in the practice picks up this good energy, this good feeling. As the practice grows, we allow this to grow. It transforms.
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01:32Gil Fronsdal
This pentad begins with something that inspires us. The classic thing in Buddhism is our faith, confidence, trust in the practice. Sometimes it is our own integrity, our own virtue. Something about our virtue that we feel happy about and inspired by. It can be someone else's virtue that really hits us in some deep way and moves us. It can be inspired by another person who maybe has a lot of maturity, a lot of wisdom, a lot of joy themselves, dharma joy. That inspires us.
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02:20Gil Fronsdal
Whatever the inspiration is, as we practice that inspiration can first lead us to gladness, which is a reflection of how good it is to do this, to be involved in this dance, to be involved in this practice. Feeling the good fortune of it – not many people have the chance. Even though it is hard, in Buddhism it is considered phenomenally good fortune to be able to do any degree of practice. Feel the contentment of it, the happiness with that.
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02:54Gil Fronsdal
As we allow for that contentment, happiness, delight as the practice develops, the momentum of practice begins to carry that along and transforms it into a joy in the engagement. The joy of practice; the joy of waking up; the joy of being aware, being mindful – this is phenomenally good fortune. It is a great thing. But it is not so much reflecting on the good fortune. It is more like we can surrender ourselves to the practice – give ourselves over to it fully. In the fullness with which we give ourselves over to it is where some kind of joy begins to arise up.
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03:46Gil Fronsdal
Sometimes it can be really quite strong when all of who we are is absorbed or connected to the practice that we're doing. This is immersion in the activity of practice. We are not daydreaming, not thinking about something else. We are not preoccupied with an itch we have or something. We are just really fully present. Even though that language "fully present" is kind of grand language, as we approach that, as we give ourselves into that purpose, there can be this joy that wells up in the engagement.
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