THE LIGHT OF DHAMMA VOLUME VIII – PARIYATTI

Mudita – Sympathetic Joy

Mudita has been translated as “altruistic joy,” “gladness.” “sympathetic joy”, “sympathetic gladness” and “appreciation of the happiness of others.” It is the third of the four Sublime States, namely, metta (loving kindness), karuna (compassion), mudita (sympathetic joy) and upekkha (equanimity). Mudita derives from the Pali word “modati”, which means “rejoicing”, and it here signifies the act of congratulating others on their achievements or the appreciating of their happiness or the appreciating of their happiness; that is to say, mudita mean “to object those who succeed in life and rejoice at their success.