All Practices Rolled into One
All Practices Rolled into One
Refuge and bodhicitta. Take refuge in compassion and awareness for the sake of all beings.
Main practice. State your intention to experience and share appreciative joy. That's the main practice, in this case, mudita, sympathetic joy. If appreciation for your own or others' joy arises, rejoice!
Evenly abiding. If a hindrance arises — envy, elation, jealousy, shame, or any other — allow that “obstacle” to be there; make space for it, but just look right through it as you continue to affirm your intention to cultivate appreciative joy. Allowing and continuing is evenly abiding (shamatha).
Insight. Or, when an obstacle arises, turn your attention right to it -- look directly at the experience of jealousy or elation. Use all your senses to see the actual nature of the "hindrance." Looking deeply to see the nature of experience is insight (vipassana).
Direct awareness. Or, whether joy arises, or a hindrance arises, just experience it fully without doing anything. Experience arises and disappears. That's direct awareness — the practice of no practice, The undistracted quality is the Great Seal (mahamudra). The doing nothing is the Great Completion (dzogchen).
Compassion and kindness. Or, when anything but appreciative joy arises, recognize and appreciate the strength of that hindrance, and wish that you and others be free of it, so that all can experience genuine joy. Wishing we be free of jealousy (or whatever) is compassion (karuna) and wishing happiness is goodwill (metta).
Mind training. Or, when something like jealousy arises, think: All right, here's something unpleasant -- bring it on! I'll take in everybody's jealousy, all the jealousy in the world, and by doing, that I'll free them all from that suffering! And I'll offer them all my joy, all my appreciation, all my beauty and strength, because that will make them happy! Taking in others' unpleasant experiences and offering them your enjoyment and good qualities is taking and sending (tonglen).
Dedication. As soon as you've done any practice, offer any good that comes from it to the benefit of all beings. Even if you feel your practice session was lousy, appreciate the fact that you made an effort, and remember that actions and consequences play out in mysterious but inevitable ways over time. Appreciation and generosity are dedicating the good results of practice so that it doesn't become another source of clinging and pride.
Skillful means in daily life. Aside from various formal practices, just notice throughout the day that beauty and goodness exists abundantly. Mundane pleasure and profound happiness arise everywhere, and even suffering and great pain are often transformed into wisdom and compassion. Mudita is appreciative joy: acknowledgment and gratitude for any beauty, peace, pleasure, happiness, kindness, compassion, or friendship — any kind of goodness. Enjoyment, appreciation, and gratitude are the practice bearing fruit in daily life, and a practice in itself, as skillful means.