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Mudita (as one of 4 brahma-vihara): What is it exactly? Vism. is absolutely wrong.

 


Mudita (as one of 4 brahma-vihara)


Visuddhimagga definition of mudita is absolutely wrong, in contradiction with EBT

https://lucid24.org/sted/ebt/not/vism/single/index.html#9.3

Vism. goes off some twisted tangent on developing non-jealousy for other beings. 


Sacepissa so soį¹‡įøasahāyo vā piyapuggalo vā atÄ«te sukhito ahosi, sampati pana duggato durÅ«peto, atÄ«tameva cassa sukhitabhāvaį¹ƒ anussaritvā "esa atÄ«te evaį¹ƒ mahābhogo mahāparivāro niccappamudito ahosÄ«"ti tamevassa muditākāraį¹ƒ gahetvā muditā uppādetabbā "anāgate vā pana puna taį¹ƒ sampattiį¹ƒ labhitvā hatthikkhandhaassapiį¹­į¹­hisuvaį¹‡į¹‡asivikādÄ«hi vicarissatÄ«"ti anāgatampissa muditākāraį¹ƒ gahetvā muditā uppādetabbā.
86.But if his boon companion or the dear person was happy in the past but is now unlucky and unfortunate, then gladness can still be aroused by remembering his past happiness and apprehending the glad aspect in this way: “In the past he had great wealth, a great following and he was always glad.” Or gladness can be aroused by apprehending the future glad aspect in him in this way: “In the future he will again enjoy similar success and will go about in gold palanquins, on the backs of elephants or on horseback, and so on.”
Evaį¹ƒ piyapuggale muditaį¹ƒ uppādetvā atha majjhatte tato verimhÄ«ti anukkamena muditā pavattetabbā.
Having thus aroused gladness with respect to a dear person, he can then direct it successively towards a neutral one, and after that towards a hostile one.


Why is Vism. so wrong?

According to Vism., mudita means you should arouse gladness if your enemy experiences happiness from being successful in their job as a drug dealer, murderer, winnings at gambling in street fights and dog fighting (to the death), success at womanizing, etc. 

That is absolutely not what mudita is about.


Thanissaro's 'empathetic joy' has the same kind of loophole that can be exploited with Vism. mudita.

'Sympathetic joy' has the same problem as 'empthaetic joy', but has additional problems because the first definition of 'sympathy' in oxford dictionary is: feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else's misfortune. 


Bodhi's mudita as 'altruistic joy' corrects this gross Vism. error but...


Altruism means that one acts for the welfare of others, sometimes at the cost of one's own welfare.

This kind of gives brahmavihara a mahayana kind of slant, worried about other beings instead of working one's own liberation.

There's also an ambiguity here. Which part is altruistic?  The person doing the mudita, or the person who is the object of attention must be doing something altruistic? Or both? 


Altruistic joy is certainly much better than Vism.'s indiscriminate gladness at anything your enemy does that makes them happy, but it's still too restrictive and not explained that way in the EBT.

Perhaps the pre-Buddhist Brahma vihara mudita my have focused more on  'altruistic joy', but once we're under the EBT purview of the Buddha, then 'arahant', 'brahmin', 'dukkha', 'mudita', all take on a Buddhist spin and must be understood on the Buddha's terms. 


Vimuttimagga definition of mudita agrees with Buddha's EBT


Note that Vimt. specifically weeds out the loophole that's present in Vism's mudita.

What's truly baffling, is the blatant incompetence of Vism. They based their book in Vimuttimagga,  large parts of Vism. were almost straight quotes out of Vimt., but how could they screw up the mudita section so badly? 

Vimutti-magga section on mudita

What is the procedure ?

The new yogin enters a place of solitude and sits down with mind collected and undisturbed. When one sees or hears that some person's qualities are esteemed by others, and that he is at peace and is joyful, one thinks thus: "sadhu! sadhu! may he continue joyful for a long time!".

And again, when one sees or hears that a certain person does not follow demeri- torious doctrines, or that he does not follow undesirable doctrines and that he follows desirable doctrines, one thinks thus: "sadhu! sadhu! may he continue joyful for a long time!".

That yogin by these means and through these activities develops the thought of appreciative joy and repeats it. Having by these means and through these activities developed the thought of appreciative joy and repeated it, he makes his mind pliant, and capable of bearing the object.

Thereafter he gradually develops appreciative joy for an indifferent person and an enemy. The rest is as was fully taught above. Thus with appreciative joy he fills the four directions.



Vimutti-magga mudita matches up perfectly with AN 5.162, which lists 4 ways of doing mudita 


AN 4.125 and AN 4.126 show that mudita as a Brahma vihāra in the Buddha's EBT Dharma, is merged with mudita and pīti of the 7 awakening factors and 4 jhānas


Proof: we can see this must be so with how these 2 suttas conclude. The Buddha's mudita leads to nirvana of stream entry, non-return, or arahantship in the brahma realm rebirth, whereas the ordinary non-Buddhist Brahma realm rebirth ends in falling out of Brahma realm into animal or hell realm.


709“Bhikkhus, there are these four kinds of persons found existing in the world. What four?

710(1) “Here, bhikkhus, some person dwells pervading one quarter with a mind imbued with friendly-kindness, [129] likewise the second quarter, the third quarter, and the fourth quarter. Thus above, below, across, and everywhere, and to all as to himself, he dwells pervading the entire world with a mind imbued with loving-kindness, vast, exalted, measureless, without enmity, without ill will. He relishes it, desires it, and finds satisfaction in it. 


If he is firm in it, focused on it, often dwells in it, and has not lost it when he dies, he is reborn in companionship with the devas of Brahmā’s company.817"" The life span of the devas of Brahmā’s company is an eon. The worldling remains there all his life, and when he has completed the entire life span of those devas, he goes to hell, to the animal realm, or to the sphere of afflicted spirits. 


But the Blessed One’s disciple remains there all his life, and when he has completed the entire life span of those devas, he attains final nibbāna in that very same state of existence. This is the distinction, the disparity, the difference between the instructed noble disciple and the uninstructed worldling, that is, when there is future destination and rebirth.

(... similar for other 3 realms of 4bv, with different life spans ...)

AN 4.126 is similar, except leading to pure abode rebirth of non-returner


KN Pe: Petakopadesa


Pe 607: Mudita of 4bv linked to pīti and/or sukha of first three jhānas.

Tattha katamā bhāvanā?
607. (vii) Herein, what is the keeping in being?
Mettāsevanā abyāpādavitakkabhāvanā.
Cultivation of lovingkindness is the keeping of non-ill-will thinking in being.
Karuį¹‡Äsevanā avihiį¹ƒsāvitakkabhāvanā.
Cultivation of compassion 1 is the keeping of non-cruelty thinking in being.
Muditābhāvanā pīti-sukha-sampajaƱƱā kāritā.
Keeping gladness in being is the state of one who acts with happiness, pleasure, and awareness.
Upekkhābhāvanā passavatā upekkhābhāvanā apassavatā upekkhā ca ajjhupekkhā ca, asubhasaƱƱābhāvanā dukkhāpaį¹­ipadā dandhābhiƱƱā bhavasandhābhiƱƱā bhavasandhānaį¹ƒ, sā chabbidhā bhāvanā bhāvitā bahulÄ«katā anuį¹­į¹­hitā vatthukatā yānÄ«katā paricitā susamāraddhā.
[There is(? )] keeping onlooking- equanimity in being as productivity(? ) 2 [and there is(? )] keeping onlooking-equanimity in being as unproductivity (? ), 2 [which are respectively(? )] onlooking-equanimity and looking on at. [There is(? )] keeping perception of ugliness 3 in being [which is(? )] the painful way with sluggish acquaintance, [such(? )] acquaintance being that tied to existence(? ) [belonging] to those tied to existence (1). 4 That keeping in being in the six ways 5 is kept in being, made much of, established, made the basis, made the vehicle, 6 consolidated, 6 and thoroughly well instigated. 6

Pe 1074: Mudita of 4bv linked to third jhāna.

Tattha paį¹­hamā ca paį¹­ipadā paį¹­hamaƱca jhānaį¹ƒ paį¹­hamaƱca satipaį¹­į¹­hānaį¹ƒ paį¹­hamo ca vihāro paį¹­hamaƱca sammappadhānaį¹ƒ paį¹­hamo ca acchariyo abbhuto dhammo saccādhiį¹­į¹­hānaƱca chandasamādhi ca indriyasaį¹ƒvaro ca mettā ca appamāį¹‡aį¹ƒ.
1072. (i) Herein, the first way and first meditation and first foundation of mindfulness and first abiding and first right endeavour and first wonderful and marvellous idea, and the expression of truth, and concentration due to will, and faculty restraint, and the measureless state of lovingkindness:
Ayaį¹ƒ paį¹­hamā disā.
these are the first Direction.
Dukkhā ca [dutiyā ca (ka.)] paį¹­ipadā khippābhiƱƱā dutiyaį¹ƒ jhānaį¹ƒ dutiyaƱca satipaį¹­į¹­hānaį¹ƒ dutiyo ca vihāro dutiyaƱca sammappadhānaį¹ƒ dutiyo ca acchariyo abbhuto dhammo cāgādhiį¹­į¹­hānaį¹ƒ cittasamādhi cattāro iddhipādā karuį¹‡Ä ca appamāį¹‡aį¹ƒ, ayaį¹ƒ dutiyā disā.
1073. (ii) The painful way with swift acquaintanceship and the second meditation and second foundation of mindfulness and second abiding and second right endeavour and second wonderful and marvellous idea, and the expression of generosity, and concentration due to cognizance, and ardour,1 and the measureless state of compassion : these are the second Direction.
Sukhā ca [tatiyā ca (ka.)] paį¹­ipadā dandhābhiƱƱā tatiyaƱca jhānaį¹ƒ tatiyaƱca satipaį¹­į¹­hānaį¹ƒ tatiyo ca vihāro tatiyaƱca sammappadhānaį¹ƒ tatiyo ca acchariyo abbhuto dhammo paƱƱādhiį¹­į¹­hānaƱca vÄ«riyasamādhi ca bojjhaį¹…gā ca muditā ca appamāį¹‡aį¹ƒ.
1074. (iii) The pleasant way with sluggish acquaintanceship and the third meditation and third foundation of mindfulness and third abiding and third right endeavour and third wonderful and marvellous idea, and the expression of understanding, and concentration due to energy, and enlightenment factors, and the measureless state of gladness :
Ayaį¹ƒ tatiyā disā.
these are the third Direction.
Sukhā ca [catutthÄ« ca (ka.)] paį¹­ipadā khippābhiƱƱā catutthaį¹ƒ jhānaį¹ƒ catutthaƱca satipaį¹­į¹­hānaį¹ƒ catuttho ca vihāro catutthaƱca sammappadhānaį¹ƒ catuttho ca acchariyo abbhuto dhammo upasamādhiį¹­į¹­hānaƱca vÄ«maį¹ƒsāsamādhi ca sabbanissaggo ca upekkhā appamāį¹‡aƱca.
1075. (iv) The pleasant way with quick acquaintanceship and the fourth meditation and fourth foundation of mindfulness and fourth abiding and fourth right endeavour and fourth wonderful and marvellous idea, and the expression of peace, and concentration due to inquiry, and relinquishment of all, and the measureless state of onlooking-equanimity :
Ayaį¹ƒ catutthÄ« disā.
these are the fourth Direction.



Conclusion


Mudita as a brahma-vihara, in the Buddha's EBT, is in some ways more versatile than pre-Buddhist Mudita, but in other ways more restrictive to bring it into conformity with the Buddha's Dharma that leads to Nirvana instead of just good rebirth in Brahma realm.

✅one rejoices in virtuous, skillful Dharmas in oneself,  in others, or both in oneself and others.

* virtuous skillful Dharma can be a bodily action, a verbal action, or mental action (if you're a mind reader you can rejoice in virtuous thoughts someone is thinking or about to think). 

* The skillful Dharma can be from the past, present, or future.

* an action that deliberately avoids unskillful Dharmas, is also a skillful Dharma. 

* the person one is observing performing virtuous Dharma is typically, but not necessarily experiencing joy.  Example: someone does an action because "it's the right thing to do", but they feel pain instead of joy.  

✅ Mudita is nearly synonymous or the immediate precursor to pamojja and pÄ«ti in the seven awakening factors, and pÄ«ti in the first two jhānas. (AN 4.125 and AN 4.126)


⛔ Mudita is not an indiscriminate rejoicing at someone experiencing joy, especially if they are joyful from performing unskillful Dharmas. 



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