Sympathetic Joy
By Joan Halifax Roshi

"The third boundless abode is sympathetic joy. Sympathetic joy is joy in the basic goodness of all beings, and joy in the fundamental well being of ourselves and others. Sympathetic joy is essentially unconditional. However, there are important supports to joy that allow us to realize basic goodness, such as having a good home life and livelihood, encountering good friends and teachers, and living in the outer world according to strong inner virtues. These supports help us learn to realize and rest in basic goodness without being swayed by external conditions."