Joyfulness means being positive and happy. I develop this virtue when I maintain a jubilant, cheerful attitude in all situations, even the most challenging. The opposite is sadness.§
Comparing the actions of one who is joyful to one who is sad§ |
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|---|---|---|
Situation§ |
Joyfulness§ |
Sadness§ |
When your grandparents say they are taking you on an outing to the forest, you…§ |
dance with delight at the prospect of spending time among the trees.§ |
fall into a negative mood, knowing grandpa is going to tell all his stories again.§ |
Falling from your bike and scraping your knee, you…§ |
strangely find yourself rejoicing that your leg is not broken.§ |
curse the tire for failing and get depressed about it all.§ |
When fixing a motorbike turns out to be more difficult than planned, you…§ |
Joyfully pursue the task as an opportunity to develop willpower.§ |
become discouraged by your limited mechanical abilities.§ |
Gurudeva explained: “This joy we seek is the joy of fullness, lacking nothing. Life is meant to be lived joyously. There is in much of the world the belief that life is a burden, a feeling of penitence, that it is good to suffer, good for the soul. In fact, spiritual life is not that way at all.”§
“Look into your mirror. Your reflection is your subconscious mind objectified. Find out what is holding you back. Face yourself and find out what is keeping you from expressing the great things which are within you here and now.”§
“Learn to work for work’s sake, joyfully, for all work is good.”§
ASSIGNMENT: These next two weeks, look for ways to express joy, to yourself and when with others.§
Date you began this assignment ____________________§
MY THOUGHTS ON THE BENEFITS OF JOYFULNESS: 
§
