The Book of Joy

perceived size, and we see ourselves as so terribly small and weak. When
we remember our interdependence, we discover we are so incredibly
large and strong.
“There is an old story from the time of the Buddha,” the Dalai Lama
said. “One day a king invited the Buddha and his monks for lunch. On his
way to the palace, the Buddha passed by a beggar who was praising the
king and smiling as he spoke of the beauty of the palace. After the king’s
servants served a long meal, with many courses, to the Buddha and his
gathering of monks, the time came for making the dedication. The
Buddha chanted a prayer to dedicate the merit, or the good karma, of the
meal. However, instead of dedicating the merit of the host, the king who
made the generous offering of the meal to the Buddha and his assembly,
which was the custom, the Buddha chose the beggar standing outside.
Shocked, one of his senior monks asked the Buddha why he chose the
beggar for his dedication prayer. The Buddha replied that the king was
filled with pride in showing off his kingdom, while the beggar, who had
nothing, was able to rejoice in the king’s good fortune. For this reason the
beggar had created more merit than the king. Even today in Thailand they
maintain this tradition of dedicating the merit of the offering of a meal.
During my visit to Thailand in the early 1970s I had the honor to
participate in one such lunch, where one of the senior monks said prayers
and offered the dedication. So rejoicing in others’ good fortune really
brings a lot of positive benefits.”
“How,” I asked the Dalai Lama, “do people cultivate mudita?”
“Firstly, we should recognize our shared humanity. These are our
human brothers and sisters, who have the same right and the same desire
to have a happy life. This is not a spiritual thing. It is simply common
sense. We are part of the same society. We are part of the same humanity.
When humanity is happy, we will be happy. When humanity is peaceful,
our own lives are peaceful. Just like if your family is happy, you are
better off.
“If we have a strong sense of ‘I and they,’ it is hard to practice mudita.
We must develop the sense of ‘we.’ Once you’re able to develop that
sense of common humanity and the oneness of humanity, then naturally