Sympathetic joy or being happy for another’s happiness (Pali: mudita) is one of the four brahmaviharas, the four highest qualities of the heart. In recent years, the other three—loving-kindness, compassion, and equanimity—have received quite a lot of attention from practitioners, researchers, and the press alike. But sympathetic joy has gotten little attention. How can that… Continue reading
Author: Jon Swanson
Meditation Retreat with Chris Murray on 8/23/25
Chris Murray will lead an Insight Meditation retreat on Saturday, August 23, 2025, from 9:00 am until 4:30 pm. Registration is now open for the retreat. To register for the retreat, please send an email to Tim Barbour. The retreat will be conducted at All Saints Episcopal Church, 1322 Kimball Avenue, Richland, in the Parish… Continue reading
Sangha News 7/15/25
Thursday evening info: Over the next month or so we’ll explore the Buddha’s teachings on four qualities of the heart that support us in our lives and practice, and can help us to cultivate an open heart. These four qualities, lovingkindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity, are usually known as the Brahmaviharas or the four immeasurables.… Continue reading
Updated Resources for Meditation and Support
Sharon Salzberg explores compassion and compares it to several other ways of relating to suffering, both suffering in the world and our own suffering. Those include anger, fear and grief among others. She emphasizes that compassion is a practice that reminds us of our intention to respond with kindness, compassion, and wisdom in the presence… Continue reading
Quote for the Week
The moment of compassion any one of us feels is as pure, as deep, as direct [as a moment of compassion by the Dalai Lama]; but what happens is that we get lost more often. We get distracted, we forget, we get caught up in something else. But we don’t necessarily have to make our… Continue reading
Tri-Cities Cancer Center Meditation Support Group Meets July 17th
We’ll continue our monthly mindfulness meditation support group meeting at the Tri-Cities Cancer Center in May. The Cancer Center is located at 7350 West Deschutes Avenue, Kennewick and the next meeting will be Thursday,7/17/2025. The sessions, which are held on the third Thursday of each month, are meant for cancer patients, cancer survivors, and their caregivers. The session will begin at 12:00 pm at… Continue reading
Sangha News 7/1/25
Thursday evening info: Over the next month or so we’ll explore the Buddha’s teachings on four qualities of the heart that support us in our lives and practice, and can help us to cultivate an open heart. These four qualities, lovingkindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity, are usually known as the Brahmaviharas or the four immeasurables.… Continue reading
Updated Resources for Meditation and Support
Bodhipaksa has a good article on self-compassion that includes several approaches we can include in our practice of self-compassion. As his title and the quote above suggests, he has found self-compassion practice to be one of the most important practices he’s encountered in his long history of meditation practice. You can find his article here:… Continue reading
Quote for the Week
Self-compassion is the most radically transformative practice that I’ve stumbled upon in more than 30 years of exploring Buddhism. It’s helped me to cope with many difficulties I’ve faced, ranging from the mundane challenge of a child’s tantrum, to financial problems and even serious illness. It’s helped me to become kinder and more compassionate not… Continue reading
Beginning Meditation Classes ~ August 3 – August 17, 2025
There are three remaining Beginning Meditation classes scheduled in our current series. The classes will be held on Sunday, August 3, August 10, and August 17. The classes will be conducted in person at All Saints Episcopal Church, 1322 Kimball Avenue, Richland, in the Parish Hall. There is no charge for the classes; donations are… Continue reading