{"id":54180,"date":"2022-12-30T05:00:57","date_gmt":"2022-12-30T13:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nalandabodhi.org\/?p=54180"},"modified":"2026-04-01T09:34:39","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T16:34:39","slug":"why-not-joy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nalandabodhi.org\/nl\/2022\/12\/30\/why-not-joy\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Not Joy?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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One way Buddhist teachings describe virtue is as six positive qualities that can be practiced and perfected. One of these is known as \u201cjoyful diligence\u201d or joyful engagement. Diligence appeals to me. My compulsive streak supports a habit of grinding through my \u201cTo Do\u201d list, often with a grudging \u201cget-it-over-with\u201d attitude. Many routine tasks I do on autopilot, not really present at all. While I might earn an \u201cA\u201d for diligence by some standards, embracing the joyful aspect is often beyond me. I can turn even a session of meditation into a chore to power through.\u00a0<\/p>

So, the idea of joyful diligence functions for me like a koan, a paradoxical riddle: it interrupts my usual ways of thinking about both secular and spiritual activity. Aspiring to joyful diligence also prompts me to look deeper at my assumptions. I start out asking how I can connect with joy in whatever I\u2019m doing. I end up wondering, why isn\u2019t this activity joyful? Why can\u2019t it be joyful, whatever it is \u2014 work phone call, meditation session, dental appointment? Can I engage with joy even in difficult moments, without pretending or denying, and without relating to the experience as inherently joyless?<\/p>

A lesson in joyful engagement happened recently when I had a mammogram. The mammographer, a woman in her 30s, greeted me, ran through a few questions and explanations, and then guided me to the mammogram device. A mammogram can be an intense and even painful experience. The woman maneuvered me into position, then stepped back to the controls to check for any adjustments. She called out her assessment of my final pose: \u201cThat\u2019s beautiful . . . you\u2019re beautiful . . . perfect . . . you\u2019re fine just the way you are. Perfect just the way you are!\u201d\u00a0 She sounded genuinely happy. A feeling of reassuring warmth and acceptance flowed through me.\u00a0<\/p>

I knew she meant that I was in the right position, but the kind energy of her words helped me\u00a0to relax, feel connected to her. I felt cared about, and happy. No mammographer has ever said these words to me. The woman performs this activity all day, every day. Her \u201cTo Do\u201d list includes patients who may be scared, irritable, in pain, uncooperative, traumatized. Within her daily routine, perhaps she noticed an opportunity to offer her patient a gift and acted on it, with creativity and liveliness \u2014 open to joy and offering it.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Exercise\/Meditation\/Ejercicio<\/h2>

Consider a time when you often act automatically, without a sense of your own presence or connection to another person: brushing your teeth, greeting your partner, thanking a caf\u00e9 server, taking out trash, helping a co-worker untangle a technology problem.

Now, ask yourself:<\/p>

  • Is there a way I could be more present during this activity, like taking a few calming breaths to help inhabit my body more fully, pausing to notice the experience as it unfolds, coming back to it when I drift away in pre-occupation?<\/li>
  • What will remind me next time to be more present \u2014 for example, the sight of the logo on the server\u2019s shirt, the whiff of rotting veggies, the toothpaste cap?<\/li><\/ul>

    Then, once you begin to show up to the activity more fully, consider exploring where joy might be.\u00a0Ask yourself:<\/p>

    • Why not connect with joy?\u00a0<\/li>
    • And, what are the obstacles to my experiencing and sharing any amount of joy here and now?<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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      \n\t\t\t\t\t\"Ellen\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t
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      \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEllen Balz\u00e9\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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      A student of Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche since 2015, clinical psychologist Ellen Balz\u00e9 began working with the core Path of Mindful Activity team in 2018. Collaborating with other Nalandabodhi members on various projects has created precious opportunities for her to pause, relax, and reflect. She enjoys baking bread and caring for succulents.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      The author has an unexpected experience of \u201cjoyful diligence\u201d during a medical test, and offers a contemplative exercise for coming back to the present moment during everyday activities.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":95,"featured_media":54166,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[3009],"tags":[3404,3411,3417,3410],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhy Not Joy? - Nalandabodhi International<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"the author has an unexpected experience of \u201cjoyful diligence\u201d during a medical test, and offers a contemplative exercise for coming back to the present moment during everyday activities.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nalandabodhi.org\/nl\/2022\/12\/30\/why-not-joy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"nl_NL\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Not Joy? 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