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Mudita

World Religion
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Sympathetic joy in Buddhism—the ability to rejoice in the happiness and success of others.

Detailed Definition
Mudita counters envy and resentment, cultivating genuine delight in others’ good fortune. In poetry, it shines like sunlight shared freely or flowers blooming without rivalry. Poets present mudita as a rare but transformative joy that expands the heart, turning comparison into celebration and scarcity into abundance.
Example
Example in poetry:
A Buddhist poem: “Muditā is rejoicing in your success as if it were my own”; In a modern verse, “Muditā is the antidote to comparison’s poison”; A minimalist haiku: “Friend’s poem published—/ muditā swells my chest / like monsoon clouds”; A student’s reflection: “I thought I was happy for her—muditā taught me to feel it in my bones.”
Additional Notes
Mudita is the Buddhist concept of sympathetic or appreciative joy—the ability to take delight in the happiness and success of others. It is the antidote to envy and resentment (the klesha of jealousy) and is the third of the Four Brahmaviharas. Cultivating Mudita involves rejoicing in the good fortune of others as if it were one's own, breaking down the barriers of selfishness and separation.
Also Known As
Sympathetic Joy Appreciative Joy
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