In Happiness, In Fortune, In this Long Course

Monks, this Cycle of Rebirth is without discoverable beginning. A first point is not identifiable of beings roaming and wandering on, hindered by ignorance (unknowing of true reality) and fettered by craving. Whenever you see anyone happy and fortunate, you can conclude: We too have experienced the same thing in this long course.

For what reason?

Because, Monks, this Cycle of Rebirth is without discoverable beginning. A first point is not identifiable of beings roaming and wandering on, hindered by ignorance (unknowing of true reality) and fettered by craving. For such a long time, Monks, you have experienced discontentedness, misery, and disaster, and swelled the cemetery.

It is enough to experience fading away of strong feelings towards all conditions, enough to become free from strong feelings towards them, enough to be liberated from them.

(Reference: SN 15.12)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares how any being that you observe who is experiencing happiness and good fortune, that you too have experienced the same happiness and good fortunes throughout continued existence.

While in this existence you may not have experienced a certain happiness and good fortune that you observe someone else experiencing, The Buddha explains that at some point in a previous life you have experienced that same situation.

This understanding can help to develop sympathetic joy for “all beings”. If you observe someone else’s happiness and good fortune, rather than looking down on them with conceit, keep in mind that you have also experienced that exact same happiness and good fortune in this existence or some other existence.

This can help you eliminate craving/desire for the good fortunate that others experience knowing that you too have experienced this same situation in the past. The mind can eradicate envy and jealousy through practicing sympathetic joy.

Sympathetic joy (Pāli: muditā) is joy for others’ success, even if you did not contribute to it.