Empathetic Joy: How to repay the kindness of others by freeing ourselves of our own mental afflictions.

Summary: This afternoon was great. We started with an overview of four immeasurables as an extrordinarly wise system of emotional regulation, and although that sounds utilitarian (since the qualities of loving kindness, compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity are some of the most noble virtues to develop), they can be excellent for emotional balance. Alan then talks about how to develop motivation, inspiration, enthusiasm, lightness, and hopefulness towards the practice, which is directly linked to the meditation we do afterwards. After the session, we had some assorted Q&As on great subjects, including great tips and practices for maintaining the object of mindfulness between sessions and "seasoning" the day with the four immeasurables. There are also some great explanations on the 10 non-virtues and one of the great "path overviews" and bigger picture discussions that we know and love. This photo is of Master Luang Phor Cham in the Chalong Temple of Phuket (another great one by Sara!)