The Lexicon
The heart qualities
Joy
Joy is the radiance of being that needs no reason, the welling-up of life delighting in itself. Deeper than happiness, which depends on circumstance, joy is closer to the ground of the soul, the spontaneous gladness that the mystics say is the very flavor of the divine. It can hold sorrow within it, for the heart that has been broken open can contain more.
Carried by 7 teachers · across 4 traditions · 4 quotes
In Buddhism it is mudita, the sympathetic joy that rejoices in the good of others; in the bhakti and Hasidic streams it is the fervent gladness of devotion. To cultivate joy is to turn toward what is good and alive and let it move you, and to discover that joy is not a thing to be chased but a spring that rises from within when the heart is open.
In their words
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.Kahlil Gibran
Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.Karl Barth
Find a place inside where there's joy, and the joy will burn out the pain.Joseph Campbell
When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.Jalal al-Din Rumi