Greetings,

This month we are continuing on with our exploration of Transcendental Dependent Arising. We will look at the 2nd link - joy. Joy is a result of faith. It might seem strange to be talking about joy when we haven't really moved that far from suffering. Remember faith arises in the midst of suffering. It is the willingness to turn towards a path of understanding or a path of liberation rather than remaining entangled in the suffering. On the heels of that faith comes joy.

The word joy in Dhamma is not the common use of the word joy in English. When we think of joy in English, we think of a feeling of great happiness, pleasure or delight. It's usually associated with some gain, pleasure, or beneficial event. It's associated with an external condition that feels good. We expect to be celebrating something. In this initial turning towards transcendental liberation, the moment doesn't feel celebratory at all. But this is the gift and wisdom of Dhamma. This joy is not arising because you are getting what you want or things are going your way; it is arising to support your capacity to take a step on the path.

It was so important for me to understand the fleeting nature of this joy. Everything about practice that I considered good was so pleasurable. What I mean is, good sits were so good because they felt good. They were peaceful. I was happy. It was as if I was doing something right. When I wouldn't overreact about something, I felt great. Again, like I'm doing something right. The laughter at sangha, the stillness and quiet at the end of a retreat - these were all very pleasurable experiences that I associated with joy. And you may be the same way. But, in my opinion, we are not talking about that kind of joy in this 2nd link on transcendental dependent arising. That's why I chose this particular picture below. Take a look at this picture before reading any further and get a sense for how you feel about bubbles.

Ultimately, the path of liberation we are turning towards is the release of whatever we are clinging to. The Four Noble Truths represents the instructions for that path. Transcendental dependent arising is not a different path. It's just a closer look at the first 3 truths. It's as if you're taking a magnifying glass and looking with particularity at how release happens. If you were to get very close to your clinging you would see something mystical about that entanglement. This what curiosity is all about. It represents a slight uplift or interest IN the difficulty rather than trying to get rid of it or fix it. It's hard to maintain that interest. The combination of the 12 links is what strengthens our ability to stay. But right here in the 2nd link we are in a very fleeting but important uplift.

This is what I think bubbles represent. They represent the innocence and simple joy of children. My son, Thaddius, in the midst of his cancer treatments, used to walk down the streets of inner city Seattle blowing bubbles. I was stunned at the way people would react. These were fleeting moments, just walking by. No matter what was happening, people would stop and watch or simply start giggling as they were walking. Kids would lose themselves for just a moment. Then we'd all go back to doing whatever we were doing and going wherever we were going. The moments were so fleeting and yet so real. This is what I believe this joy is doing. It is a fleeting moment that allows you to turn fully towards the path and take step onto it. It brings enough interest into the moment that you will consider the possibility that you could be creating your own suffering (clinging), rather than remain stuck in finding a way to get whatever you want or get rid of whatever you don't want.

This is what we're exploring this month. You have to want to see this. There's not going to be any fanfare. There won't be any parties or presents, no windfall, no gains. It will be hard to see. In fact, you may not ever see it until you experience and practice with links further into the year. The thing I want you to keep in mind is my definitiveness in practice doesn't come from what I learned from teachers or reading books or studying the suttas. My definitiveness comes from hundreds of moments of returning again and again and again to whatever experience I was having and trying to find the Dhamma within it. It takes faith and a little bit of joy.

With a deep bow,
Tuere