Joy as Contextualized Feeling: Two Contrasting Pictures of Joy in East Asian Yogācāra
Journal of the American Academy of Religion September 1, 2023 Jingjing Li 2 citations
Joy is not a fixed emotion with an essential property but is always shaped by personal and interpersonal contexts, according to East Asian Yogācāra texts by Xuanzang and Kuiji. These Buddhist thinkers describe two contrasting forms of joy: one experienced in a lifeworld of ignorance and another in a lifeworld of wisdom. Because joy lacks an inherent nature, people can collaboratively recontextualize it to promote inclusion and emancipation. This analysis offers resources for feminist debates on happiness, suggesting that joy can be transformed rather than accepted as given.