Lila and Mudita
Cultivating present-moment joy and authentic celebration
Teacher Experience
A contemplative invitation for educators to reflect on before teaching.How might you create conditions for your students to express spontaneous joy and playfulness? Are there ways you might let the students be the leaders of a structured playtime experiment? What kinds of situations, games, or periods of lightly structured freedom would they universally enjoy? Take notes over time on what seems to make each student smile, and see how you might create the causes of joy for each of them to arise more often during your time together.
Student Experience
A contemplative invitation for students to connect with this learning goal.Notice a moment when you felt completely absorbed in an activity you enjoyed, where time seemed to disappear, and you weren’t worried about how well you were doing. Remember what that felt like in your body and mind. Experience creating something you know won’t last – like a temporary sculpture or drawing in sand – and notice how this awareness affects your creative process.
Understanding
Students will understand...Creating conditions for spontaneous joy in daily life through mindful attention to present-moment opportunities helps us find more happiness and connect authentically with others. When we genuinely celebrate others’ successes without comparing ourselves, we contribute to everyone’s well-being and create a positive community.
Action
Students are able to...Create conditions for spontaneous joy in daily life through mindful attention to present-moment opportunities; practice mudita by genuinely celebrating others’ successes without comparison; and experiment with releasing creative control while maintaining awareness.
Content Knowledge
Students will know...Play is a natural way of learning and connecting with others. Lila is a Sanskrit word meaning divine play – the idea that creation and life can be approached with joy and spontaneity. Mudita means sympathetic joy, which is feeling happy when others succeed or experience good things. When we play without worrying about being perfect or winning, we can experience freedom and creativity.
True play happens when we are fully present and not thinking about what might happen next. Adults often forget how to play naturally because they worry too much about outcomes, but we can practice returning to this natural state. Improvisation means creating something new in the moment without planning ahead. This skill helps us respond to life with flexibility and openness rather than fear. Recognizing that things are impermanent can free us from attachment to outcomes, allowing us to enjoy the creative process itself.
Guiding Questions
Implementation Possibilities
Establish daily practices for noticing opportunities for spontaneous joy —encourage students to document moments when they feel naturally playful or creative. Create peer celebration rituals where students practice authentic appreciation of others’ achievements without competitive comparison. Design creative projects that require releasing predetermined outcomes while maintaining mindful awareness throughout the process. Facilitate improvisation exercises in multiple domains – movement, storytelling, problem-solving – to build comfort with uncertainty. Practice “first thought, best thought” approaches in academic work, encouraging students to trust initial insights while maintaining discernment. Develop group activities that require spontaneous collaboration and mutual support, emphasizing the collective joy that emerges from shared creativity.
Assessment Ideas
Observe students’ ability to engage authentically in unplanned creative activities while maintaining present-moment awareness. Assess through reflection journals documenting personal experiences with releasing expectations and celebrating others’ successes. Use peer feedback to evaluate genuine mudita practice during group celebrations and achievements. Document evidence of increased comfort with uncertainty through before/after comparisons of creative approaches. Assess students’ ability to distinguish between helpful spontaneity and impulsive behavior through scenario analysis and personal reflection.
