Lila and Mudita
Creating conditions for spontaneous joy and play
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.Practice spontaneous creative expression by engaging in a 10-minute “first thought, best thought” activity—choose an artistic medium (drawing, writing, movement, music) and create without planning or editing, allowing whatever emerges to flow freely. Notice the difference between this unscripted creation and your usual careful approach to making something. Reflect on the experience of creating temporary art that will not be preserved, and how this awareness of impermanence affects your creative process.
Understanding
Students will understand...We can create opportunities for play to become part of our daily lives by releasing expectations and staying present and aware. With a playful attitude, we can be more spontaneous and adaptable, flowing with whatever comes our way and not getting bogged down by expectations or negative emotions. The dharma encourages us to be reverential yet playful. Sacred can simply mean something worthy of awe and respect. With insight and wisdom, the entire world becomes awe-inspiring and deserving of reverence. It is also a playground where we are free to explore, move, experience, and play. Imagining the world as a playground can foster an attitude of childlike spontaneity. Expectations can limit opportunities. Keeping an open mind creates possibilities. By practicing spontaneity, we can respond to each situation as it arises, in the moment, which can provide a sense of freedom, playfulness, and childlike wonder.
Action
Students are able to...Define and analyze the concepts of lila (divine play), mudita (sympathetic joy), and anicca (impermanence) in Buddhist philosophy; evaluate how cultivating spontaneity and celebrating others’ success supports contemplative development; and synthesize understanding by implementing creative practices that embody playful wisdom while maintaining awareness and compassion in artistic expression enhanced by recognition of impermanence.
Content Knowledge
Students will know...The Sanskrit word for play is lila, which also means sport, spontaneity, or drama. Mudita is a Sanskrit and Pali word that refers to a feeling of boundless joy or pleasure derived from being happy for another person’s success or good fortune. Young children and animals often engage in play with evident joy in the moment, while adults sometimes seem to forget this spontaneous state of play.
Improvisation is the act of creating or doing something spontaneous, using whatever is available without expectations. In the performing arts, improvisation refers to a performance that happens without specific or scripted preparation. It involves being aware of and not blocking the flow of creativity, movement, activity, playfulness, and energy. The skills of improvisation can be applied across many fields, including artistic, scientific, physical, cognitive, academic, and non-academic disciplines.
Impermanence (anicca) is one of the three characteristics commonly referred to as the three marks of existence. Everything is constantly changing or in a state of flux. Recognizing impermanence can enhance spontaneous creativity by reducing attachment to outcomes and plans. Contemplative practice helps us remove the filters that prevent us from recognizing the unexpected opportunities all around us.
Mindfulness practices can cultivate this attitude by training the mind not to grasp thoughts or expectations. The unskillful side of spontaneity is impulsivity. Spontaneity should not be confused with impulsivity, which involves acting without thought, often driven by strong emotional reaction.
“First thought, best thought” is a Buddhist maxim that encourages this kind of spontaneity. In the Bhaddekaratta Sutta, the Buddha said, “You shouldn’t chase after the past or place expectations on the future. What is past is left behind. The future is as yet unreached. Whatever quality is present you clearly see right there, right there.”
Guiding Questions
Implementation Possibilities
Begin with “first thought, best thought” creative sessions across various mediums, allowing students to create without planning while observing their responses to uncertainty. Practice mudita through celebration circles where students authentically appreciate others’ creative work. Design collaborative improvisation projects that require releasing individual control while maintaining group awareness. Create temporary art experiences that emphasize impermanence and non-attachment to outcomes. Facilitate reflection discussions comparing effortful versus spontaneous creative processes. Establish daily practices for recognizing and celebrating others’ achievements without comparison, extending these skills beyond artistic contexts into academic and social situations.
Assessment Ideas
Observe students’ authentic engagement in unscripted creative activities while maintaining present-moment awareness. Use reflection journals to document experiences with releasing creative expectations and celebrating others’ successes. Evaluate collaborative projects for evidence of playful wisdom—maintaining lightness while demonstrating understanding. Assess through peer observation during mudita practice in group celebrations. Document students’ ability to articulate connections between spontaneity, impermanence, and awareness through written or oral reflection. Compare before/after examples of expectation-driven versus spontaneous creative approaches.
