The Lotus Sutra mentions dancing as both an expression of joy as well as something to be offered in appreciation for the Dharma. I was thinking about this, as I especially like the images that come to mind when it talks about people dancing with great joy.

When a person dances are they tying to get somewhere? There isn’t really a destination in mind for the purpose of dancing. The goal of dancing isn’t to get from this place to the next. When we dance it is the joy of the steps. It is the pleasure even possibly from not needing to go anywhere but to just enjoy the process.

Dancing as an expression of joy I think is more joyful if we just enjoy the process. And as an expression of joy it can also be an expression of appreciation for the joy in our lives and for the Dharma. An expression of appreciation then becomes gratitude arising from joy.

Our practice is much like dancing in many ways. Our practice while certainly directed towards enlightenment is most importantly about the steps along the way and the joy of those steps, which actually manifest in the dance of and not to enlightenment.