How do we find Happiness?
Posted by msterilinn on Feb 8, 2008
I am in general a very happy person, in spite of circumstances, and this truly shows to all who come in contact with me. Today I would like to share a message from a friend, which touched my heart and spirit. It reminds me why each day, I look for the good in all things…
A fleeting moment, or a way of seeing?
Ask any number of people to describe a moment of “perfect” happiness. Some will talk about moments of deep peace experienced in a harmonious natural setting, of a forest dappled in sunshine, of a mountain summit looking out across a vast horizon, of the shores of a tranquil lake, of a night walk through snow under a starry sky, and so on. Others will refer to a long-awaited event: an exam they’ve aced, a sporting victory, meeting someone they’ve longed to meet, the birth of a child. Still others will speak of a moment of peaceful intimacy with their family or a loved one, or of having made someone else happy.
The common factor to all of these experiences would seem to be the momentary disappearance of inner conflicts. The person feels in harmony with the world and with herself. Someone enjoying such an experience, such as walking through a serene wilderness, has no particular expectations beyond the simple act of walking. She simply is, here and now, free and open.
For just a few moments, thoughts of the past are suppressed, the mind is not burdened with plans for the future, and the present moment is liberated from all mental constructs. This moment of respite, from which all sense of emotional urgency has vanished, is experienced as one of profound peace. For someone who has achieved a goal, completed a task, or won a victory, the tension they have long carried with them relaxes. The ensuing sense of release is felt as a deep calm, free of all expectation and fear.
But this experience is just a passing glimpse brought on by a particular set of circumstances. We call it a magic moment, a state of grace. And yet the difference between these flashes of happiness seized on the fly and the immutable peacefulness of the sage, for instance, is as great as that between the tiny section of sky seen through the eye of a needle and the limitless expanses of outer space. The two conditions differ in dimension, duration, and depth.
Even so, we can learn something from these fleeting moments, these lulls in our ceaseless struggles; they can give us a sense of what true plenitude might be and help us to recognize the conditions that favour it.
A Way of Being
I remember one afternoon as I was sitting on the steps of our monastery in Nepal. The monsoon storms had turned the courtyard into an expanse of muddy water and we had set out a path of bricks to serve as stepping-stones. A friend of mine came to the edge of the water, surveyed the scene with a look of disgust, and complained about every single brick as she made her way across. When she got to me, she rolled her eyes and said, “Yuck! What if I’d fallen into that filthy muck? Everything’s so dirty in this country!” Since I knew her well, I prudently nodded, hoping to offer her some comfort through my mute sympathy. A few minutes later, Raphaèle, another friend of mine, came to the path through the swamp. “Hup, hup, hup!” she sang as she hopped, reaching dry land with the cry “What fun!” Her eyes sparkling with joy, she added: “The great thing about the monsoon is that there’s no dust.” Two people, two ways of looking at things; six billion human beings, six billion worlds.
Anyone who enjoys inner peace is no more broken by failure than he is inflated by success. He is able to fully live his experiences in the context of a vast and profound serenity, since he understands that experiences are ephemeral and that it is useless to cling to them. There will be no “hard fall” when things turn bad and he is confronted with adversity. He does not sink into depression, since his happiness rests on a solid foundation.
Once at an open meeting in Hong Kong, a young man rose from the audience to ask me: “Can you give me one reason why I should go on living?” This book is a humble response to that question, for happiness is above all a love of life.
__________________________
Excerpted with permission from Happiness: Developing Life’s Most Important Skill by Matthieu Ricard (Little, Brown and Company, 2006). Ricard, a former biochemist and Buddhist monk.
Believing in the Power of Positive Energy
Posted by msterilinn on Jan 7, 2008
I am an avid reader, and am always searching for new books to delve into. I am looking forward to reading a book written by Judith Orloff, M.D., called Positive Energy. I am a strong believer in the power of positive energy, in creating a healthy atmosphere for ourselves and the world we live in. I believe it is very important to place mental protective shields around our bodies and spirits to keep negative forces out, and to prevent those who wish to harm us or steal our energy, from doing so. This is something I have taught my daughter as well, and on many occasions I have felt my body totally relax and regenerate energy through simply throwing up my protective shields when I have felt the effects of negative drains upon my body and spirit. I do this whenever I leave my home, and especially when I drive my car, or visit crowded places. I simply visualize a protective bubble all around myself, and ask for protection, stating my wish for only positive energy to enter, whilst keeping negative or draining energy out. In this way I ask that no harm comes to myself, or others around me.
If perhaps negative or harmful energy does attatch itself to me, I am certain to burn a bit of sage, cedar, or lavender to cleanse my body and spirit of this negative energy. I regularly do this in my home as well, to dispel anything harmful that may enter through others, as negative energy attatches itself to people and objects. This is a ritual tradition of many peoples from all around the world, and was once commonplace, yet some folks have simply forgotten about this simple form of cleansing.
Along this line, I am always searching for more information on this subject, and am looking forward to a trip to my local bookstore to buy Judith Orloffs book, Positive Energy.
Dr. Orloff is the pioneer behind Energy Psychiatry, a new field that addresses the subtle energetic components of health and behavior. Energy Psychiatry blends the practice of mainstream medicine with an emerging scientific understanding of subtle energies, revered by many cross-cultural healing traditions as our life force. In Positive Energy, Dr. Orloff explains this exciting new discipline and how it led her to formulate ten essential prescriptions for boosting energy, improving relationships, and combating energy vampires. The prescriptions are:
~ Awaken your intuition and rejuvenate yourself–and learn the cure for technodespair and overload from emails, computers, and phones
~ Find a nurturing spiritual path that fits your own beliefs and inner stirrings
~ Design an energy-aware approach to diet, exercise, and health–and learn how to avoid the “energetic overeating” that sabotages attempts to lose weight–a major reasons diets fail
~ Generate positive emotional energy to counter negativity
~ Develop a heart-centered sexuality
~ Open yourself to the flow of creativity and inspiration to achieve greater joy
~ Celebrate the sacredness of laughter, pampering, and the replenishment of retreat–it’s not selfish to take care of yourself
~ Discover how to attract positive people and situations
~ Protect yourself from energy vampires with specific shielding techniques
~ Create abundance and a continuing flow of energy
Following each chapter are Dr. Orloff’s interviews with luminaries who share their personal secrets about how they use a specific prescription to generate more energy. You’ll discover how Quincy Jones’s intuition opened up after brain surgery, Larry King honed his interviewing techniques, Naomi Judd recovered from hepatitis C, and Jamie Lee Curtis deals with draining people.
If you would like to learn more, and see what others have to say about this marvelous book, please visit Positive Energy to read some reviews from folks who have had life changing experiences after reading this book.
“This compassionate and humorous book offers clear tools to safeguard one’s life force while encouraging a courageous participation in life and all it brilliantly offers us. I’m so grateful for Judith’s generosity in covering so much ground in such a succinct and wise way!” Alanis Morissette
singer-songwriter, activist
If we are aware as we walk…
Posted by msterilinn on May 11, 2007
“The Elder’s would gather words as they walked a sacred path across the Earth, leaving nothing behind but prayers and offerings.”
—- Cleone Thunder, NORTHERN ARAPAHOE
Whenever we walk on the Earth, we should pay attention to what is going on. Too often our minds are somewhere else, thinking about the past or thinking about the future. When we do this, we are missing important lessons. The Earth is a constant flow of lessons and learnings which also include a constant flow of positive feelings. If we are aware as we walk, we will gather words for our lives, the lessons to help our children; we will gather feelings of interconnectedness and calmness. When we experience this, we should say or think thoughts of gratitude. When we do this, the next person to walk on the sacred path will benefit even more.
My Creator, today, let me be aware of the sacred path.
