Happiness as a Beautiful Way of Experiencing the World
One of the most challenging questions we can ask someone is to enquire whether they’re really happy. Does that strike you as odd? The results are often surprising and people’s reactions can reveal far more than you might expect. In fact, this seemingly innocent question can easily translate into a very sensitive subject that people would prefer not to discuss.
So, why is personal happiness such a potentially difficult area to explore? Perhaps we can gain a helpful insight from the teachings of a bygone age.
One of the great sources of wisdom in the world was the great sage and philosopher known as the Buddha. He lent his profound understanding to every aspect of the human condition and his teachings have endured as a source of inspiration for countless millions of people.
Though he lived and taught some two and half thousand years ago, his teachings still touch the very heart of human existence and continue to inspire better ways of living even in our complex and technologically advanced society.
Despite the twenty-five centuries that separate us from the days of the Buddha, we are essentially the same people today that listened to his teachings in that far-off time. Fortunately, his teachings possess a universal quality and are truly timeless. In fact, they can be applied to every age and to every circumstance.
One of his more famous quotes provides a very helpful reminder of the nature of happiness.
He said: “There is no path to happiness. Happiness is the path.”
This is an excellent reminder that enduring happiness cannot be found as a result of some quest. It is not a goal or a product of doing or getting something. As you’ll probably know only too well, these pleasures are transient and quickly fade.
The Buddha suggested instead that happiness is a way of being. A way for us to experience our lives.
Happiness, therefore, cannot be found outside of ourselves. It’s a state of being that flows from our hearts. It is not a temporary distraction from the cares and tribulations of the world. It cannot be found in the fleeting experiences that occupy and distract our senses.
It flows from an inner sense of peace and calm that sets the world in a more positive framework. It’s a way of living beyond the daily habits and limitations of fear and doubt and anxiety.
This is also the foundation for a greater sense of health and wellbeing. The Buddha taught that we become what we think and reminded us that the mind is a powerful force in determining many of the outcomes in our life.
This life-enhancing sense of inner peace also lends itself to greater levels of creativity and this is one of the great well-springs of success.
When you become the happiness you seek, you will find it everywhere. This is another example of the timeless observation that how we see the world reflects our inner state of being. As we experience the world through our emotional filters, the world becomes a mirror in which we see what is in our hearts.
This is not some esoteric or mystical form of distraction from the world around us. It is an enduring and extremely powerful way to engage with life more fully and deal more easily with its constant array of challenges.
Be the happiness that you seek. Today. Right now. And feel the extraordinary difference this makes to the way you think, feel and behave.
Make the world a better place for everyone to share. Become the happiness that you seek.
