Happy People- Read More in Make the Mind Mt Kailasa

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Happy People

 

 

The promos of an upcoming television serial were being aired incessantly by a TV channel. The plot seemed to revolve around  a  young  girl  hailing  from  a  family  of  bureaucrats, jurists, and police officers, among others, who merely wished to be ‘happy’. Her academic performance was way below par, verging on failure. When confronted about her future plans by an unsettled family, she retorted by saying that her only desire in life was to be ‘simply happy’.

Health is not mere absence of pestilence, it is something much beyond. So is the case with happiness. It encompasses a whole range of emotions wherein an individual is not just ‘not’ unhappy, but radiates infectious joy, which uplifts not only him but those around too.

A person assumes the human form and arrives on planet Earth. He or she grows up, gets educated, then the family and the individual in question are in pursuit of a high-ranking job (preferably with several perquisites attached to it).

On securing the job the person is married off into as pretentious a family as possible and soon begets children. Surely enough, he plans for the upbringing of the off-spring, their future….

 

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This perennial cycle continues in an undisturbed manner. Whenever questioned as to when he would choose to be happy, the answer is that upon the successful completion of the next task or event in the sequence, he would unfailingly find time to seek happiness. Finally, in the winter of his life, sitting in the garden of a colossal bungalow and now surrounded by grandchildren, however with failing health, the nonagenarian is in quest of happiness. In the sands of time, leading a frenetic schedule being happy had been overlooked. It is the nature or

chitta of human mind to postpone happiness.

Contrast this with the emotions of a child, who is happy every moment, be it the prattle or jibber-jabber, winking at the mother or devouring a piece of chocolate with relish. The child is in the present moment.

A Zen Master would be accompanied by his pet dog on his evening stroll. The Master would throw a stick and point to it for the dog to fetch, which it did routinely. One evening the Master invited his brightest tutee to join him. The student, though perspicacious, was always doleful and gloom-ridden. He was confronted with what he perceived to be contradictions in the teachings of Buddhist doctrine.

The teacher compassionately explained that words are mere signposts and symbols for the seeker. They should not act as a road block in the spiritual progress and happiness of the student. To illustrate the point, the Master asked the dog to fetch the moon shining in the sky. The dog merely looked at the Master’s finger, and the teacher explained that the spiritual progress and happiness of the canine was limited to certain symbols, whereas the tutee needed to transcend the symbols, and discover the eternal truth, which is nothing but happiness. This Zen state could be achieved by wading through the swathes of words and symbols by being happy, radiant

 

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and joyous from within. And this happiness ought to have a spiralling effect and encompass the lives of others.

To be in a cheery state, an individual should eschew misery from his cognitive framework. Misery signifies a state or feeling of great physical or mental distress or discomfort.

Normally in the hunt for treasures, humans forsake the precious wealth of relationships.When the sole objective of life is only acquisition and not building polyphonic relationships, we become robotic in nature and in the bargain fritter away priceless moments of life. Certainly, money is important for sustenance and decent living, equally so is an emotional bank balance of healthy relationships. Of what value is the happiness of the nonagenarian when his entire life has been wasted by not pursuing his passion but postponing it to the final days of life?

Humans who wish to be happy should share their moments of happiness and joy and not their woebegone moments. By the law of nature and the universe, happiness would grow manifold. Sharing gloom only magnifies despondency among the individual and people surrounding him. Over time, he would become a loner, lost and friendless.

Individuals as a habit realize that negative moments  in life are infinitesimal in comparison with the problems confronting the world. And by undertaking acts of seva, people can overcome their gloom-ridden moments and augment happiness. Enlightened Masters emphasize that performing service transforms our inner self, which deepens the quality of meditation. And meditation leads to contentment and increased joy.

It is important for individuals to take full responsibility for their actions and inaction too. Taking up responsibility empowers us and ignites the spark of happiness and joy, and as

 

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a test case, we can measure the emotional quotient of our mind by not taking up responsibility. Invariably the mind becomes crestfallen. Therefore, it is sagacious to take up responsibility.

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony,” rightly said the Mahatma.

 

 

 

 

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Live in the Present Moment

 

 

Romance was in the air as India attained freedom from the British yoke.The period was the 1950s as India embarked upon the socialistic pattern to revive the country, which inherited an impecunious economy.

Two bright students from coastal Andhra landed in rain- washed Delhi University to pursue their dreams. They were moonstruck at the sight of Lutyen’s Delhi, Connaught Circus and were, of course, treated to the customary ragging.

The strapping youngsters were apprehensive and anxious about what the future bode for them and were simultaneously reminiscing about the sylvan grasslands of Andhra Pradesh.

In order to remain connected with their past, they made recurrent trips to the New Delhi Railway Station to receive students arriving in droves from their state and revive those nostalgic moments. When it is repetitively said, “Those good old days!” in one stroke, we send a signal to our Universe that the present is not congenial. The Universe, in turn, will resound with an antipathetic response. This is not conducive or healthy for the mind.

As Buddha says, “The mind is everything. What you think you become.” If we live in the past, we keep fretting

 

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and fuming about the missed opportunities and those past impressions create roadblocks in our physical and metaphysical advancement.

On completion of their studies, the more aspiring students stayed back and the less enterprising one returned home. The person in Delhi aspired to be a civil servant like his more illustrious siblings and their children. But destiny had carved out its own plan. His friends and acquaintances qualified for the coveted job, a sinecure that eluded him. So, the mind became envious of his siblings, their children and friends and started implanting his failed mission upon his children, much to their discomfiture. They were impelled to fulfil the dreams and passions of their covetous father.

How does one reach that state of ‘present moment’? Before dwelling on some techniques, it will be useful to read a fascinating Buddhist parable.

One afternoon a Buddhist monk was carrying a bucket filled with water in a dense forest. Suddenly he heard a rustle. It was a tiger, smacking its lips and intently looking at the potential prey. The monk ran for his life, with the tiger in pursuit. The monk reached a precipice and had a choice to make, either be devoured by the ferocious tiger or jump off the cliff. Death stared in his face. The monk jumped and fortuitously clung on to a branch of a strawberry tree. He ate the strawberry – considering it to be his last meal – and thoroughly relished it. The sweetness and the texture were partaken with total concentration at ground zero. The monk had never had such a meal, as he was absolutely in the present moment.

A simple yet profound technique of sadhana is to be a witness to all the actions and activity that take place. The actor in us becomes the spectator too. This is what is espoused in

 

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the esoteric philosophy of Ashtavakra Gita (a classic dialogue between King Janaka – who himself was a Raj Rishi – and the sage Ashtavakra). But this erudite technique demands a thorough examination of the human mind.

“A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes,” writes Hugh Dower. Any individual, householder or a seeker needs to inculcate habits of equanimity, equilibrium and equipoise to remain calm, whatever be the circumstance or situation, to be contented and remain in the present moment. The protagonist who stayed back in Delhi could fulfil his dreams only partially. His son did qualify for the civil services, but could not join the service of his choice; this was due to excessive pressure applied by family members already in the

elite services. Consequently, he fell prey to alcoholism.

Perhaps it was because both father and son were not grateful to the Universe and did not adhere to the Law of Gratefulness. Thus, lives were ruined. All plans and strategies go asunder when we do not follow the universal commands – feeling abundance, feeling blessed and feeling grateful in life. These three attributes are the cornerstones in converting a recalcitrant mind to be in the present moment.

Meanwhile, the friend who returned home did not lose his way in the sands of time. He became a successful trade union leader and politician, taking one step at a time and living in the present.

“Life is one big road with lots of signs. So, when you are riding through the ruts, don’t complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. Don’t bury your thoughts; put your vision to reality. Wake up and live,” sang Bob Marley.