The Secret to Happiness

I was listening to the radio yesterday and the hosts were talking about a study on happiness. This study said that the happiest people were on average 74 yrs old. Then, throughout the hour they had people who considered themselves happy call and talk about what their secret was. How lucky for those of us who make it to age 74. I am not there and may never be, but I imagine at that point in your life you cannot avoid thinking about death. And thinking about death brings a clarity about happiness unlike anything else.

Thinking about my own happiness, I started to look back over the last few years and really see how things have changed. It is said that happiness comes from within, and I have given many talks on this topic. It actually was great to see that I can honestly say that I am happy. Maybe peaceful is an even better description. Things outside have not really changed. Although, I am married now and have a 1 year old son. The day to day things like money, time, traffic, etc that used to be "problems" in my life have not gone away. It is how I see them that is different.

One of the greatest changes in how I see my world comes from thinking about Death. Not as a morbid thing but as an actual fact. Many of us do not like to talk about this. Death is certain. Not thinking about it does not make it go away. Then, when someone in our life dies we are shocked and cannot believe that this has happened. If we are being honest, what did we really expect? Reminding ourselves that death is certain keeps us from wasting our time being upset with others about meaningless things. Thinking about death is not depressing. It is what brings us our own happiness. Waking in the morning as if each day could be your last keeps us really clear about what matters. We become kinder, more compassionate, patient, and generous.

Death can come at any time. We have no idea when it will happen. We tend to think that we have a lot of time left. But, as Lama Marut likes to point out, there is no average lifespan for any individual. This kind of thought process gets us moving now. There is no waiting to call our friends, volunteer for the needy, or start that project we always wanted to do. The time is now. Every moment counts because today really could be your last. You will never let your loved ones leave with you being angry, your relationships will be strong, and you will not waste your time irritated at your coworker for being so irritating.

Every moment you have left is a miracle. Much unhappiness comes from not appreciating what we have and in some way thinking it will last forever. Live every moment as if it were your last and you will be happy. This is the secret.

Part of Something Greater

I was at a teaching on Mahamudra last week with Michael Hewitt and loved something he said about when we are aligned. Michael was speaking a bit about moving our energy (winds, prana, chi) from the side channels into our central channel. The side channels are where we experience things like jealousy, anger, sadness, anxiety, etc. When we move the energy into the central channel I loved how he said that we just know what to do and we do it. It is like when artists write songs or paint. It can be called peak performance in the corporate environment, and in sports it is known as the zone.

I thought this was such a great analogy because I think we all have experienced moments or glimpses like this at some point. It makes so much sense to think of it this way because things become so clear and easy. When we are in the zone we are fully present. We know what needs to be done and we do it. It does not mean it will not be hard work and that we will not need help from others. In fact if you think of it in terms of "the zone" it is very hard work. There are things we need to do to prepare. In yoga it's the 8 limbs, in Buddhism there is study and meditation. Happiness, which happens in the central channel, does not happen by mistake or just one day for no reason. It happens by being disciplined and working hard.

I was in a yoga class with Kim Kemper a few days ago and the teacher read a story about birds and why they fly in a V formation. I am going to attach the link. I thought it was a beautiful story and described what it is like when we are aligned. When the winds are in the central channel we all know our job, how to work with others, take care of others, be the most efficient, and be present. Even though we are all individuals we are all part of something greater. Hope you enjoy it..... http://hubpages.com/hub/Birds-Fly-In-V-Formation

Karma

I have really been spending a lot of time meditating and thinking about Karma. Being honest in my meditations means that I have to be honest about the reality of why things are happening in my life. One of my favorite things my teacher, Lama Marut says, is that we can either believe in karma or not. Most of us choose to buy into it only when good things happen to us or to those we like. Or when bad things happen to those we don't. When bad things happen we don't stop to think that it could be karma and we are working out an old past deed. When good things happen we think "It's about time- I totally deserve this."


We would all believe in karma 100% if there was not "the gap." Karma operates on the law of cause and effect. Things would be so much easier if when we killed a spider our arm would immediately break. But that is not how things work. We have no idea when the effect will happen. And when it does we often cannot connect it back to something we might have done previously.


During the gap between cause and effect the seed grows larger. So whatever it is we do in the past comes back at us in greater force by the time the seed ripens. The good news is that this is a universal law so when we do a positive action in the past it comes back at us greater in the future as well.


But now for the really hard part- when we are in the middle of a negative experience how can we actually stop ourselves from responding the way we usually do? We have absolutely zero control over what is happening to us in the present. The present is simply past karmic seeds ripening. What we do have control over is how we react. Can we stop ourselves from doing the same thing we did in the past that brought us this negative experience?



Can we 100% take credit for EVERYTHING that is happening in our life in the present? Can we begin to play with the idea that EVERYTHING is coming from us and nothing is coming at us. That may seem extreme in a world where we are so used to blaming others and the outside world for our challenges and problems. But what if I were to say that according to Tibetan Buddhism literally our entire world is coming from us. If we change our minds we can change our world. Nirvana and Samsara are in the same place. Think about it as a possibility and next time we will go deeper into how to change our future karma through meditation and monitoring ourselves throughout the day.



Whether any of this resonates or not, I ask that you think about it. Meditate on it. Is everything completely random? Is everything under the control of God? Is it possible to create the exact future you want by making the right choices in the present?