Everlasting Happiness

Everlasting Happiness In Depth

The Experience Of Happiness

We all have our own ways to get that dose of happiness into our lives by doing the things we love, for example, shopping, reading, going out with friends and eating something delicious, etc.

And what will make one happy may not necessarily work the same for others. This is because everyone is unique. What jokes will make one giggle the other person may find bland. What one finds delicious the other may find disgusting. Some can find baseball exciting; some will find boring.

Thus, the experience of happiness is entirely subjective and unique to one's mind.

Realizing this then, one will realize that it is not the objects in life that are bestowing the experience of happiness upon us; rather, it is the mind that is doing the bestowing. It's our mind's perception of what the objects mean to us that is creating the experience of happiness within.

For instance, our perception of what cricket is, our perception of shopping, our perception of the jokes we hear, our perception of our relationship with our friends, and so forth.

Notice that a beggar receiving a $50 note will be an entirely different experience to a millionaire receiving the same amount! 

So, happiness is formed from the perception we have towards our experiences.

To find the things that can make one happy then is to find the answers to the question—

"What makes me happy?"

By learning to focus on what one wants rather than what everyone wants, one will be able to find more fulfilling paths towards happiness. 

Realize that if one pursues what others are pursuing, then one can be lead to a journey fullof disappointments.

So, always find your own answers to happiness!

The Temporary Nature Of Happiness

The most common way for one to create Happiness is to use experiences in life as triggers to bring up the state.

For instance, making money, building a reputation, wearing fancy clothes, buying nice shoes, looking beautiful, having a tasty snack, and so forth. 

But when one uses experiences to trigger the states of happiness, then that happiness will always be temporary. Because after the experience, the happiness can disappear. And with time, one will become bored with what one has brought or achieved. One may even start to fear losing what has been making one happy. And what happens if the nice shoes we brought gets damaged, or even stolen?

Realize that when our happiness is dependent on an external object or experience, it will not last. And the more we become attached to the external things for happiness, the more sufferings it will bring to into the experience as well. So temporary happiness can only lead one down on a path of wanting more and more because filling a cup from the outside can only wet it rather than fill it. 

Now, this is not to say whether Temporary Happiness is good or not. It's neither. They are simply life experiences, and all life experiences can be beneficial if one uses them to grow. 

For instance, striving for temporary happiness, such as having goals and pursuing one's dreams, can help drive one towards new and challenging life experiences, which can help one to grow and mature. 

The reason why it's important to become aware of the temporary nature of the happiness one is creating is that it will help one not to become attached to it: to see that such happiness we experience will come and go, like the wind, like the rain, like the good time and bad times. Holding onto what cannot be held will only bring outcomes of frustrations and disappointments.

Another important reason for one to develop awareness of the impermant nature of the happiness one is experiencing is that it will allow one to explore for something more substantial and fulfilling, something that can grow with time and satiate their desires for joy from within—something...everlasting!

Everlasting Happiness In Depth

Is it possible to Create Everlasting Happiness?

To become happier than the day before?

Of course!

As the experience of happiness is created through one's perception of their life experiences, by improving the quality of one's perception, then one can heighten their experience of happiness!

How can we improve the Quality of our Perception?

To improve the quality of our perception will require one to develop the Knowing of what is preventing one from Perceiving all moments in life as a happy experience, i.e. what is destroying/impeding/diminishing the quality of our experiences in life? 

The answer is...our unhappiness!

The Cause Of Unhappiness

By becoming less unhappy, one will naturally become happier!

Thus, to create everlasting happiness is to transform the Suffering States of mind, to transform unhappiness into happiness!

And to transform unhappiness, one must learn about the cause of this state known as Unhappiness. 

It is by understanding the origins of our Unhappiness that we can address it at the seed level.

Realize that to transform unhappiness is different than managing one's unhappiness or using distractions to brush one's problems under the carpet. To transform unhappiness is to know why the unhappiness is there in the first place and address it so that it won't come back again.

Thus, to address one's unhappiness will be a spiritual journey, an enlightening journey of Self-Realization and Self-Transformation!

To understand the cause, let us explore what is happening in the Deeper Mind/Consciousness when the state of unhappiness is experienced, for instance, when we are in the states of anger, jealousy, impatience, fears—when we are in the suffering states of the mind.

What we will find is that whenever we are suffering, we are in a state of Rejection.

For instance, when we are angry, we will be rejecting others. When we are in fear, we will be rejecting an experience. When we are impatient, we will be rejecting the situation, and so forth.

This state of Rejection is called Self-Rejection. The word Self means anything in this world: ourselves, other selves, experiences, ideas, beliefs, —basically anything imaginable. Realize that the experience of Unhappiness is the experience of Self-Rejection.

Knowing the cause of our unhappiness then, the solution to our suffering states of the mind becomes clear. To transform unhappiness to happiness thus is to transform Self-Rejection into its opposite: Self-Acceptance!

The Power Of Acceptance

The State of Self-Acceptance is what Promotes the States of Happiness.

Observe the state of mind when you are in the state of happiness, contentment, patience, courage—when you are in these joyous states of the mind, you are in the state of Self-Acceptance, accepting all there is. 

The journey of Transforming our Unhappiness into Happiness thus is a journey of developing Self-Acceptance.

And to develop Self-Acceptance will be a journey of refining what we know Acceptance to be, and that is by working on learning to accept the things we can't accept in life. 

(See Catalyst - Acceptance to understand more)

Realize the power of Self-Acceptance.

What anger would you have if you can accept all kinds of people?

What fears would you have if you can accept all possibilities of outcomes?

What impatience would you have if you can accept the Present Moment as is?

What Suffering States of mind would you have if you can accept everything unconditionally?

The journey of Self-Acceptance can be a long and challenging journey because the mind will do its best to resist against you along the way. 

But, the rewards from making such a journey will be everlasting!