Happiness - what is it?

[Marblehead]

Doing all the right things may not result in happiness, rather, i think happiness can well be the cause for doing many things right.

 

On the same token: And unhappiness can be caused by looking for happiness in all the wrong places.

[C T]

On the same token: And unhappiness can be caused by looking for happiness in all the wrong places.

How about starting a parallel thread entitled "Happiness - What it is not?" hehe, or "Unhappiness - What it is"...

[Marblehead]

How about starting a parallel thread entitled "Happiness - What it is not?" hehe, or "Unhappiness - What it is"...

 

I don't know if I can take that position and speak to it.

 

Chuang Tzu spoke to this in a round about way.

 

And I really don't want to go back into my own life to the time when I was unhappy. (Yes, there were many time periods of that.)

 

But, just to see if I can meet your challenge I'll think on it and see what is inspired.

[Everything]

I've found that happy people don't like sad music and sad people don't like happy music. Happy people are attracted to happy things and sad people are attracted to sad things.

 

So you should make the things you already have your object of pleasure, and when you loose them, be flexible enough to create new objects of desire and joy. Staying focused on positive things, even when that means going against your believes of how everything is not positive. Being a stable person is also important. Happiness is an energy and it can be drained, especially if your fate lies on the negative things instead of positive things. Some people don't even realize how much fate they put in the negative side of life.

Whiny people are sad/fearful: "Chickens are dieing, cows are being coocked alive! I wish I had more chocolate! I want a more expensive car... This bike sux.. Everyone's still eating meat! Two hands are not enough! Everyone is killing eachother..."

Happy people focus and have fate in a world where there is enough for everyone so they spent their energies wisely and don't waste it on complaining about stuff they can't control: "Chocolate is so wonderful! I love my bike! Many people are becoming vegetarian. The environment is receiving more and more attention! My hands are the most useful thing in this world. We're all in this together! etc."

 

Happiness is an emotional currency, be wise about spending it. It may seem non-existant to the usual eye, coming and going as if from nowhere. Those on the spiritual journey have a stronger feel for it.

 

I wish everyone the best of luck, finding durable happiness in your lifes so that you may spread it to everyone.

 

Also a fact about what happiness itself actually is: well-being+confidence

You know how to become confident and how to have well-being, I'm sure of it. Stay on the path.

Edited January 14, 2011 by Everything

[gendao]

I believe happiness is the emotional fulfillment of the most personally-meaningful, defining struggle/motivation in your life. Which would vary for each person.

 

Although, ultimately:

There is

NO I

NO self

NO me

NO you

NO we

NO us

NO them

 

 

Nothing exists but That.

That you are a separate entity, an individual, a person, a self, an independent I

is a figment of imagination, a hoax, an untruth and

The Greatest Lie Ever Believed.

So ultimately, "happiness" is still just another construct like the "individual" that would be feeling it.. And could not be clung to, either.

 

 

I don't guess that Enlightenment makes "you" "happy" - just sober, relieved and awake?

[Everything]

I believe happiness is the emotional fulfillment of the most personally-meaningful, defining struggle/motivation in your life. Which would vary for each person.

 

Although, ultimately:So ultimately, "happiness" is still just another construct like the "individual" that would be feeling it.. And could not be clung to, either.

 

 

I don't guess that Enlightenment makes "you" "happy" - just sober, relieved and awake?

Isn't happiness an emotional balance on its self? A perfect balance between confidence and well-being. Surely perfect balance can never been reached, but you can certainly aim for perfect happiness.

 

The neutral mood comes from a stable emotional balance of anger and fear. The perfect tranquility can never be achieved either, only aimed for.

[Marblehead]

Nice comments Y'all.

[Mr. T]

 

happiness!

[ben]

Irony.

[pennyofheaven]

Hi Jetsun!

 

While I do agree with the premise of your thoughts, I differ in one regard.

If, through the learned or natural ability of "being in the moment", you remove all future/past

desires and expectations from your mind and are content to just experience what is happening

right then, in that moment, then happiness is attainable.

Because we place so many expectations of what we "need" to be happy, in our own way, being able

to focus on that moment, without thinking of anything future or past gives us the

opportunity to be happy. With no expectations.... why would we be any other way?

 

The brain, and the ego are the masters of our desires.

Food, sex drive, and self preservation are probably the only primal needs

needing to be met, our desires for other things are driven by the society/culture we live in.

 

So, to me it seems, a focus on the Now, is akin to real happiness.

Hopefully I am making some sense... this is not something I've

had to put into words before.

 

Ram Dass...."Be here Now" Is a book all about being in the moment without expectation of anything

other than what is transpiring at that moment, and being accepting of whatever it may be.

Change your perception of what is and what we expect, and your onto something great.

 

Peace!

 

Made sense to me.