I want to be happy. You want to be happy! Everyone desires happiness, right? It is a worthy desire that connects us all – we all deeply wish to be happy and free of suffering.
But what does it truly mean to be happy?
Since the beginning of time, people of all walks of life have been on the pursuit of happiness, and yet few of us really seem to understand and experience that True Bliss.
But it’s no secret! The Great Masters of all the wisdom traditions from around the world have been pointing humanity in the direction of true, unconditional, causeless joy since the beginning of time.
And yet, in our modern world, it seems as though we’ve confused this happiness for many things— we engage in unhealthy activities, seek fulfillment through material means, desire gratification from others in the attempt to fill ourselves with the happiness that we seek.
Here are some legendary examples maybe you can relate to:
+ We think that buying a new car will make us happy—but we all know that doesn’t really work.
+ We think that drinking a bottle of wine or downing a bag of chips will satisfy us– but we all know that usually doesn’t quite hit the spot.
+ We think that meeting the perfect person and starting a new relationship will make us happy— but after some time, that happiness seems to fade.
+ We think that quitting our job and starting a new career will finally fulfill us— but as it turns out, we still aren’t totally satisfied.
+ We think that by moving to a new city, or going on a vacation, or buying this new thing, or having that new experience will bring us the joy that we have always sought— but the “happiness” that we feel from those experience only seem to last for a moment, before that feeling expires, and we seek after the next new thing to fulfil us.
So why is that? Why does this happiness always seem to wane shortly after we buy a new car, start a new relationship, or begin new career?
Because we are searching for happiness in all the wrong places. We’ve misunderstood what happiness really is. And we’ve confused “happiness’ for pleasure, physical comfort and desire.
PLEASURE VS HAPPINESS
“Happiness is our Natural State. Therefore it is not wrong to desire it. What is wrong is seeking it from the outside when it is inside.” – Sri Ramana Maharshi
Many enlightened masters from all the wisdom traditions of the world, have said since time immemorial the secret— that true happiness comes from within.
+ A new car can be physically comfortable—yes. But give you true and lasting happiness? No…
+ Your new relationship may bring you pleasure— definitely! But it alone cannot truly fulfil you.
+ That vacation you were dying to go on may fulfil a desire momentarily— but that’s all.
We try to fill that spot inside of us that is reserved exclusively for true happiness, which is our birthright, our natural state, our true nature— with something that simply cannot fit. The puzzle pieces simply don’t match up, because happiness cannot be attained from the outside through physical means or mental comforts or temporary experiences.
For example…
+ Pleasure is temporary. Happiness is eternal.
+ Pleasure comes from an outer stimulus. Happiness comes from within.
+ Pleasure arises from a cause. Happiness is causeless.
+ Pleasure is instant gratification. Happiness is true satisfaction.
+ Pleasure is acquired. Happiness is innate.
+ Pleasure arises from circumstances. Happiness defies circumstances.
+ Pleasure is depends on condition. Happiness depends on our mind.
THE WAY TO TRUE HAPPINESS
So what does it truly mean to be happy and where does it come from?
In my own personal pursuit of happiness, here’s what I’ve learned to be true. Discover what happiness really is, where it comes from, and how to get it. Enjoy these 5 simple pathways to experiencing True Bliss in your life:
1) Gratitude
Gratitude is the main ingredient for living a life that is bursting with happiness and True Bliss. To be grateful means to appreciate your current life as it is.
Now— to be grateful for life as it is, doesn’t mean that we stay in unhealthy situations or don’t embrace positive life changes as is appropriate. But it means to value life as it is now, to change your perception of the challenges and obstacles of life, and to embrace them with a positive outlook that naturally makes space for meaningful transformation.
Gratitude alone unlocks the true richness of life. Gratitude transforms what you have, into even more. It turns a stranger into a friend, a house into a home, a meal into a feast. True Bliss comes from recognizing all the beauty that exists and your life and saying a big “thank-you” for it once in a while!
2) Love
“Love is our True Essence.” –Amritanandamayi Devi
Love is the most fundamental source of True Bliss— a life of love, is a very happy life, indeed. Love fulfills us in a way that nothing else can. And this love that the great masters speak of is not just romantic love— though it’s a part. It’s not just parental love— though that’s a part too. It’s not the kind of love that we give and receive— it’s beyond that. This love is unconditional, infinite, eternal. It is true love.
So embody love in all of it’s colors— live a life of kindness, compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, empathy, service etc. and you’ll discover True Bliss in a heartbeat!
Let love be your compass towards a meaningful, fulfilling and Truly Blissed life.
3) Presence
Life is only available to us in the present moment. Therefore, the key to True Bliss is to be fully engaged with the present moment as it is— the only place where life truly exists. Simply by being present in each moment— meaning, your mind is also where your body is in time and space, and your attention is dwelling not in the past or worrying about the future, we can unlock true fulfillment in life.
So live each moment completely. By offering our genuine presence to every moment, we are able to really notice and experience all the beauty, magic and wisdom that exists in every moment when we simply pay attention.
4) Contentment
Contentment is the true art of being happy for no particular reason at all. Contentment alone transforms what we have, into enough. Contentment gives us true fulfillment through arriving at an inner sense of ‘enough-ness,’ ‘completeness’ or ‘wholeness’ which is free from the imprisonment of constantly lusting after comforts, pleasures and mental experiences that ultimately take us away from the present moment, and therefore, the possibility of true joy, and keep us in a state of constantly postponing our happiness until the next new ‘pleasure.’
Inner happiness does not depend on outer circumstances or mental gratifications— it depends on our mind. So allow what you have to be enough, be content with what is, rejoice in the way things are— realize there is nothing lacking, and reveal the wholeness of life!
5) Peace
Only if there is peace in our hearts can we be truly happy. Our happiness and quality of life does not depend upon money, status, relationships, power etc—it comes from within. Inner peace is the only true wealth and it begins the moment we realize that outer circumstances, situations and events of our life do not need to control our inner emotional states. We find peace not by needing to control the natural laws and events of life, but in understanding our perceptions of them, and creating an equanimous relationship to these events with a peaceful outlook.
There is no end to chaos in the world. Hence peace alone is the best way to happiness. Therefore, acquire peace. Make peace with yourself, make peace with this moment, make peace with others and you’re well on your way to True Bliss.
With these 5 simple practices of gratitude, love, presence, contentment and peace, start to discover all the divine beauty, causeless joy, unshakable harmony that lies within and around you— available to you in each and every moment. Experience the True Bliss that is your natural state— the same True Bliss that lies within each and every one of us which connects us all.
If you’re feeling the call to dive deep into the True Bliss that is your own nature, check out our True Bliss Sacred Yoga + Meditation Retreat in Alberta, Canada, where we reveal the ancient practices of yoga, meditation & ritual as taught by the great enlightened sages to experience true Bliss within!