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Selected
Articles ::
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Happiness
is your Birth Right ::
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Common belief is that
happiness is a joy experienced through success whereas
unhappiness results from our failures. Success or
failures themselves may arise through or from different
sources. Sometimes we look for happiness through people
or events and yet at other times, we seek it through
acquiring, possessing, protecting and hoarding of money
and material objects.
We all want happiness and keep pursuing it consciously
and unconsciously throughout our life. In fact,
happiness is the ultimate goal of all our endeavors in
life.
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Each time, we manage to
succeed in any of our missions; we feel happy and
excited. Meeting with a lover, getting married, birth of
a child, meeting of friends, get together of relatives,
celebration of birthdays, anniversaries, festivals,
picnics, getting a job, bagging a prestigious business
contract or order, success in examination etc. are
occasions for happiness. Purchase of a house, furniture,
a TV or a refrigerator adds smiles to our life. For
days, months and years, we plan, strive and work hard to
achieve success, after the celebrations of success,
happiness soon leaves us and we start waiting for
another big occasion to be happy.
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Nevertheless, feelings
of despair and sorrow are experienced if one fails
to achieve money and material possessions. A person
may experience terrible unhappiness at not
possessing a TV, but there are people who are blind
and deaf. One may worry the inability to purchase
and possess a comfortable pair of expensive party
shoes but there are a few unfortunate ones who are
not even blessed with feet. The famous Chinese
proverb ‘I was about to feel sorry for myself for I
had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet’
reinforces the above thought.
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Money,
materialistic possessions and agreeable persons,
events and happenings can generate only
temporary happiness but they alone cannot ensure
any durable joy. A person could be miserable in
spite of many material possessions and the
company of near and dear ones. Sometimes such
so-called material possessions and inter-actions
with loved ones are the main source of pain and
sorrow. If pleasure or pain were in the money,
objects or events or circumstances, then each of
them should provide equal joy at all times to
all people who come in their contact.
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Obviously, this is not
true. A cigarette, wine, car or a wife or children
may give tremendous joy and satisfaction to one, yet
the same object or person may cause annoyance to
other person and yet another may not care for them
either way. The world of objects per se has no power
over us except what we permit them. Hence, our
common belief ‘happiness through possessions’ is not
supported by reality.
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Happiness is a State of Mind
Then what is
happiness: Happiness is really a state of mind. It
is entirely a subjective phenomenon. It is very much
within us. To one person, attaining success in his
desired goal may be so satisfying that he may be
happy and singing and he will happily eat a burnt
toast or not be perturbed by a missed holiday. For
him presently, the entire world becomes beautiful.
Yet exactly at the same time, his neighbour may be
cursing the world because he is physically ill or
had a stroke of bad luck at the stock market. The
world remaining the same, the individual’s mental
condition can change perceptions greatly. When the
mind is happy, every thing seems wonderful. When the
mind is agitated, sorrow is perceived all round.
Buying a new TV may be a source of great joy to all
in the family, yet the same TV can be a source of
irritation to an old or a sick person.
Money can buy a big and expensive house with latest
fittings and gadgets; but it cannot guarantee a
happy family. With money, one can organize a thick
cushioned fancy bed, but that does not guarantee a
relaxing sound sleep. With money, one can manage to
buy the most delicious multi cuisine dinner but good
appetite or digestion is a grace of almighty.
Happiness obviously depends entirely on the
tranquility of one’s mind.
Where, in what and how do you then get lasting
happiness?
Man as the unique
creation of God has been gifted with the ability to
change his mental condition at will. He does not
necessarily have to depend upon the objects and
circumstances around him. For most people, this
capability to mould his mind lies dormant. He is
even unaware of God’s great gift. He foolishly
continues to strive to become happy by acquiring and
hoarding of objects of the world. Objects do give a
glitter of joy but this joy soon vanishes. No object
can ever give a lasting satisfaction or happiness.
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Happiness Comes from
Positive Attitudes
Instead
of depending on outside events, circumstances,
happening, attitude, and behaviour of others for
your happiness, it is far wiser to modify one’s
own attitude to the situations. No body has any
control on what is happening outside of him but
every one can, if he wishes; control what
happens inside of him. While on seas, you cannot
change the direction or the intensity of winds
but you can adjust the sails of your boat.
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True happiness
comes from our own attitude of surrendering
ourselves to the will of divine grace. In
meditation, when a person anchors his soul -
atman with the Paramatma – the almighty, who is
the substratum of entire creation, then the
inner calm, peace, joy and bliss are
experienced. These can lift a person to
unbelievable heights of happiness. Similar
happiness is also experienced through pure and
selfless outgoing love for your dear
ones, respect to elders in family and in
society, selfless service to others, giving
consciousness and forgiveness to detractors.
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Search and pursuit of
happiness is akin to a cat trying to catch its tail.
She can go round and round endlessly without ever
succeeding, if she forgets about the tail and moves
forward, the tail is bound to follow her wherever
she goes. Happiness is a bye product of our karmas
(actions) and our perceptions, attitudes and
behaviour in life. Like a Lighthouse, if we work
with commitment and integrity, contribute to the
best of our capabilities, attempt to make others
around us happy by our giving attitude and selfless
service; if we surrender ourselves to the will of
God and do not insist on getting any particular
results from our endeavors, the happiness is ours
now and always. No body and nothing can make us
unhappy without our consent. We are pure joy and
unlimited happiness.
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When we develop
that kind of consciousness, then every little
gift of nature and the love of our parents,
family, friends, and neighbours can be source of
happiness. Every moment in life is a moment of
joy. The cool breeze in the morning, the green
leaves on a tree, the blooming rose in a garden,
the lovely dance of waves in the sea, the free
flowing water of a river, the sun shining, the
blue sky, the drizzle, the smell of earth,
family sharing meals, praying together, the
child’s smile etc are all endless sources of joy
and reasons to be grateful. In fact, one can be
happy in spite of everything and always if one
decides. Would you care to be happy?
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Happiness is a
journey. It is not a destination. Let us wait for
any thing to happen before we become happy. Let us
be happy here and now. We can be happy if we decide
to be. Happiness is a daily decision.
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One of the simplest
ways to be happy is to learn to express laughter.
Laughter is an expression of joy and it creates
happiness. Only a happy person can laugh easily.
Anger, tension, frustrations or stress cannot
co-exist with genuine laughter. Let us not be happy
for any thing, circumstance, event or persons.
Instead, let us be happy in spite of them. Happy
persons stay calm and can take wise decisions. They
accept life as a ‘Prasad ‘– gift of God. Laughter
and happy attitude are the purest forms of personal
spirituality. Man’s basic nature is happiness.
Happiness is God.
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