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Happiness is a daily task

Don't struggle
Last Updated 02 December 2016, 18:29 IST

We have a choice – to resist happiness or to create it. The effort we put in is the same. So, ask yourself: What should I invest my effort in? Happiness or misery?

This I’ve learnt: life has given us two great abilities. To construct our day-to- day living for the practical purpose of fulfilling our needs; and to create happiness, joy and beauty so as to express the gladness of our spirit. Say, I mould a pot to store water in. And when I take infinite effort to give it a beautiful shape, I express the love and happiness I’m richly endowed with.

Creation is an inner response to life. It sets the rhythm and tone of cooperation rather than conflict as it explores finer immaterial aspects  – harmony, beauty, goodness – in matter. Our inner response could be directed towards creating health in body, gratitude in mind and goodness in spirit. Harmony between the body, mind and spirit then follows and is felt as deep joyous, peaceful wellness.

Feed your mind positivity

The mind loves positive words. Lao Tzu said: “Be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are. When you realise there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” This wisdom, read every day, gives the mind its oxygen of truth. It soothes and uplifts it.

Over the days, its rich content transforms the mind – from being a shallow grasper of things, the mind deepens into a reservoir of gratitude. You’ll be amazed at how these words power your response even on a day when things are not going the way you want them to.

Be content with what you have: You calm down in remembering all that you really have. Rejoice in the way things are: You may not rejoice, but you accept the way things are and the tension eases instantly. There is nothing lacking: Ah, sweet reminder! You regain your sense of proportion. The whole world belongs to you: It’s like being awakened from a deep slumber. Yes, this world is mine! A knowing sets in: I can do something about it. Then, the creative response: I will do something! Now, please return to Lao Tzu’s quote. Read it again. Get its full import. As Margaret Bonnana says, “It is only possible to live happily ever after on a day-to-day basis.”

And I can tell you from personal experience: in operating from Lao Tzu’s wisdom, not only does your waking day become a living happily-ever-after experience, but at night, your nightmares turn into beautiful dreams where things are resolved, enabling you to move on, to grow...

Let it be

One of the most powerful messages I received from my dreams is: Let it be. Let all your thoughts be. Rest, don’t resist. Is there a pebble in your shoe? Accept it calmly, there’s no need to resist it with irritation. Then, remove the pebble. When inner resistance is zero, the outer reaction is charmingly effective – there’s relief from physical discomfort but there is no needless mental chafing. It’s a powerful action without a pointless reaction.

When The Beatles’ Paul McCartney was having a dry creative spell – no lyrics, no tunes – he became restless and increasingly frustrated. Then he heard a quiet voice, which he believes to be his mother’s, say “Let it be.” All the turmoil died down. And from within him rose the song, Let it be. When the mind accepts, the spirit expresses.

In sum, when we live in sweet non-resistance, we live in wellness, grace, lightness. And we give ourselves and the world a deeply precious gift – abiding joyous peace.

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(Published 02 December 2016, 14:27 IST)

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