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Happiness, What the heck is it? ...Really?

2/17/2015

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It has been said by philosophers that the term “happiness” is intentionally ambiguous, so that we may each extract our own meaning and achieve it in our own way. True happiness, however, is something so important in life that it is worth defining and understanding in a  tangible and systematic way, so that we may actually achieve it. Throughout history happiness has been defined in different ways, from immediate pleasures to grand abstract ideologies. True happiness is, at it’s core, an “optimal state of being”, a deep and profound, flourishing sense of fulfillment that comes from within, and that involves the way in which we perceive and filter the world around us.

At times we have experienced glimpses of true happiness, in moments of extreme peace and contentment that accompany various experiences or arise in certain situations. While these moments are only glimpses, fleeting in nature, understanding how they come about can offer insight with which we can cultivate a more permanent state of being.

One of the first and most important aspects of true happiness is learning to not be pulled back and forth between the painful and pleasurable experiences of life. We must learn to put everything in perspective, and remain in touch with a foundation of “peaceful serenity”, not swayed from center by our circumstances, and certainly not reliant on them. To do this, we need to learn more about reality, specifically, how our mind works, and the true nature of the world around us.

It is the mental constructs we have created around the world and what we think will make us happy, that is the very source of our unhappiness. We see things as good or bad, and base our judgements on a misunderstanding of external reality, as well as attachment to things that either do not exist, or are impermanent and everchanging. In Buddhism, this “false reality” of ignorance and suffering is called Samsara.

Everything around us is interdependent on innumerable circumstances, and is constantly being acted upon by innumerable forces. Everything in existence is relational and ever-changing. Nothing exists on its own, in-of-itself. Understanding this creates an insight that is the foundation for happiness.

Combining this insight with the understanding that every being is capable of perfection, we can begin to actualize that perfection, and move toward a state of persistent and profound peace, called Sukha. Sukha is the state of true happiness, free of mental and emotional conflict, free of ignorance about the world, and characterized by a deep sense of joy and genuine love for every living being.

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photo by Daniel Sellers #sellersabroad



These thoughts are a personal summary and interpretation of the teachings of Matthieu Ricard in his book Happiness. These ideas are from Chapter 1: Talking About Happiness. I encourage you to check it out for yourself! It's an easy read, full of great wisdom and insight.

Reference:
Ricard, M. (2006). Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill. New York, NY: Little, Brown, and Company.
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Self-Transcendence & Actualization

2/1/2015

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"Self-actualization is only possible as a side effect of self-transcendence." (Frankl, 2014)

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A reflection on readings from Man's Search for Meaning, by Viktor E. Frankl...

     While it is true that our meaning in life exists and unfolds within our own individual existence, I love the point Frankl makes in suggesting that it is better realized through self-transcendence. 

     Basically, those who strive to be better, who search for purpose and for the unfolding of their higher Self, are engaged in a process that has been termed “self-actualization”.  This term, however, as well as many philosophical teachings that accompany it, can be inherently misleading.  To discover who we are, what we are meant for, our purpose, it is very easy to get lost in an endless stream of self-centred analyzation and insight. Or if this is not your problem, then there is an alternative and equally unhelpful state of being at a loss for any insight at all. Both of these misdirected states can lead to some kind of “existential vacuum”, as Frankl puts it. By understanding self-actualization as a by-product of self-transcendence, we can begin to get out of our mind’s futile search for a magical “end all be all” purpose, and direct our awareness toward the actual life material that can serve as fuel for true enlightenment.

     The very term “self-actualization” tempts one toward a very ego-centric view of life’s purpose. To really become self-actualized, however, we need to get out of our own heads (which according to many eastern philosophies are really just extensions of the material world anyway) and into the world. To loosely quote Frankl,  “Life is not about what we ask of the world, but about what the world, through our current situation, is asking of us”. Every circumstance we encounter in life is an opportunity to expose meaning and purpose. Every question life asks, every task it presents, is an opportunity for us to come up with new answers, new insights. Every challenge overcome or joy fully known creates new growth and a more evolved understanding of what it means to live. Therefore, rather than turning the wheels within over and over to try to understand ourselves, perhaps self-actualization is better realized by living in the moment, and asking yourself how you can be of greatest service, connect as deeply as possible to the place or the people around you, or carry the burden of current unavoidable suffering with as much purpose and grace as you can creatively imagine.

     It’s important to acknowledge that the goal of self-actualization is finding your meaning with respect to your place in the world. How do you fit into “the world”, why are you here? This is a different question than: What are you / what is your truest essence of being? To confuse and combine these two concepts into one question will result in a kind of neurosis disguised as eager, well-intentioned spiritual pursuit. Often, as spiritual philosophers in search of meaning, we innocently jump right to the latter question, trying to comprehend our deepest truth - who and what we are – without first embarking on our worldly path, fully living and learning about ourselves through the experiences life has to offer us. There is a level above self-actualization, in which this deeper truth becomes apparent, where one’s even truer meaning is found. With this being said, the spiritual process seems more like: 1)self-transcendence, which produces 2) self-actualization, which then leads you to 3) an even higher state of self-transcendence or, true enlightenment. However, to reach directly for this enlightenment without first experiencing the necessary steps to get there, creates a journey troubled by misguided ego-centric crises. 


     In short, before being completely free of the world, you must first find your place in it. Instead of asking yourself what it all means or what’s the point of it all, open your eyes to what’s around you, and ask yourself where you can find utmost purpose, today.



Reference
Frankl, V. E. (2014) Man's Search For Meaning. Boston, MA: Beacon Press

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    KAIZEN

    Kaizen (改善): Constant and neverending improvement. 

    “Happiness comes from a progressive realization of a worthy objective”.
             
        - Robin Sharma, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari

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