Self-Awareness can bring happiness

[Guest guest]

By Swami Bodhananda

 

The very concept of God has given rise to many theological disputes and

religious warfare. In fact, God is an enduring in-depth experience in the midst

of ever-changing mental and sensate experiences - God is the inexhaustible

source of love, harmony and peace.

 

Happiness is sought by everyone. But the search is not focused in the right

direction. We waste precious time seeking happiness in the mirage of objects,

places and people; in relationships and ideologies; in possessions and wanton

indulgences.

 

Some seek happiness in caves, in mountains or on the shifting sands of deserts,

practising severe penance. Our rishis called them extroverts - those who seek

happiness in the objective domain with wasteful efforts, disregarding the

subjective.

 

In fact, happiness is a function of the subjective. But to seek happiness in the

subjective domain is impossible, because the subjective can never become an

object of seeking. That means to seek happiness in either direction is to miss

happiness.

 

That realisation makes the seeker spontaneously detached, silent and

contemplative. Meditation means all that. So meditation is the only door to

happiness. Meditation means just ‘to be happy'.

 

A group of American tourists were visiting Japan. They made it a point to visit

as many Buddhist temples as possible and participate in all their religious

practices. In one of those temples they were introduced to a Zen master.

 

The Americans, puzzled by the rituals, said: "We visited many of your temples

and participated in many of your practices, but we don't understand what your

theology is." The Zen master roared with laughter: "We have no theology or

philosophy, we simply laugh and dance."

 

Kavya Kanta Ganapathi Muni, a Vedic scholar and devotee of Shakti, once

approached Ramana Maharshi and asked: "Bhagavan, what is true meditation?"

Maharshi said: "Watching the source of thought is meditation."

 

The source of thought is Self. Ignoring the Self is unhappiness. Being conscious

of one's ignorance is meditation. Thought projects time veiling consciousness.

Identifying with time is unconsciousness and the cause of suffering.

 

Consciousness is bliss, which is transcendence of time. Consciousness is

awareness of the self as the light in which thoughts, feelings and sensations

shine and responses happen.

 

How far is consciousness from the phenomenal world? How far is the Creator God

from creation? Is bliss opposed to body experiences? Can happiness be an

enduring experience in the ups and downs of actual living? Living in constant

awareness of one's spiritual nature while interacting with the world is

experiencing happiness moment to moment.

 

Sri Narayana Guru said: "To act with awareness is freedom and to act without

awareness is bondage." The difference bet- ween freedom and bondage is

awareness. Self-awareness is true awareness with reference to which the thought

projected world is seen as a myth - as just a narration of an imaginative mind.

 

"Tell me," demanded the king, turning to his bewildered minister, waking up from

an afternoon siesta. "Just a while ago I was a butterfly. Now, on waking up, I

find myself to be a king. Which of these two experiences is the truth?"

 

The minister replied: "Your Highness, doubtless, you are king - not a

butterfly." The king was not convinced. He said: "O minister, how do you know?

It might be that I am the king in the butterfly's dream!"

 

Happiness in every day life means walking wakefully in this dream world.

Self-awareness helps find true happiness.

 

Yours

George Pillai

Meet your soulmate! Asia presents Meetic - where millions of singles gather

[Guest guest]

were introduced to a Zen master. The Americans, puzzled by the rituals, said:

"We visited many of your temples and participated in many of your practices,

but we don't understand what your theology is." The Zen master roared with

laughter: "We have no theology or philosophy, we simply laugh and dance."

Kavya Kanta Ganapathi Muni, a Vedic scholar and devotee of Shakti, once

approached Ramana Maharshi and asked: "Bhagavan, what is true meditation?"

Maharshi said: "Watching the source of thought is meditation." The source of

thought is Self. Ignoring the Self is unhappiness. Being conscious of one's

ignorance is meditation. Thought projects time veiling consciousness.

Identifying with time is unconsciousness and the cause of suffering.

Consciousness is bliss, which is transcendence of time. Consciousness is

awareness of the self as the light in which thoughts,

feelings and sensations shine and responses happen. How far is consciousness

from the phenomenal world? How far is the Creator God from creation? Is bliss

opposed to body experiences? Can happiness be an enduring experience in the ups

and downs of actual living? Living in constant awareness of one's spiritual

nature while interacting with the world is experiencing happiness moment to

moment. Sri Narayana Guru said: "To act with awareness is freedom and to act

without awareness is bondage." The difference bet- ween freedom and bondage is

awareness. Self-awareness is true awareness with reference to which the thought

projected world is seen as a myth - as just a narration of an imaginative mind.

"Tell me," demanded the king, turning to his bewildered minister, waking up

from an afternoon siesta. "Just a while ago I was a butterfly. Now, on waking

up, I find myself to be a king. Which of these

two experiences is the truth?" The minister replied: "Your Highness,

doubtless, you are king - not a butterfly." The king was not convinced. He

said: "O minister, how do you know? It might be that I am the king in the

butterfly's dream!" Happiness in every day life means walking wakefully in

this dream world. Self-awareness helps find true happiness. Yours George

Pillai Meet your soulmate! Asia presents Meetic - where millions of

singles gather

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