What is the problem anyway?
If a person thinks that he or she is going towards happiness, nothing can stop that person no matter what the consequences. That’s because the drive towards happiness is very intense, it is the drive to return home ― to your own Self-Nature.
Today much of our scientific effort is devoted towards finding more efficient ways to use energy, and towards the conservation of our resources. That’s because we are trying to avoid the consequences of over consumption, which include global warming and running out of fossil fuels like oil and coal.
With more consumption more energy and material get used. Soon the earth’s resources get stretched thin, and due to the byproducts of this consumption like carbon dioxide, the earth’s environment starts to change, making it harder for people to produce and get what they want.
Ecologists and world leaders, predicting a collapse of the environment, attempt to take steps to limit the damage. But even they disagree on whether we have a problem or not, how bad it is, and how we can solve this problem. Of course you have to recognize a problem and its severity before you can act to solve it.
In this article I am assuming that there is a problem that’s worth dealing with. If this seems like a pessimistic view of the course of the world, I think there is hope and that hope comes from an overlooked area, mediation.
Meditation and finding happiness
At first blush it seems as if ecology and meditation have nothing to do with each other. One deals with the condition of the world, the other with the inner life of the person. Of course there are many definitions for meditation and most of them have nothing to do with ecology. But if the aim in your meditation is Self-Knowledge, you will see where these two seemingly opposite endeavors come together.
That’s because one of the questions that we ask is, “How can I find lasting happiness?” Even a casual look at human desire will show that happiness is not an option. It is a drive as strong as the desire to eat and sleep. The proof is simple: no one is happy being miserable. I’ve never heard anyone say, “Finally I can rest; I’ve reached the height of misery.” Even committing suicide is an attempt to eliminate suffering and find peace, and the most intense wars are an attempt to eliminate perceived obstacles to happiness.
What's behind our insatiable consumption
Although we see a seemingly insatiable desire to consume, we have to ask, what is the underlying motive behind all of this consumption? In other words, what does the person hope to find in the iPhone, Xbox, the latest games, computers, and other electronic gadgets, or in a new car, house and the new furniture. Once we find out what a person hopes for we can ask, will these things deliver?
To learn more about happiness and the objects you can read, “3 Steps for Finding Lasting Happiness,” also found in this blog. But here I will just give a summery of this article. Objects are incapable of giving you what they don’t have, and they don't contain happiness. The only thing that objects can do is remind you of the happiness that you have already. The proof is that when you experience happiness you experience it here within yourself, and not over there in the object that you see.
How
can meditation take you to the place of happiness?
In fact if you never meditated before, give up all your ideas about what meditation is supposed to be like sitting still for three hours, or stopping your thoughts. The next time you experience happiness, no matter what you think caused it, find the place where you actually experience this happiness. Not where it is suppose to be, or where you think it is, but where you actually experience it. You will have some startling insights. Also without any unnecessary strain, you will have started your first meditation practice.
Once you find the place of happiness you will begin to lose your addiction to things. That’s because you will find that you already have what you were looking for. An addiction is a tease. You see the object and you feel the happiness. Overlooking its source, you blame the object. But when you link your happiness to an object, when the object, a car for instance, gets into an accident or you get tired of it, your happiness seems to get snatched away. That’s when you need something new to recapture the happiness that you think you lost. Here is the root of consumerisms.
Returning happiness to its source will cut the link that ties happiness to objects. It will return your happiness to the place where you actually experience it. This will decrease your need for objects, while increasing your happiness. Isn’t this a wonderful way to begin alleviating our ecological crisis?
If you have more questions about meditation, finding the source of happiness, or Self-Knowledge you can visit our web site at www.light-up-your-life.com or ask here and we can find answers together. If the comment section of this blog doesn't work, send your comments and questions to, michael@ananya.com.
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Best Wishes,
Michael Gluckman Author of “Making Your Wisdom Come Alive”
George Fine when writing about Michael’s book said: “Reading Michael’s book is like listening to a wonderful symphony that leaves you feeling uplifted and refreshed. It is highly recommended for all those who sense that there’s an alternative to suffering, and who what that alternative now.”
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