Thursday, 03/20/2025
Posting Essays
No time like the present to be happy
Update: 22/10/2016
Life\r\nis full of ups and downs, and our emotions are our signposts. It is necessary\r\ntherefore that we don’t hide them away, especially if we would like to\r\nunderstand such emotions as anger or jealousy and work with ourselves to\r\nexperience these negative states less often.
We need to make friends with all our emotions, both positive and negative, so\r\nthat we can begin to see where they come from or how they are triggered.
And the more friendly we are with even the most painful emotions, the more\r\neasily we can let them go. As we practise the tools of patience, appreciation,\r\nunderstanding the nature of change and acceptance, we will gradually find that\r\nour emotions may become friendlier towards us. As we become better observers of\r\nour minds through meditation and everyday mindfulness, we may feel the burn of anger dissolve before the fire has even got going.
We live in an era of competition and comparison, and while competition is one\r\nway to drive us to greater heights, it also develops in our minds the idea of\r\nwinners and losers, creating anxiety about where we are on some imaginary\r\nladder of success, achievement or even happiness relative to others. So instead\r\nof being happy for another person’s success or happiness, we look upon them\r\nwith jealousy and envy; or if we are very successful ourselves, we might be\r\nfull of pride, looking down on others from a supposed great height. Instead, we\r\nmust keep all of our comparisons, gossip and judgments about others aside,\r\nwhile we focus on being true to ourselves, without the need for praise or\r\nblame.
\r\n\r\n\r\nTo\r\nbe observant of ourselves should not mean that we become insular. It is only\r\nwhen we interact with the world and make connections that we open up\r\nopportunities to give and receive happiness, inspiration, teachings, kindness\r\nand love. And the more we develop our connecÂtions with the world, the more\r\nbeauty we will see in life; they will nourish and support us when we need them\r\nand give us so many wonderful ideas and moments and experiences. We must learn\r\nto be great listeners, cultivate our patience, be willing students of life and\r\nnever be afraid to reach out. Similarly, we must never be afraid of confronting\r\nour emotions. To experience all of our emotions fully, even to allow our hearts\r\nto be broken, is to allow ourselves to be vulnerable and therefore truly\r\nexperience life. It is only by understanding suffering that we truly understand\r\nhappiness. Life is the best teacher of all. So the more attentive we are to how\r\nwe are actually going through it and experiencing it, the more chance we have\r\nof learning about and developing ourselves.
If we want to bring more joy into life, all we need to do is look a little more\r\nclosely at it. And if we want to find the meaning of life, all we need to do is\r\nlet ourselves really live it, to embrace our fears and our uncertainÂties and\r\njump in. Some people have the perception that if we concern ourselves with the\r\nminute details of our then we might miss out on the bigger picture or greater\r\nopportunities for happiness.
\r\n\r\n\r\nBut\r\nfrom my point of view, it is being aware enough to take delight in a cup of tea\r\nthat opens us up to the possibilities of life—we will enjoy the journey, rather\r\nthan allow ourselves only a glimpse of happiness once we reach the destination.\r\nWe will become better watchers of ourselves and our minds, so that we will\r\nbegin to understand where unhappiness and mental sufferings come from, the\r\nroots of our impatience, jealousies and our anger.
The best way to be happy is to go ahead and be happy today. Don’t put it off.\r\nDon’t wait for all the condiÂtions to be perfect. Bring your mind and your body\r\ninto the moment and fully experience your day.
Switch off the autopilot and really notice the details. Build on all the good\r\nthings and, if there are things that you would like to change in your life,\r\nstart small and start today. There is no time like the present to be happy.
\r\n\r\n\r\nThe author is the spiritual head of the\r\n1,000-year-old Drukpa Order based in the Himalayas
\r\n\r\nGyalwang Drukpa- The New Indian Express