The Ministry of Happiness

The Dalai Lama on Compassion, Happiness, & Capitalism

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Michael Kane

The Dalai Lama on Compassion, Happiness, & Capitalism

Today some quick words from the Dalai Lama and an article on him holding his own against some of capitalism’s heavy hitters reminding them of the need for compassion and necessity for considering happiness as part of being considered rich.~ Rev Kane

It is clear that feelings of love, affection, closeness and compassion bring happiness. I believe that every one of us has the means to be happy, to access the warm and compassionate states of mind that bring happiness. In fact, it is one of my fundamental beliefs that not only do we inherently possess the potential for compassion, but I believe that the basic or underlying nature of human beings is gentleness. ~ Dalai Lama

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Happiness & The Basics

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Michael Kane

Happiness & The Basics

As we all pursue a happier and more contented life we have to remember the basics eating right, sleeping right, and being safe. We can talk about our relationships, about the nature of positivity and the psychology of happiness. We can meditate, take vacations and make lists of the things that make us happy and try to maximize those things in our lives. All things we have talked about and all good things that can help us be happier individuals.

However, in order to be happier we have to make sure the basics in life are taken care of. Taoists say that when you feel out of sorts first always look at three things, how are you eating, how are you sleeping and are you safe in your environment. If you want a more scientific rationale for this you can return to psychology and Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs. Essentially it says the same thing, you can proceed to higher level psychological functions until you take care of the basic necessities of life.

So if you are out of sorts, not feeling up to snuff, or not quite happy then take a closer look at your life. Are you eating properly, have you been busy and eating fast food or less than nutritious foods? Get your diet to include more vegetables and food freshly picked and high in energy. Are you sleeping well? Are you going to bed on time, giving yourself enough time to sleep, are you taking time to wind down before you attempt to sleep?

Finally are you feeling safe? Not just physically safe but also psychologically safe, are there demons in your circle? We’ve talked before about the necessity to be safe and ways to do this. This issue is one of the reasons so few people come to my home, it’s my sanctuary a place I feel utterly and completely safe. Hopefully you are all doing great, but if not, remember are eating right, sleeping right, are you safe? Have a happy day my friend. ~ Rev Kane

The Dalai Lama on Altruism

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Michael Kane

The practice of altruism is the authentic way to live as a human being, and it is not just for religious people. As human beings, our purpose is to live meaningful lives, to develop a warm heart. There is meaning in being everyone’s friend. The real source of peace amongst our families, friends and neighbours is love and compassion.

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Deng Ming-Dao on Clarity

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Michael Kane

Deng Ming-Dao on Clarity

Can you see a sound?
Can you hear light?
Can you unite your senses?
Can you turn inward?

What we are all seeking is clarity. Forget about religious rationalization. Forget about elaborate explanations. What we all want is clarity. What we abhor is ignorance. Ignorance confuses us, brings us misfortune and sorrow, and makes us miserable. If we have clarity, then we can live with equanimity.

It is a misconception that spirituality brings everlasting happiness. There is no such thing. Sadness still comes to the wise, but, unlike most people, their clarity of mind allows them to see beyond the temporal emotionalism of the moment. They are farseeing, and so happiness and sorrow become the same to them.

Posted in Deng Ming-Dao | Tagged blog, clarity, deng-ming dao, happiness, life, philosophy, taoism | Leave a comment

Happiness comes from showing our true selves

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Michael Kane

Happiness comes from showing our true selves

Happiness is a form of courage ~Holbrook Jackson

We are all chameleons, painting on the masks and colors that best hide us from others. Like a chameleon this process is defensive, it keeps others from seeing our true selves and if people don’t know who we really are, then it is harder for them to hurt us. Self-preservation is a very strong instinct, even when it is our emotional safety on the line.

I know this process well, through my life I have become a master of building defenses designed to keep people out. For a large part of my life I would hazard a guess that almost no one in my life, even those who were very, very close to me truly had any understanding of who I was. Now these defenses served their purpose and for a long time it kept me from being hurt. On those instances where I did let someone in I got hurt and that was just further reinforcement that what I was doing was right. However, as with anything, there are two sides and the downside was that no one truly knew me and that was a lonely space to live in. With no one knowing me I had no one I truly trusted so I had no safe conduit or outlet for my deepest thoughts and emotions.

This I am happy to say has changed, the walls and doors that were my defense are open. Initially what changed was the birth of my brother, significantly younger than me, the joy of his arrival, watching him grow, caring for him, there was no thought of keeping him out. Then, I met a woman and maybe it was her, or maybe I was finally ready, or maybe it was both but she blew up all the remaining walls and doors. Left me bare and then hurt me maybe worse than anyone else ever did, but I was a different person then and what I found, was that although the defenses kept people out, once they got in and if they hurt me, they stayed with me, the pain stayed with me as well.

With the doors and windows now open I could let the pain out; it took me some time to learn how to do that, to become a happier person. For me, it was expression through writing, stories, poetry and eventually the birth of the Ministry of Happiness and what I do here. It is my hope that in some small way, what I do here, can help you open the doors and windows within yourself and help you be a happier person. So stay open to others and have a happy day my friends. ~ Rev Kane

OTHER LINKS YOU MIGHT ENJOY!

Happiness is Poetry: Pablo Neruda

Happiness is Staying Positive

Happiness Resources: Happiness Podcasts

Why I’m Happy Right Now

Happiness is NOT Safety

Posted in personal happiness | Tagged blog, chameleon, emotions, happiness, life, pain, personal growth, personal happiness, philosophy, zelig | 3 Comments

Happiness and Kindness to Others

Posted on July 19, 2011 by Michael Kane

Happiness and Kindness to Others

A warm smile is the universal language of kindness ~ William Arthur Ward

So today my friends I want to talk about kindness to others. As usual, what we give comes back to us three fold and a return of kindness is bound to help make us happier individuals. As I have mentioned before I work in education and recently watched an interaction I’ve seen many times before but with a bit of a twist.

Often times in a class there is that person, you know the one, he/she needs to express themselves, they talk much longer than they should and often on topics that are at best tangential and usually not related to the subject. This is always a difficult situation for a teacher, and although many are patient and gently try and direct these people back to the main track, often times frustration sets in and eventually the teacher shuts this person down. This leads to hurt feelings, often conflict and many times the student will stop attending class which is never the goal, even if it is a relief.

So what I witnessed recently was an instructor not just employing patience but also kindness with the student. She answered the questions, redirected the student but she was also very kind to this woman. She found ways to include her when she was feeling isolated, she gave very kind but very constructive criticism and very intuitively got to the heart of some of the issues the student had. In the end, she kept the student in the class and made her feel part of the group, a really masterful job of teaching.

So my friends, how about we try this in our lives. Try not just being patient with the difficult person in your office but also being kind. Don’t just embarrass the person who cuts in front of you in line, but then offer to let them stay there since they must have a good reason for doing it. Just for today, let’s give everyone the benefit of the doubt and see what happens. Now you know me, I’d never recommend you become a door mat, that doesn’t make anyone happy, but we decide what bugs us, what stresses us out, maybe if we let our first reaction be kindness, we might just make this a happier day, good luck and have a happy day my friends ~ Rev Kane

Happiness and Forgiveness

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Michael Kane

Happiness & Forgiveness

Mistakes are always forgivable if one has the strength to admit them ~ Bruce Lee

So there is the obvious thread here, forgiveness is a good thing. If you can truly forgive the people who have done your wrong, you no longer have to carry around the baggage associated with those people. Not an easy thing to do, and I have personally worked for decades to forgive some of the people in my past. Recently, I’ve incorporated forgiveness into my daily meditations and it has begun to help, I’m closing in on a more forgiving and happier place. Life is too short to spend time holding on to negative feelings.

I was watching an episode of William Shatner’s Raw Nerve, it was an episode featuring Drew Carey. Now if you’ve never seen this show, click on the link and read a blog entry about the series. I think, in all seriousness, it may be the best interview show that has ever been on television. I haven’t seen Drew Carey on anything in quite some time, apparently he’s hosting the Price is Right these days. However, this is not the Drew Carey I remember; he’s older, more serious and absolutely more thoughtful and spiritual. While being interviewed by Shatner he said something I found to be very profound. He said he’s working on getting to a place where he forgives in advance.

All of us strive to be people who forgive, and we would love to become the type of person who forgives quickly. But Drew Carey was talking about forgiving in advance and this was the example he used. Someone cuts you off in traffic, you honk your horn or worse and then, later a few minutes or a few hours you think, gee why did I get so upset, in the grand scheme of things that was nothing and you forgive that person. A great thing would be to be the type of person who can thank immediately, you get cut off and as you start to react, you come to a place of forgiveness and stop. Now imagine, forgiveness in advance, someone cuts you off and you’ve already forgiven their error. There would be no need to get upset, not even for a second.

Now, personally I’m not there yet, but listening to Drew Carey it seemed like a really wonderful idea. Me personally, I still feel like if I forgive everyone, somehow it just lets the jerks getaway with being jerks. But that’s what this ministry is about, finding ways to improve our lives so that we can be happier. I hope this helped, have a happy day my friends ~ Rev Kane

Deng Ming-Dao on the geography of life

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Michael Kane

I really like this meditation by Deng Ming-Dao, it addresses the actual physical component of our life. The geography of our existence as well as the very real impact our choices have on the future flow of our lives.

Flow

If the boulders are moved,
Even a river will change its flow.

Except for occasional flooding, the mightiest river keeps to its bed. It flows where it finds openings between cliffs and rocks. If the river is dammed, if the cliff walls are moved, if the boulders are shifted, it will flow a different course. It could even be made to flow backwards if the earth moved far enough.

So it is with the flow of our lives. Once the fixed objects of our lives shift, our circumstances change. If we move to another city, life will change. If we marry one person over another, life will be different. If we situate our business in a good neighborhood life will be prosperous. If we choose a house in a good setting, life will be healthy. If we arrange our furniture properly, life will be comfortable. If we eat correctly, life will be prolonged. In short, followers of Tao realize that the flow of life can be affected and to some degree consciously manipulated simply by altering its parameters.

Life is the flow of energy. It is the air that we breathe, the force that moves weather, the force of all minds combined. It keeps the rivers flowing, our hearts beating, and the sky blue. This flow of energy moves constantly according to the fixed points that exist at any given moment. Therefore, by manipulating the cardinal points of our lives, we can change the flow. The freedom to choose and to change belongs to us.

Posted in Deng Ming-Dao | Tagged blog, deng ming-dao, life, philosophy, tao, taoism | Leave a comment

Dalai Lama on human nature

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Michael Kane

I am convinced that human nature is basically affectionate and good. If our behavior follows our kind and loving nature, immense benefits will result, not only for ourselves, but also for the society to which we belong. I generally refer to this sort of love and affection as a universal religion. Everyone needs it, believers as much as non-believers. This attitude constitutes the very basis of morality. ~ Dalai Lama

Posted in Dalai Lama | Tagged belief, blog, dalai lama, happiness, human nature, life, personal happiness, philosophy, religion | Leave a comment

Happiness & Wishes

Posted on June 27, 2011 by Michael Kane

Happiness & Wishes

Some people want it to happen, some people wish it to happen, some people make it happen ~ Michael Jordan

Wishes for happiness can come true and I can tell you how to make it happen. Find a fountain, one you can sit at the edge of, even better if you can dip your toes in the water. Bring a penny with you and sit cross-legged at the edge or dip your toes if you like. Close your eyes and empty your mind, listen to nothing but the sound of your breathing and the water trickling in the fountain. Feel the penny in your hand, roll it around, feel the surface of the coin, try and feel the shape of Abraham Lincoln. Take the coin on to your thumb and flip it into the air, listen for it to hit the water, as it does, imagine exactly what will make you happy in your life, your happiness wish fulfilled.

Then, get up off your butt and start doing what you need to do in your life to make it happen. Wishes are nice, a great way to focus yourself on your desires, but in the end we get what happiness we work for in this world. I saw a great twitter post today that gave a definition of happiness that I really liked. Happiness is having passion for that which will make you happy (your wish), plus the purpose to work for that wish in your life, and the gratitude for the happiness you have already have achieved.

Good luck on your journey my friends and have a happy day.

The Ministry of Happiness

The Dalai Lama on Compassion, Happiness, & Capitalism

The Dalai Lama on Compassion, Happiness, & Capitalism

Happiness & The Basics

Happiness & The Basics

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