At a fundamental level, as human beings, we are all the same; each one of us aspires to happiness and each one of us does not wish to suffer. This is why, whenever I have the opportunity, I try to draw people’s attention to what as members of the human family we have in common and the deeply interconnected nature of our existence and welfare.~ Dalai Lama
The more intense the nature of a man, the more readily will he find meditation, and the more successfully will he practice it. ~ James Allen
It’s been a turbulent week for me and a lot of the good folks I know have been snowed on and blown around so I thought it might be a good time to share one of my favorite passages from Deng Ming-Dao. It’s his, if you will pardon me, reflection on reflection and after reading it you may want to peak back on some of the posts we’ve had on meditation.
Happiness, Science and Meditation
A fascinating article on Meditation
Finally a quick link to the basics of meditation, I really like this page, it’s a simple, single page basic meditation that anyone can do just about anywhere. Don’t try and meditate long, it’s much better to meditate for 5 minutes a night 10 nights in a row, than it is to do one 30 minute session every once in a while. The important thing is that you do it, that you relax and let go a bit.
And now, Deng Ming-Dao’s thoughts on reflection, have a happy day my friends ~ Rev Kane
Moon above water
Sit in Solitude
If waters are placid, the moon will be mirrored perfectly. If we still ourselves, we can mirror the divine perfectly. But if we engage solely in the frenetic activities of our daily involvements, if we seek to impose our wanton schemes on the natural order, and if we allow ourselves to become absorbed in self-centered views, the surface of our waters become turbulent. Then we cannot be receptive to Tao.
There is no effort that we can make to sill ourselves. True stillness comes naturally from moments of solitude where we allow our minds to settle. Just as water seeks its own level, the mind will gravitate toward the holy. Muddy water will become clear if allowed to stand undisturbed, and so too will the mind become clear if it is allowed to be still.
Neither the water nor the moon make any effort to achieve a reflection. In the same way, meditation will be natural and immediate.
For a long time studies have shown the benefits of meditation, now scientists have actually been able to detect changes in the brains of people who regularly meditate, a really fascinating read:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/28/how-meditation-may-change-the-brain/?src=me&ref=homepage
The pursuit of truth and beauty is a sphere of activity in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives. ~Albert Einstein
This topic seem to be a natural to talk about, of course there are really two issues we could discuss, keeping children happy or how having children impacts happiness. For today’s piece I will address the former. First off I think the simplest thing we can do to keep children happy is to try and not change what is already there. I love kids, one of my greatest pleasures is to just watch children play, and there is nothing more relaxing to me. Having traveled all over the world the one thing that you notice is that the laughter of children is universal. Kids laugh and play the same way in every country whether they are playing with $90 toys or rocks and sticks in muddy ditch water. The laughter of children it has been noted is always pure, adult laughter can be callous and even cruel, but the laughter of children never is. So the biggest advice I think I can give is let children be happy, sure they have to have boundaries but within those boundaries let them be happy and love the hell out of them.
Below is an article from the universe of Oprah Winfrey and has some really solid practical advice on how to keep your children happy and is a really good read, I hope you enjoy it:
Five Keys to your Child’s Happiness
Your children will see what you’re all about by what you live rather than what you say. ~Wayne Dyer
An ancient gnarled tree:
Too fibrous for a logger’s saw,
Too twisted to fit a carpenter’s square,
Outlasts the whole forest
Loggers, delight in straight-grained, strong, fragrant wood. If the timber is too difficult to cut, too twisted to be made straight, too foul-odored for cabinets, and too spongy for firewood, it is left alone. Useful trees are cut down. Useless ones survive.
The same is true of people. The strong are conscripted. The beautiful are exploited. Those who are too plain to be noticed are the ones who survive. They are left alone and safe.
But what if we ourselves are among such plain persons? Though others may neglect us, we should not think of ourselves as being without value. We must not accept the judgment of others as the measure of our own self-worth. Instead, we should live our lives in simplicity. Surely, we will have flaws, but we must take stock in them according to our own judgment and then use them as a measure of self-improvement. Since we need not expend energy in putting on airs or maintaining a position, we are actually free to cultivate the best parts of our personalities. Thus, to be considered useless is not a reason for despair, but an opportunity. It is the chance to live without interference and to express one’s own individuality.
In contemporary life, humility is more important than ever. The more successful we become, both as individuals and as a family, through our development of science and technology, the more essential it becomes to preserve humility. For the greater our material achievements, the more vulnerable we become to pride and arrogance
~Dalai Lama
“It is necessary … for a man to go away by himself … to sit on a rock … and ask, ‘Who am I, where have I been, and where am I going?”~ Carl Sandburg
I have a friend, he’s generally a good guy but he has a really obnoxious habit of asking deeply philosophical, thought-provoking questions. Usually they are questions that I answer quickly to keep the conversation going and forget about them. However recently he asked what I thought was a really good question, what is the price for being you?
It’s a great question to think about, what does it cost to be the person you are? I will use myself for an example. My basic personality could easily be described as loud, brutally honest, outspoken and a trait that isn’t as obvious, I’m the same person in public that I am in private. This makes me a bit of an anomaly, but honestly we’re all individuals the idea of being average is a myth. I am also an introvert, meaning I need to spend time alone to recharge my batteries. These traits create a certain space and emotional distance in my life between me and the people I know and love. I’m a bit of gypsy, so in addition to the emotional space, there is also a great deal of physical space between us as well. Given all of these things there is a very definite price I pay for being me.
Being me, I don’t have someone to take me to the airport, pick me up when my car is in the shop or just come over and be stupid and hang out when I’m lonely. My outer defenses also keep people at bay and I’m quite sure I’ve missed out on some great people over the years. These are prices that I pay to be the person that I am and I’m ok with that. I’m generally a happy person, there would be other prices to pay were I to make other choices and I’m happy with the choices I’ve made. And that is my question for you today, not only what is the price you pay for being you, but are you happy with the choices you made?
If you are paying too high of a price for being you, then what do you need to change to reduce that price? Remember, the person that you are is a result of the choices you make, to change who you are, you need to make different choices. A difficult task to undertake, but one worth it when you consider that the result will be a happier you. So take some time to think on this and have a happy day my friends ~ Rev Kane
Fear is Killing Your Happiness
Our Best Happiness Posts of 2015
~Dalai Lama
Why do people talk of the horrors of old age? It’s great. I feel like a fine old car with the parts gradually wearing out, but I’m not complaining,… Those who find growing old terrible are people who haven’t done what they wanted with their lives. ~ Martha Geilhorn
So for today’s post I want to start by giving huge kudos to the tiny little country of Bhutan. I just learned recently that way back in 1972, the King of Bhutan declared that he was more interested in the level of Gross Domestic Happiness than in the Gross Domestic Product.
Although Bhutan was the first country to consider the idea, it seems that other countries are starting to consider the idea as well, according to an article in the December 18th issue of The Economist. The article entitled, The Joy of Growing Old,( or why life begins at 46), discussed the idea of happiness over people’s lifetime. The research shows that happiness seems to follow a U-shaped curve where people are happier at the beginning and the end of their lives with the bottom of the curve, the least happiest age for people is 46, did I mentioned I’m 46?
It’s not surprisingly that given stress is a major cause of unhappiness, as you start to chart the stress and responsibilities across a person’s life you get this same U-bend curve. The researchers did mention that it may not be a coincidence that a lot of people in their mid-40’s are living at home with teenagers and are also at the most unhappy age. The other thing the article discussed was that as people age they have a tendency to be wealthier, less stressed and generally less encumbered while older people are also less angry and less likely to pass judgment.
The good news is that what people come to in their older age, we can come to earlier, even at 46. We need to find ways to relax, not fixate on the stressors in our lives and learn how to be less angry and not pass judgment. As we’ve talked about in the past this can be accomplished by knowing our own mind and working on becoming more balanced, meditation can be a great help. And in the end, if that doesn’t work, just hang in their til you hit your 50’s and then have happy days my friends ~ Rev Kane
Fear is Killing Your Happiness
Our Best Happiness Posts of 2015
My favorite Appalachian Trail Photos of 2015
Most cynics are really crushed romantics: they’ve been hurt, they’re sensitive, and their cynicism is a shell that’s protecting this tiny, dear part in them that’s still alive. ~ Jeff Bridges
The link below is to a really interesting interview with Jeff Bridges referred to me by my brother, and I realize not the typical post for this blog, but there is a connection. For those of you who may not aware Jeff Bridges has developed status as a cult icon for his role as The Dude in the Coen Brothers film, The Big Lebowski, personally one of my favorite films. The Dude is a slacker and very possibly the most laid back character in film history and the film is a total hoot, I love it. The interview is interesting because of Bridges’ very sincere interest in meditation, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did:
http://www.utne.com/mind-body/Jeff-Bridges-Interview-Meditation-Buddhist.aspx
Have a happy day my friends ~ Rev Kane
Fear is Killing Your Happiness
Our Best Happiness Posts of 2015
The Ministry of Happiness 