The Ministry of Happiness

Happiness, Science and Meditation

Posted on October 27, 2010 by Michael Kane

Happiness, Science and Meditation

Meditation is the dissolution of thoughts in Eternal awareness or Pure consciousness without objectification, knowing without thinking, merging finitude in infinity. ~ Voltaire

Recently there have been a number of articles that have come out that once again confirm some of the significant benefits that come from meditation, a theme I will come back to soon with a longer post. What I would like to say about it today is that meditation is not some mystical process, it is not religious in any way. In fact, when we dream and when we day-dream even, we have entered into something very near a meditative state. Meditation is a really natural process but the easiest way to start is to just take a few minutes either at the beginning or the end of your day, to just sit quietly and let the world melt away.

The first link I’m providing you today is an old article from Wired magazine in regards to some of the scientific work that was being done with the Dalai Lama and other Buddhist monks not just on the effects of meditation, but how meditation can increase your happiness, enjoy.

Here are a few other links to the benefits of meditation:

Seven Health Benefits of meditation

What happens to the brain when you meditate

Meditation Health Benefits

Mindfulness Meditation Benefits

4-7-8 Breathing Method

Indecision & Procrastination, the Enemies of Happiness

Posted on October 23, 2010 by Michael Kane

Indecision & Procrastination, the Enemies of Happiness

Procrastination makes the easy things hard, hard things harder
~ Mason Cooley

Indecision is a thief that steals our success, our confidence, our time and by extension our happiness. Many times we procrastinate and I don’t mean when we decide to wait until half-time to take out the garbage. I’m talking about when we put off taking that vacation we need, writing that letter to a friend we’ve been meaning to write, apologizing to someone we’ve hurt or starting back taking that walk each night after dinner. In particular we put off the steps we need to take to do the big things in life, the changes, the new things, those things that stretch us out of our comfort zone. Procrastinating those things that can make our life better and us happier, ends up making things worse and diminishing our happiness. So today, do one of those things, force yourself out to the gym, make that phone call, write that letter, take that walk or throw away the junk food in your house. And now a bit of wisdom on this front by Deng Ming-Dao:

Don’t be afraid to explore;
Without exploration there are no discoveries.
Don’t be afraid of partial solutions;
Without the tentative there is no accomplishment.

Indecision and procrastination are corrosive habits. Those who wait for every little thing to be perfect before they embark on a project or who dislike the compromise of a partial solution are among the least happy. Ideal circumstances are seldom given to anyone for an undertaking. Instead there is uncertainty in every situation. The wise are those who can wrest great advantage from circumstances opaque to everyone else.

Wanting everything in life to be perfect before you take action is like wanting to reach a destination without travel. For those who follow Tao, travel is every bit as important as the destination. One step after another: That is still central to the wisdom of Tao.

Every day passes whether you participate or not. If you are not careful, years will go by and you will only have regrets. If you cannot solve a problem all at once, at least make a stab at it. Reduce your problems into smaller, more manageable packages, and you can make measurable progress toward achievement. If you wait for everything to be perfect according to your preconceived plans, then you may well wait forever. If you go out and work with the current of life, you may find that success comes from building upon small things.

Balance: The Wisdom of Deng Ming-Dao

Posted on October 20, 2010 by Michael Kane

Balance: The Wisdom of Deng Ming-Dao

Balance is a concept we will come back to time and time again on this blog. Even in attaining happiness, everything has to be done in it’s measure, all aspects of your life must be balanced. This is something we all understand intellectually but often fail to achieve in our life. Of course I’m being a little hypocritical as I’m writing this after coming home from working an eleven hour day. So I return to my reading for the day, and share my daily meditation with you courtesy of Deng Ming-Dao.

Balance

Summer withered grass to flaxen yellow,
Scorched leaves to brittle paper,
Dried lakes to cracked clay.

Chill autumn brought little relief-
     But with the early gentle rains,
     The earth’s fissure softened
     And desiccated plans began to dissolve.
Slowly, balance comes once again.

Many cultures describe old people as having seen many winters. These elders have seen many cycles come and go, and their wisdom comes from long observation of life’s rising and falling. If we have a long-range view, then we realize that equilibrium comes in the course of nature’s progression. Nature does not achieve balance by keeping to one level. Rather, elements and seasons alternate with one another in succession. Balance, as defined by Tao, is not stasis but a dynamic process of many overlapping alternations; even if some phases seem wildly excessive, they are balanced by others.

Everything has its place. Everything has its season. As events turn, balance is to know what is here, what is coming and how to be in perfect harmony with it. Then one attains a state of sublimity that cannot be challenged.

Monday Morning Guide to Happiness

Posted on October 18, 2010 by Michael Kane

To start off your Monday morning I’m providing a link to a site I have referenced before, Zen Habits. It’s a great site and the particular page I’m sending to you today is the happiness guide. If you posted this list on your wall and followed it I can assure you, double your money back guarantee, that your life would be approved. Why I like this list so much is its simplicity and solid grounding in common sense. So start your week off with a little help on the path to happiness.

http://zenhabits.net/the-only-guide-to-happiness-youll-ever-need/

Posted in happiness resources, personal happiness | Tagged happiness, happiness resources, monday, personal happiness, zen, zen habits | Leave a comment

The Science of Happiness

Posted on October 15, 2010 by Michael Kane

The Science of Happiness

I am a kind of paranoiac in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy. ~J.D. Salinger

I came across an article recently in the LA Times by Karen Kaplan centered on the science of happiness. From the article,

“Among the many wise things said by President Abraham Lincoln is this take on happiness: A person will be just about as happy as he makes up his mind to be.

That sentiment is somewhat controversial among psychologists and other scientists. Some experts believe that long-term happiness is essentially unchangeable, thanks to one’s genes and personality. (One study has pegged DNA as the source of 44% to 52% of one’s happiness.) Many economists and other experts believe, like Lincoln, that people can take steps to become more — or less — happy.”

Like most things this comes back to the old argument is it nature or nurture but I would put forward that in fact, the argument is irrelevant. You may have a predisposition to be happier or sadder than others but that is just a starting point. Regardless of this starting point, which would be normal for you, you can always find ways to make your life happier, hell for most of us that could include things as simple as getting enough sleep.

The article also went on to list a set of factors that add to or detract from our happiness. I think most are pretty obvious but for your own edification here is the list:

Having an emotionally stable spouse
Helping others
Prioritizing family
Have an active social life
Get regular exercise

This list strikes me as pretty simple as it focuses on reducing stress (stable relationships, enjoying life and exercising) and doing things that you can feel proud of (taking care of others). However as with most things very often it is the simple things that best help us achieve our goals.

Below is the link to the LA Times piece:

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/oct/01/news/la-heb-happiness-study-20101004

The Dalai Lama will be live from Stanford this week

Posted on October 13, 2010 by Michael Kane

Dalai Lama

His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be participating in three public events at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, USA, on October 14th and 15th, 2010. All three events will be webcast live. Event and webcast information is available at http://dalailama.stanford.edu/

Posted in Dalai Lama | Tagged dalai lama, stanford | Leave a comment

The Dalai Lama on Happiness

Posted on October 12, 2010 by Michael Kane

The Dalai Lama on Happiness

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive. ~ The Dalai Lama

The paragraph below is the Dalai Lama’s take on the purpose of life which he considers happiness and how to achieve it, this is just the first paragraph, the link will take you to the full reading. I’m always amazed reading or listening to his words he has an amazing amount of wisdom. I have a friend who has been blessed enough to have two personal meetings with the Dalai Lama and she tells me that he is every bit as amazing as he appears to be. More about her and their talks to come soon, have a great day.

The purpose of life

ONE GREAT QUESTION underlies our experience, whether we think about it consciously or not: What is the purpose of life? I have considered this question and would like to share my thoughts in the hope that they may be of direct, practical benefit to those who read them.

I believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. From the moment of birth, every human being wants happiness and does not want suffering. Neither social conditioning nor education nor ideology affect this. From the very core of our being, we simply desire contentment. I don’t know whether the universe, with its countless galaxies, stars and planets, has a deeper meaning or not, but at the very least, it is clear that we humans who live on this earth face the task of making a happy life for ourselves. Therefore, it is important to discover what will bring about the greatest degree of happiness.

http://www.dalailama.com/messages/compassion

Check out these posts as well!

Deng Ming-Dao on Happiness

Timeless Thoughts on Inner Peace

Happiness is a Few Minutes of Peace

Fear is Killing Your Happiness

Posted in Dalai Lama, personal happiness | Tagged be happy, buddhism, dalai lama, happiness, inner peace, meaning of life, meditation, peace, peaceful | 2 Comments

A Question of Happiness

Posted on October 10, 2010 by Michael Kane

A Question of Happiness

One joy scatters a hundred griefs. ~Chinese Proverb

So what is the most important question you can ask yourself in your personal quest for happiness? I would postulate that it is simply why. The simplest and most profound question you can ever ask, but don’t use a little word to ask too big of a question. Don’t ask yourself why am I not happy, there are just too many variables to that question. Ask yourself instead why do I do this, does it make me happy? A really interesting exercise is to take the elements of your life and run it through that simple filter. Why am I living where I live, does it make me happy? Sometimes that answer may be no and then you need to apply the second and equally as important question, can I change this?

There are lots of elements in our life that for good reason you can’t change. You may be underwater in your mortgage and given today’s housing market you may have to stay in your home. You may not be happy in your job but not have the experience or skills to get another or better job. In those cases you have two choices, either work towards putting yourself in position to change, i.e. take some classes to gain skills you need to move on. Or, accept that for this moment in time, this cannot be changed. That acceptance is not submission, but understanding that you will have to wait a little longer to make that particular change.

I bet if you apply the why filter you may find some easy and positive ways to change your life and increase your personal happiness. Give it a shot and let us know how you did and have a happy day my friends ~ Rev Kane

The art of living does not consist in preserving and clinging to a particular mode of happiness, but in allowing happiness to change its form without being disappointed by the change; happiness, like a child, must be allowed to grow up. ~Charles L. Morgan

Afghan Children’s Circus

Posted on October 8, 2010 by Michael Kane

This is a double post with my other blog, zdeaconblue.wordress.com but I thought I would share it on both sites because its so damn cool.

Saw this group on a story on CNN a few weeks ago and really dug what they are doing and though I would share it with you today. The Afghan Children’s Circus says the following about themselves:

MMCC, Mobile Mini Circus for Children, is an international non profit NGO that has been working in Afghanistan since June 2002. The main objective of MMCC is providing educational and informative entertainment for children. This aim is achieved by identifying, training, and applying the Afghan talents and potentials.

Since 2003 MMCC’s educational entertaining performances, workshops and teacher trainings have successfully reached more than half a million children and teachers in 16 provinces. New creative educational teaching methods are constantly being developed in MMCC’s Children Culture House that is also the base for 80-100 well trained MMCC-junior artists performing in Kabul and abroad.

Below is the link to the Circus’ site:

http://www.afghanmmcc.org/

And finally the link to the CNN web story (3 min):

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/world/2010/09/27/abawi.afghan.kids.circus.cnn.html

Posted in The Wisdom of Children | Tagged afghan, children, circus, fun | Leave a comment

Monday Wisdom from the Dalai Lama

Posted on October 4, 2010 by Michael Kane

Ultimately, humanity is one, and this small planet is our only home. If we are to protect this home of ours, each of us needs to feel a vivid sense of universal altruism. It is only this feeling that can remove the self-centered motives that cause people to deceive and misuse one another. If you have a sincere and open heart, you naturally feel self-worth and confidence, and there is no need to be fearful of others. ~ Dalai Lama

A reminder from his holiness that our own thoughts and attitudes can drive the way the world works, hopefully this will help us all have a better Monday and week than we had last week.

Posted in Dalai Lama, personal happiness | Tagged altruism, dalai lama, happiness | Leave a comment

The Ministry of Happiness

Happiness, Science and Meditation

Happiness, Science and Meditation

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