Tuesday, March 23, 2010

SEARCHING FOR HAPPINESS

When people find that their desires are beginning to come true, in defiance of how reality is supposed to behave, the sudden influx of power brings with it vaulting emotions – people feel jubilant and triumphant; they feel fused with the very heart of nature. Fear becomes meaningless, replaced with immense relief at the true simplicity of life.

Simplicity is the key. The rishis lived by a code that depends upon magic rather than struggle. Maharishi expresses this code beautifully: Keep your desire turning back within and be patient. Allow the fulfillment to come to you, gently resisting the temptation to chase your dreams into the world. Pursue them in your heart until they disappear into the self, and leave them there. It may take a little self-discipline, but be simple, be kind. Attend to your inner health and happiness.

Allow your love to nourish yourself as well as others. Do not strain after the needs of life – it is sufficient to be quietly alert and aware of them. In this way life proceeds more naturally and effortlessly. Life is here to enjoy.

Just by being ourselves, we are borne toward a destiny far beyond anything we can imagine. It is enough to know that the being I nourish inside me is the same as the Being that suffuses every atom of the cosmos. When the two see each other as equals, they will be equal, because then the same force that controls the galaxies will be upholding my individual existence.

If a man claims to be enlightened, I only need to ask, ”Do your desires effortlessly come true?” If he says yes, I can accept that his thinking has turned magical.

But I would ask a second question, “On what scale do you have your desires?” If he says his desires are for himself, I will know that he has not broken free of local reality. On the other hand, if he says that his desires are for the world, I will know that the entire universe works on his behalf. He has mastered nonlocal reality – he is a citizen of the field.

Adapted from Unconditional Life: Discovering the Power to Fulfill Your Dreams, by Deepak Chopra (A Bantam Book, 1991).

No comments:

Post a Comment