10 things science (and Buddhism) says will make you happy

[Omoi Otoshi]

10 things science (and Buddhism) says will make you happy

I will be happy if I can only drop all thought of needing to drop the thought "I will be happy if X condition is met"!

[Rev R]

Re: 10 things science (and Buddhism) says will make you happy

"what about dropping the thought of dropping the thought of dropping the thought?" He said while preparing to bypass Absurd and head straight for Surreal.

[Rich]

Re: 10 things science (and Buddhism) says will make you happy

How about "Put it all down"

[Omoi Otoshi]

Re: 10 things science (and Buddhism) says will make you happy

Yes, put it all down.
Easier said than done however, as Kaishin says.
When clinging to something, you can't put it down can you?
Trying, making an effort, doesn't help at all.
And when we are not clinging, craving, attaching, there is no need to put anything down, is there?
It's already put down, there's no carrying things around.
Shikantaza for me is putting it all down. No need for an agenda, a goal. When we sit without agenda or goal, it's already put down.

Gassho,
/Pontus

[Omoi Otoshi]

Re: 10 things science (and Buddhism) says will make you happy

Two traveling monks reached a river where they met a young woman. Wary of the current, she asked if they could carry her across. One of the monks hesitated, but the other quickly picked her up onto his shoulders, transported her across the water, and put her down on the other bank. She thanked him and departed.

As the monks continued on their way, the one was brooding and preoccupied. Unable to hold his silence, he spoke out. "Brother, our spiritual training teaches us to avoid any contact with women, but you picked that one up on your shoulders and carried her!"

"Brother," the second monk replied, "I set her down on the other side, while you are still carrying her."

[Omoi Otoshi]

10 things science (and Buddhism) says will make you happy

I just wrote this at ZFI and thought perhaps it could have some relevance to this discussion too!

Dropping is effortless when holding nothing.
Dropping is effortless when you don't grasp.
In my view, you can't drop anything by great effort.

It's like making a great effort to fall asleep when not tired!
When tired, when conditions/circumstances are right, sleep comes naturally, effortlessly, if only you stop resisting it by thinking too much, trying to fall asleep.

When I was a kid I thought a lot about what I needed to do to fall asleep. Eventually I found it! There was no way, no method. All I needed to do was to stop worrying so much about it, just relax and let go. Let thoughts come and go without actively thinking about anything, without trying to solve the problem of no sleep.

In my view, sometimes Zen students, including me, are very much like insomniacs trying to fall asleep! They read books about sleep, listen to music that is supposed to make you sleepy, take drugs to fall asleep more easily, go to seminars to listen to people who claim to know the secret of sleeping, buy expensive beds and pillows. Maybe they should just take a look at their lives to see if there is something hindering sleep from coming naturally?

Gassho,
Pontus

[Hoyu]

Re: 10 things science (and Buddhism) says will make you happy

Pontus wrote:
In my view, sometimes Zen students, including me, are very much like insomniacs trying to fall asleep! They read books about sleep, listen to music that is supposed to make you sleepy, take drugs to fall asleep more easily, go to seminars to listen to people who claim to know the secret of sleeping, buy expensive beds and pillows. Maybe they should just take a look at their lives to see if there is something hindering sleep from coming naturally?

+1
Nice analogy Pontus _/_

[Jinyo]

Re: 10 things science (and Buddhism) says will make you happy

Well said Pontus :lol:

Gassho

Willow

[Kaishin]

Re: 10 things science (and Buddhism) says will make you happy

Zzzzzzz

[Amelia]

Re: 10 things science (and Buddhism) says will make you happy

I like that, Pontus.

[Omoi Otoshi]

10 things science (and Buddhism) says will make you happy

Thanks!

Zzzzzzz

:lol:

/Pontus

[Kaishin]

Re: 10 things science (and Buddhism) says will make you happy

Thanks!

Zzzzzzz

:lol:

/Pontus

Heh, just jokin', wasn't trying to be dismissive of your very well stated comments. But you got it

[Omoi Otoshi]

10 things science (and Buddhism) says will make you happy

Don't worry Kaishin!
I think we share the same humor!

Gassho,
Pontus

[Nindo]

Re: 10 things science (and Buddhism) says will make you happy

Here's an excellent program from CBC:
"Say No to Happiness"
Great discussion about whether Happiness should be a life goal. I thought the ideas put forward went towards "no, that would lead us to miss out on life".

http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/episodes/2012/02/14/say-no-to-happiness-2/

[Jinyo]

Re: 10 things science (and Buddhism) says will make you happy

Hi Nindo - that was an interesting programme.

I think what it underlined is that we
needn't be afraid of having a whole range of emotions, and perhaps there's too
big a push towards expecting life to be free of difficulties.

There's a lot of energy 'out there' influencing us into feeling that we should be happy
most of the time. It's not realistic and leads to a kind of denial. So many programmes of
self-help that possibly leave people in a situation of feeling a failure if they can't turn
negative emotions around - or push them into some kind of state of denial.

On the ethics front, we only really learn to understand the hurt in others by accepting
the hurt within ourselves. I'm not saying we shouldn't work on negativity - but
where there's deep hurt/trauma I feel it's more authentic to allow people to work through
anger/grief and then hopefully towards forgiveness and reparation.

I don't see much space for that in our quick fix/let's all get happy culture.

Does buddhism offer a measured, middle way through all of this ?

Gassho

Willow