Are you happy? Yes or no, explain

[Dodo]

Everybody longs to be happy. Has your spiritual search/practice led you to happiness? Or perhaps you reached a truth which makes you miserable? That is possible, why not, truth doesn't care if you like it.

Please explain

Ps: also you see what I did there, i took the title of that solipsism thread and changed it to happiness 😊 

Edited 7 hours ago by Dodo

[UnbornTao]

Do we tend to bring up life circumstances as justifications for happiness?

"I'm happy because of X and Y." Not that that's bad, of course. Still, it's funny - maybe even automatic.

I'm not entirely clear on what happiness actually is. It may not be what we assume it to be. Is it an emotion? 

Notice, too, the tendency to search within our emotional states and dispositions, which we then link to our life prospects. How we feel about our lives becomes the barometer (is this the right word?) by which we measure our "happiness" in them.

Edited 5 hours ago by UnbornTao

[Hojo]

@Dodo Spiritual practice hinders my happiness. Never did it and don't want too. I force myself to do it and its a chore everytime.

Meditating is gay. I am happy when I don't do it. I found God without meditation or spiritual practice and should abandon them all.

Edited 6 hours ago by Hojo

[Natasha Tori Maru]

I have peace - which is beginning to feel like happiness.

I think there has been some sort of reframe of what happiness is for me, as I have come to accept and allow all. Or, attempt to.

It is not what I initially felt it to be.

Within myself and my own practice - there was some hidden conflation of happiness and pleasure.

I do say above 'I have peace' with the caveat of: 

I have peace, when I allow it. And don't deliberately trigger myself into turmoil. But the process of triggering emotion and coming into conflict is superb - it is revealing what I do not accept, allow and claim within myself. So in effect, it highlights where I am creating a duality which pushes me away from unity. Oneness. Love. When I feel rejection, revulsion, anger, frustration - there is a piece of this within me, yet to be claimed and integrated. So the peace I feel after coming into friction with reality is unifying with happiness through the process. Peace and happiness are being overlapped and unified in the face of integrating what I reject. Pushed into one.

It is one of the reasons I value the forum as an assistance to spiritual practice. In real life this effect is catalysed through facilitated interaction, on the forums through conceptual battles

 

[Yimpa]

I prefer to be honest with what my current experience is, rather than needing it to be otherwise.

[Aaron p]

Very interesting question, I am very happy. Put a lot of work in to get where I'm at, and the strength and foundation for awakening. I was definitely too gung ho for a bit. No doubt I did myself damage, swim was taking too high doses and what not ...but somehow, it all mixed together and ended in a perfect storm. Rendering me powerful as fuck with major insight into myself and my connection with god pretty solid. Now I'm a helper in my local Buddhist center, I recently installed new seat covers in there. Making friends from different countries and on this community. I'm honestly thrilled and honoured. Just watch out to don't bite off more than you can chew, if you take that direct route. Sometimes going slow and safe is better.

[Jannes]

I recently made happiness gains but through socializing not through spirituality. Being at a bar full of people you vibe with can feel so rewarding. This is my level now. I am looking forward to exhausting this though and going for the real gold. 

[ivankiss]

2 hours ago, Dodo said:

 truth doesn't care if you like it.

Yum