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Beginner Mind

Wei Wu Wei on Unhappiness

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"Why are you unhappy?  Because 99.9 percent of everything you think, and everything you do, is for your self - and there isn't one." - Wei Wu Wei

If it's really as simple as this quote suggests, how do we account for the many unconscious/egoic people who are experiencing happiness right now?

Edited by Beginner Mind

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@Beginner Mind Because that is not happiness, not really anyway. It is only dependent on their circumstance. Should they get cancer or get in an accident that will make them unable to move. How stable do you think their so called happiness is then? Real happiness is stable and independant of circumstance. Even egoic personalities that seem happy most of the time still have that nagging sense of impending doom in the back of their heads.

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5 hours ago, Esoteric said:

@Beginner Mind Because that is not happiness, not really anyway. It is only dependent on their circumstance. Should they get cancer or get in an accident that will make them unable to move. How stable do you think their so called happiness is then? Real happiness is stable and independant of circumstance. Even egoic personalities that seem happy most of the time still have that nagging sense of impending doom in the back of their heads.

So is the way to true happiness losing the sense of self as Wei Wu Wei suggests, or something else?

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@Beginner Mind True happiness comes when you don't identify with the egoic self, yes. All problems and fears comes from getting seduced and sucked in by the story. The story isn't real, it's just a story.

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@Esoteric There has been less and less identification with the story as the years have gone by.  (Suffering will do that.)  But there's still some identification.  Any tips for total dis-identification?

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@Beginner Mind My advice would be to make an effort to be aware all the time in every situation. If you invest time doing that for a long time you will come to a point where you can actually choose to withdraw from the story and realize how much more soothing it is to be present than to be caught up in your story and identification. And then you keep going deeper in your presence. This can be very painful at times, because you will see your own neurosis very clearly when you raise your awareness. But if you keep pushing through still, you will reap great rewards. Also maintain a daily practice. That would be my advice. But you will have to find ways and tricks that works just for you specifically. That's the fun part.

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@Beginner Mind  also along with staying present remember to accept your current situation... a lot of pain and suffering comes from resisting the present moment like Eckhart Tolle talks about.

For example if you don't currently feel happy just accept it, don't resist it. In a sense this brings true happiness.

There can't be good without the bad there can't be light without the dark there can't be up without the down and so on.


“Everything is honoured, but nothing matters.” — Eckhart Tolle.

"I have lived on the lip of insanity, wanting to know reasons, knocking on a door. It opens. I've been knocking from the inside." -- Rumi

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