We look for happiness. The lucky ones find the way to cultivate the conditions that will lead to continuous happiness.

By Angel Roberto Puente

It takes great effort to live a truly honest life.

I mean a life where what we do and what we think are in complete accord. Sadly, our society does not support being congruous; our bodies march in one direction, our minds in another.

Many times, we begin our lives with bad examples from our parents, continue with a deficient education and end being pressured by a society with jumbled values.

It’s almost impossible to know who we truly are in these conditions. The state of the planet tells the story. Even on the brink of an extinction-level environmental catastrophe, there is no consensus on the truth of the matter. Much less, is there a concerted action to remedy the situation. There’s too much self interest involved.

The Buddha didn’t face these complicated issues, but he did get to the heart of the fundamental problem that will follow us until the end of time.

We don’t know we’ve lost contact with our true self.

Without this knowledge, we are always second guessing ourselves. We act and then question ourselves. Sometimes we do the acting and questioning simultaneously. We are never fully immersed in our actions—we are strangers to our own lives.

There’s no doubt that everyone on this planet has experienced that one moment when they have been completely fused with the present moment. The resultant happiness is unmistakable, unforgettable.

It could have happened in any common situation—riding a bicycle, fixing something, randomly occurring in nature, having a conversation, just walking or waiting in line. For just a moment, there were no worries, no thinking if what you were doing was right or wrong. There was just the flow of the moment.

And then we return to the angst of our daily lives. With the mostly unplaceable memory of what it feels like to be truly happy without reference to any thing. 

But the longing remains. We want to be happy.

We look for happiness. The lucky ones find the way to cultivate the conditions that will lead to continuous happiness.

Shouldn’t those of us that have some experience with this share openly what we know? My Christian upbringing taught me that we are all priests and prophets. We don’t have to wait for some kind of perfection. We don’t need permission from some institution or person.

We all start modestly. Our practice gives us glimpses of happiness some of the time, with the promise of extending these moments. Why not share this with those that are curious without proselytizing? Why not just concentrate on sharing the method?

We don’t need to give an extended introduction to Buddhist or Christian fundamentals. People will probably want to know what we’re trying to do. The explanation is simple: paying attention. It’s a step by step process; you start with breathing, add relaxation in the body, then observe physical reactions to events, and thoughts. It may be difficult in the beginning, but it gets much easier with practice.

Eventually you can recognize the “organized whole that is perceived as more than the sum of its parts”—the gestalt. We stop second guessing ourselves because our sense of self is absorbed into the whole. Degrees of insight can be found in this truth, and there are also degrees of adherence to the practice of it. But the practice of attention is unchangeable no matter the object that is used to develop proficiency.

Those that have practiced well for a while have seen this. Share what you know. You are all priests.

Probably the worst part of this sharing will be seeing the disinterest many people will show towards practice and their persistence in skidding in the mud of their problems. It can be painful to watch. The only response is compassion. Applying the same openness we afford our own shortcomings we let our heart center open and accept the reactions in our being. We are human.

In 2011 a respected teacher that was working on a system for teaching meditation wrote a guide for facilitators. This was before the system was put behind a paywall.

What he said about teaching his system applies to teaching any method:

1) Your own practice will become clearer and sharper if you share it.

2) The main impediment is believing you are not ready or worthy yet.

3) You are sharing a method. Don’t be afraid to answer, “I don’t know” to any far out question.

4) Be clear about the concepts needed to do the practice.

5) Empower the student by affirming, reassuring and encouraging their practice.

6) See yourself as privileged to facilitate success.

We can be prophets of a better human condition.

 

Photo: Pixabay

Editor: Dana Gornall

 

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