Dwelling happily in the here and now
Drista dharma sukkha virahin, is a Sanskrit term that basically is translated to mean "dwelling happily in the here and now". We are back to that teaching about coming back to the present moment so we can find find peace, joy and happiness. Right here and right now we have all the conditions we need to be happy...if nothing else we have breath and that is enough!
Thich Nhat Hanh in another short teaching video tells us that there are three sources of happiness: concentration, mindfulness and letting go.
Concentration
What are you focusing on right now? Where are you putting your attention? On all those negative thoughts floating around in your head? On what someone said to you yesterday that made you burn inside because it triggered something someone said years ago that caused you so much pain? On some event that is coming up in the future that you are so dreading because you think it will make you even unhappier or maybe it is an event you are looking forward to because you erroneously believe it will make you happy? Are you putting all your concentration on thoughts, feelings or emotional experience at the exclusion of everything else? Or if you are like most humans with monkey minds...maybe your concentration and focus is jumping from one thing to the other?
Mindfulness
Are you aware of where you are right now in this moment? Are you aware of the natural or man made environment around you? The weather? Are you aware of your body position at this very moment you are being hurled through space on this giant orb? Are you aware of your feet, butt or back planted on the earth, the gentle push of gravity holding yo in place, and your body's reaction to all around it? Are you aware of something as simple yet as life necessitating as your breath? Breathe...just be mindful of that breath going in and going out.
Letting Go?
On every exhale are you able to let go of all those ideas, thoughts, feelings and "problems" you have been clinging to...just for the remainder of this exhale? Can you extend that letting go beyond the duration of a breath? What ideas and unskillful notions about happiness and joy are you still clinging to? Are you ready to let them go?
Here and Now
The only place you can be happy, in fact the only place you can actually "be" is here and now. Are you ready to let go of your notions about past and future and just "be" here and now, accepting and allowing all that is in you and around you in this very moment? I hope so but if not...I hope you are at least willing to be more present, more free, more joyful and more happy...by refocusing your concentration, becoming more mindful and aware and letting go of all that which does not serve you.
What I wish for you is Dristadharmasukkha-viharin
All is well.
Plum Village( July 2020) Nourishing Our Joy and Happiness/ Thich Nhat Hanh (short teaching) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KsQsmzm-ys
No comments:
Post a Comment