Since the past few years I have been so unhappy that I have literally cried over the tragic life I have been treading ever since I felt conscious about having ever assumed as to what are the basics of a happy life.
But!! Off late with my new found Buddhist philosophy, I have realized that my attachments with what will give me happiness is nothing but an illusion.. Nothing but an illusion!! After 9 months of deep suffering I made myself a deal and it is a pretty good one to begin with:
1) When life gives what is in store for you, enjoy it! When life takes it away let go and seek what it wants you to seek next. Don't ever get attached to happiness or suffering, both are a myth and both are beyond this worldly life.
2) Happiness is within you, nobody or nothing in this world can either take it away or even give it to you. I will give a very simple example: A year ago i was travelling in a car. I no more do that, which is fine, but I now travel in buses. Any normal person should feel so so upset with it, after all Indian buses are not a joyride. But somehow I loved it! I loved the noise, the life, the yelling of the conductor, in fact I even reminisced the school bus that I would travel in, which would be crowded at times and how I would joke around with my friends and fly off the floor every time the driver pulled on the breaks!
3) Much like happiness, contentment is also within you! yep! So what if so and so is bla bla bla.. i am getting no shit because of it! I don't even find that kind of money or fame or even power useful. Do I have it? Nope! Do I care about it to kill myself over it? Hell no! Do i feel content where I am? You bet I am. People are content in dysfunctional lives, marriages or jobs. It is all within you. How I got here is a mystery but my fears no more rule me! Chances are that tomorrow if the doc was to hand over my life's last minute, I am guessing I wont be upset. Which actually happened pretty recently when my doctor said I have a 80% chance of developing cancer thanks to a faulty gene in my family. Who the hell cares? It doesn't scare me at all! It makes me hope and feel that I will fight it. And if I don't i will die happy!
4) Your imaginations at times run wilder than your reality. Till about age 30, my ideal life was having a good job, having love of friends and family, one good husband who loves me and whom I love and two beautiful kids to complete the picture! I was disappointed when this did not turn my way. A friend who had a child recently told me, come onnn this is the craziest shit ever, it has its good moments but you gotta grow up! Think that you are on a bloody vacation and you will feel relieved you don't have one! Come to think of it: i can go anywhere in this world, do anything as i please and still not feel tied down to anything. I have nothing to worry about and so much to look ahead. CHANGE THE PERSPECTIVE WHEN YOU CANNOT CHANGE YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES :)
It is this that I have learnt with my practice : Ki farak painda hai sala! and Apna dimag mat lagao! Two tenets of Buddhist life, which you adopt you will live extremely happy even if a tornado rocks your life :) Commit to happiness, marry it and simply embrace it. The world through a Buddhist's eyes is beautiful
But!! Off late with my new found Buddhist philosophy, I have realized that my attachments with what will give me happiness is nothing but an illusion.. Nothing but an illusion!! After 9 months of deep suffering I made myself a deal and it is a pretty good one to begin with:
1) When life gives what is in store for you, enjoy it! When life takes it away let go and seek what it wants you to seek next. Don't ever get attached to happiness or suffering, both are a myth and both are beyond this worldly life.
2) Happiness is within you, nobody or nothing in this world can either take it away or even give it to you. I will give a very simple example: A year ago i was travelling in a car. I no more do that, which is fine, but I now travel in buses. Any normal person should feel so so upset with it, after all Indian buses are not a joyride. But somehow I loved it! I loved the noise, the life, the yelling of the conductor, in fact I even reminisced the school bus that I would travel in, which would be crowded at times and how I would joke around with my friends and fly off the floor every time the driver pulled on the breaks!
3) Much like happiness, contentment is also within you! yep! So what if so and so is bla bla bla.. i am getting no shit because of it! I don't even find that kind of money or fame or even power useful. Do I have it? Nope! Do I care about it to kill myself over it? Hell no! Do i feel content where I am? You bet I am. People are content in dysfunctional lives, marriages or jobs. It is all within you. How I got here is a mystery but my fears no more rule me! Chances are that tomorrow if the doc was to hand over my life's last minute, I am guessing I wont be upset. Which actually happened pretty recently when my doctor said I have a 80% chance of developing cancer thanks to a faulty gene in my family. Who the hell cares? It doesn't scare me at all! It makes me hope and feel that I will fight it. And if I don't i will die happy!
4) Your imaginations at times run wilder than your reality. Till about age 30, my ideal life was having a good job, having love of friends and family, one good husband who loves me and whom I love and two beautiful kids to complete the picture! I was disappointed when this did not turn my way. A friend who had a child recently told me, come onnn this is the craziest shit ever, it has its good moments but you gotta grow up! Think that you are on a bloody vacation and you will feel relieved you don't have one! Come to think of it: i can go anywhere in this world, do anything as i please and still not feel tied down to anything. I have nothing to worry about and so much to look ahead. CHANGE THE PERSPECTIVE WHEN YOU CANNOT CHANGE YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES :)
It is this that I have learnt with my practice : Ki farak painda hai sala! and Apna dimag mat lagao! Two tenets of Buddhist life, which you adopt you will live extremely happy even if a tornado rocks your life :) Commit to happiness, marry it and simply embrace it. The world through a Buddhist's eyes is beautiful
1 comment:
very well written, echoing my thoughts... it all lies in how u perceive it, if u think a bus ride is annoying it will be but if u take a liitle time off that thought and enjoy the "scenery", candidness, you will definitely enjoy it :)
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