Being=happiness ?

[rush]

If Being really is true happiness, then why is it the hardest state to achieve ? Why is it so much more difficult to achieve this level of fulfilment compared to going out, partying, buying things etc.. Whereby things are more instant ? 

Also, for the long term meditator's, has your practice now got to the stage where you genuinely prefer meditating over going out partying, drinking, career success and so on..

If so, when did this shift happen for you ? 

 

 

[phoenix666]

I've been asking myself this question a couple of times as well. I guess because our brains are not actually wired for happiness. they are wired for survival and reproduction. 

I am now in a stage where I genuinely prefer meditating over going out partying, drinking, socializing, watching movies .. (I didn't actually think I would ever reach this state!) I've started meditating more or less consistently for 20 min a day 2 years ago. after 3-4 shroom experiences this spring I started meditating more, like 30-40 min a day. 

but I only reached this stage where I genuinely prefer meditating after a silent retreat I did this summer. after that I started meditating more or less 60-90 min a day and I also started a Yoga habit.

I still have some issues with love/romanticism, success and career.. I don't prefer meditation over those things yet. but I trust in the snowball effect 

I hope this motivates you!

[LaucherJunge]

It is the hardest state to achieve because your ego holds you back from it. Your ego is there for a reason you are supposed to be in the illusion that you have limits instead of being this absolute infinity being. So you are basically working against the illusion "you" made yourself as absolute infinity which in the end is possible because you are obviously all-powerful beneath this illusion you just have to realize it whereas the limits of ego still apply if you don't put in the work.

I never prefered parting, drinking etc. over meditation honestly, i had other interests to begin with but those frequently change somewhat. I don't really see meditation as something to do anymore though, so i can't compare it to any activity anymore. It has the quality of awarness and not doing thats why its not comparable, for example i can still do all those activities while meditating.

Edited September 26, 2017 by LaucherJunge

[Truth]

 

51 minutes ago, rush said:

If Being really is true happiness, then why is it the hardest state to achieve ? Why is it so much more difficult to achieve this level of fulfilment compared to going out, partying, buying things etc.. Whereby things are more instant ? 

Being is the most instant thing you can have, unless you have stung, drunk monkey mind. It's the hardest state to achieve because all you've ever known is your stung, drunk monkey mind. 

51 minutes ago, rush said:

Also, for the long term meditator's, has your practice now got to the stage where you genuinely prefer meditating over going out partying, drinking, career success and so on..

If so, when did this shift happen for you ?

This shift happened for me about a year ago, I'd rather be happy than have a stung, drunk monkey mind. 

Edited September 26, 2017 by Truth

[rush]

@phoenix666 What did your silent retreat involve ? How long was the retreat and how long did you meditate for during it ? Do you use any specific meditation techniques that you prefer ? Its always more motivating to hear others journey ! 

[pluto]

Its not that hard to achieve, what happens when you dance? or play, or make art, or sing, or walk or work with nature, or meditate, or favorite sport/exercise there is so many ways of just being in the moment and we do them we just aren't aware of it but we do notice after a while of doing something we love that usually can only be done focusing on one thing one step at a time we notice we great we feel afterwards because we weren't thinking, we were just being in the moment and doing it naturally without the need of thought.

Edited September 27, 2017 by pluto

[Forestluv]

@rush Who is trying to “achieve” happiness?

Where I’m at now, the sense of happiness is a product of my physiology and interpretation of external input.

I wish I understood the underlying mechanism better so that I could tweak the settings

[JustinS]

5 hours ago, rush said:

Also, for the long term meditator's, has your practice now got to the stage where you genuinely prefer meditating over going out partying, drinking, career success and so on..

I found out that for me these things can be over stimulating and agitating very quickly, but before it wasn't like that. It's that I can enjoy these activities, probably even more now, but it just drains me quicker. It's now difficult for me to watch a full length (2hours) movie in one sitting. 

[phoenix666]

@rush it was a 5 day silent retreat where with different techniques like guided meditations, free mediations, yoga, walking meditation, general mindfulness.. you could practice being mindful practically the whole day. that's when I really understood that everything you do can be meditation,  if you do it mindfully, slowly, with awareness. 

I usually do use Leo's mindfulness/labeling technique, SDS, Do nothing or watching my breath. I also like Osho's dynamic meditation

it really is a different kind of happiness. my life has always been like a roller coaster with admittedly more downs than ups. it was neurotic, hectic, full of angst and worry. I always thought that living in the moment  essentially meant hedonism. little did I know that it was just me running in a hamster wheel, constantly trying to be happy, constantly searching for something.

the happiness I feel now is something completely different. It's a mixture between calmness, peace, trust.. it feels very solid  stay motivated, it really is a nice place to be in. and I am not very high on the awareness scale! alone in this forum, there are people who live life from such a beautiful place..read their comments, get inspired by them, it helped me a lot

[Leo Gura]

@rush Because the mind is addicted to concepts and unconsciousness. Why? Because our culture is deeply corrupt from head to toe.

People are born and just assume we're living is some great, sophisticated, enlightened age. When in fact we're living in the Dark Ages. Humanity will look back on the 21st century the same way we look back on Nazi Germany or the Mongols.

You've been raised to be a Mongol amidst a horde of Mongols. So of course it's hard to be anything else. You're going against the current. This isn't evil. It's just the current state of humanity. We must go through this phase to ultimately reach the enlightened age thousands of years from now. Future generations will take enlightenment for granted as it gets handed to them on a silver platter via some magic pill. You cannot. We aren't there yet.

[caelanb]

10 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

Future generations will take enlightenment for granted as it gets handed to them on a silver platter via some magic pill

I'll try to help create this magic pill