Self-conscious reflection and happiness

[Forestluv]

I notice many people, including myself at times, practice consciousness work with a purpose. We meditate to gain peace of mind. We attend retreats and seminars for clarity, motivation and goal-setting. We want to grow, find meaning and be productive. We want to become happy.

Yet my consciousness work has resulted in some rude awakenings. In which loss of control reveals what "IS". And from the powerless ego surfaces terror, joy, imprisonment and liberation. Simultaneously from the same source. All just "IS".

The below passage resonates with me:  

In 1936, Max Eastman, wrote, by way of introduction to his book on laughter, “I must warn you, reader, that it is not the purpose of this book to make you laugh.  As you know, nothing kills the laugh quicker than to explain a joke.  I intend to explain all jokes, and the proper and logical outcome will be, not only that you will not laugh now, but that you will never laugh again.”  A similar argument could be made for happiness.  One way to kill innocent pleasure is to engage in self-conscious reflection, and a course devoted to the study of happiness may not only fail to produce happiness, but may make it forever after unattainable.  We shall see.  In case, as Eastman warned, prepare for the descending gloom. 

[SOUL]

I have a sense of well being that is a lasting joy, fulfillment and peace.

What really brought this into my experience is not finding what makes me 'happy', it is recognizing what is preventing me from 'being' it. So my study is of the self to become aware of what is causing the inner turmoil and resolving that which allowed the sense of well being to be felt more in life than just the specific circumstances of what may make me 'happy'.

So in the joke analogy, instead of finding what's funny in the joke to laugh at, why I laugh now has nothing to do with the joke at all, everything is 'funny', life 'just IS funny'.

Does that make any sense?

[Forestluv]

2 hours ago, SOUL said:

I have a sense of well being that is a lasting joy, fulfillment and peace.

What really brought this into my experience is not finding what makes me 'happy', it is recognizing what is preventing me from 'being' it. So my study is of the self to become aware of what is causing the inner turmoil and resolving that which allowed the sense of well being to be felt more in life than just the specific circumstances of what may make me 'happy'.

So in the joke analogy, instead of finding what's funny in the joke to laugh at, why I laugh now has nothing to do with the joke at all, everything is 'funny', life 'just IS funny'.

Does that make any sense?

Some of my work has been identifying what is preventing me from experiencing deep sadness, insecurity, fear and pain. Resolving that has allowed the sense of "being it".

[SOUL]

People often view things in duality unconsciously as opposites like sadness and happiness or fear and love but emotion is an individual impulse feeling that each has it's own characteristics that can often rise in combination within us. Being aware of those characteristics allows us to recognize their presence even if they are mixed together or hiding behind rationalizations so not be influenced by them.

Although it reveals how our state of being can get swayed by waves of impulse sensations and exposes that happiness is a wavering.placating of the emotional body but not something that is lasting like the joy, fulfillment and peace that comes from a sense of well being.

[Forestluv]

16 minutes ago, SOUL said:

not something that is lasting like the joy, fulfillment and peace that comes from a sense of well being.

It seems alive-ness appears and disappears in the moment. I question the idea that I am a self that continues through time. 

[SOUL]

6 minutes ago, Serotoninluv said:

It seems alive-ness appears and disappears in the moment. I question the idea that I am a self that continues through time. 

Sure, even me using the words like joy, fulfillment, peace and well being are just labels attempting to communicate a message about an indescribable nature. Life and self are momentary, they are ever changing states in a temporal pooling of flowing consciousness but their changing temporary state doesn't invalidate their presence of being.

[Forestluv]

1 minute ago, SOUL said:

Sure, even me using the words like joy, fulfillment, peace and well being are just labels attempting to communicate a message about an indescribable nature. Life and self are momentary, they are ever changing states in a temporal pooling of flowing consciousness but their changing temporary state doesn't invalidate their presence of being.

What is. . . is

[SOUL]

6 minutes ago, Serotoninluv said:

What is. . . is

So be it.

[MisterMan]

On 1/30/2018 at 5:08 AM, SOUL said:

I have a sense of well being that is a lasting joy, fulfillment and peace.

What really brought this into my experience is not finding what makes me 'happy', it is recognizing what is preventing me from 'being' it. So my study is of the self to become aware of what is causing the inner turmoil and resolving that which allowed the sense of well being to be felt more in life than just the specific circumstances of what may make me 'happy'.

So in the joke analogy, instead of finding what's funny in the joke to laugh at, why I laugh now has nothing to do with the joke at all, everything is 'funny', life 'just IS funny'.

Does that make any sense?

Complete sense, you cut out the middle man, circumstance.

[SOUL]

15 minutes ago, MisterMan said:

Complete sense, you cut out the middle man, circumstance.

Yes, MisterMan, the middle man or to be more apt, middle men, as there are layers of identity seeking to influence our state of being.