Can you be happy without becoming enlightened ?

[noselfnofun]

Was thinking last night could someone live a truly happy life without attaining enlightenment? is there a middle ground on this path? or is it, you will always suffer if you never get to the truth. 

[mandyjw]

We all have moments of happiness and moments of suffering. Don't identify with one or the other, just accept the moment for what it brings without trying to label it good or bad. Being one with the moment diminishes suffering.

[Paul92]

@noselfnofun Apparently not. But then again, I know plenty of old people who are happy and would say they've had a good life.

[noselfnofun]

@mandyjw

10 minutes ago, mandyjw said:

We all have moments of happiness and moments of suffering. Don't identify with one or the other, just accept the moment for what it brings without trying to label it good or bad. Being one with the moment diminishes suffering.

Maybe happiness was not the right word. A life that they can look back on and say that was worth living without my retreat or feeling that it was full of sorrow. 

[noselfnofun]

It is interesting as the more I have gone down this beautiful rabbit whole the more I realise how much not only do I suffer but how much people suffer in general. 

 

this week I went to a mindfulness meet up and the people there didn't seem to know much about what meditation is actually about or enlightenment. seems like they just wanted to do there 20 to 30 mins of meditation a day to aid them living a balanced and fulfilled life but none of them knew about enlightenment act. I just wondered could that even work, I think you would just have to be lucky in your circumstances, you don't go through any really bad experiences and you live to a ripe old age without to much sickness. I think its a dangerous game to play as anything can happen to you at anytime. So enlightenment seems the way to go. 

[Salvijus]

Being happy is not a big deal actually. It's just a first step in life. It has little to do with enlightenment. But sadhguru says "suffering will not seek" that's why his first programs are about being joyful by your own nature.

 

 

Edited April 12, 2019 by Salvijus

[Esoteric]

Short answer is no. You can be shallowly happy, but it is not stable. Even if you look back on a persons life maybe it was sorta happy, but only because major tragedy didn't strike, like their children dying, getting cancer, getting decieved by the love of your life. Real happiness is stable no matter what happens in your life.

[noselfnofun]

18 minutes ago, Salvijus said:

Being happy is not a big deal actually. It's just a first step in life. It has little to do with enlightenment. But sadhguru says "suffering will not seek" that's why his first programs are about being joyful by your own nature.

 

Thanks man awesome will watch these videos, sadguru is in my city atm but his workshop is to much for me to afford  atm. Would of loved to go

[noselfnofun]

17 minutes ago, Esoteric said:

Short answer is no. You can be shallowly happy, but it is not stable. Even if you look back on a persons life maybe it was sorta happy, but only because major tragedy didn't strike, like their children dying, getting cancer, getting decieved by the love of your life. Real happiness is stable no matter what happens in your life.

Yeah thats pretty much it, I think you can develop a strength of mind where you can face thoughts things without enlightenment tho, but again that is quite rare as it normally breaks people down. 

[mandyjw]

33 minutes ago, noselfnofun said:

@mandyjw

Maybe happiness was not the right word. A life that they can look back on and say that was worth living without my retreat or feeling that it was full of sorrow. 

Hone your inner voice and intuition and follow it wherever it leads you. Your life is not your own and when you follow a path that is not your own you will be fulfilled. 

[cetus]

1 hour ago, noselfnofun said:

Thanks man awesome will watch these videos, sadguru is in my city atm but his workshop is to much for me to afford  atm. Would of loved to go

@noselfnofun I saw he is coming to Philadelphia April 20th. $500 per ticket!

Edit:  correction that's April 27-28 in Phila.

[noselfnofun]

3 minutes ago, cetus56 said:

@noselfnofun I saw he is coming to Philadelphia April 20th. $500 per ticket!

Yes, I think its a 2 day event. Are you planning on going ? He will be in London I think the 21th as well 

[Salvijus]

April 20th-21st in London

Over 14000 participants

 

Edited April 12, 2019 by Salvijus

[cetus]

@noselfnofun Wish I could but that's a bit pricey for me. If I take the g-f that's $1000.00 US

[Aakash]

i paid £35 to be around sadguru at one of his inner engineering things to hear him repeat everything he's said in his video and what leo has said, 

none the less the experience was worth it because in a way his consciousness rubbed off on me, i came out of it sensing i was at a higher level of consciousness

[Preetom]

@noselfnofun

Absolutely not. 

This question arises due to not clearly understanding the intellectual theory of what enlightement and happiness really are and are not.

You can be absolutely, infinitely happy ONLY when you discover your own self as happiness in direct experience and accept and own that realization all the way.

And what is enlightenment? It is the direct discovery and being what you really are.

Happiness is not something you can get or loose. Happiness is another name of you. No other 'thing' in God's green earth is happiness expect for you- that which you refer as 'I' in it's pristine, adjunctless condition.

Yeah you can have countless number of transient, pleasurable experiences of the body-mind in many degrees, in many places and times including in earth, heaven, hell and other realms. But happiness, nah...dont confuse that with happiness. Those pleasures are only temporary highs when your story about those mirages gets their validation.

Happiness is not something you can ever have or own. It is something which you must become in order to experience it- which is already the case. The purpose of all of spirituality is to clear all the delusions obstructing what is already the case.

I'll leave a video you can check out if you want. Very eye opening stuff

No self-no fun- yeah right...your screen name is a cosmic joke itself 

Edited April 12, 2019 by Preetom

[noselfnofun]

1 hour ago, Preetom said:

@noselfnofun

Absolutely not. 

This question arises due to not clearly understanding the intellectual theory of what enlightement and happiness really are and are not.

You can be absolutely, infinitely happy ONLY when you discover your own self as happiness in direct experience and accept and own that realization all the way.

And what is enlightenment? It is the direct discovery and being what you really are.

Happiness is not something you can get or loose. Happiness is another name of you. No other 'thing' in God's green earth is happiness expect for you- that which you refer as 'I' in it's pristine, adjunctless condition.

Yeah you can have countless number of transient, pleasurable experiences of the body-mind in many degrees, in many places and times including in earth, heaven, hell and other realms. But happiness, nah...dont confuse that with happiness. Those pleasures are only temporary highs when your story about those mirages gets their validation.

Happiness is not something you can ever have or own. It is something which you must become in order to experience it- which is already the case. The purpose of all of spirituality is to clear all the delusions obstructing what is already the case.

I'll leave a video you can check out if you want. Very eye opening stuff

No self-no fun- yeah right...your screen name is a cosmic joke itself 

the intellectual theory of what enlightenment and happiness really are and are not? I'm not sure about that, but I do agree with you about the above. I find it hard ti except at times just how lost everyone is, (none seekers) and question is this really the real deal as its sold to be but it has been prove time and time again in my experience to be the case so I will just roll with it. What about seekers who spends years on the path but never become self realized? Is there life better off for doing that or not? Would you say all none seekers are not truly happy ?

Edited April 12, 2019 by noselfnofun

[noselfnofun]

@cetus56 Yeah that is quite alot, sure it would be worth it 

[AlwaysBeNice]

In the moments you feel really alive, which may be a moment of adrenaline, fear, is that not happiness as well? That is also a moment with less or sort of no ego I think.

[ajasatya]

4 hours ago, noselfnofun said:

could someone live a truly happy life without attaining enlightenment?

yes. contentment is a byproduct of enlightenment work. but it's not the whole thing.