Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

The Art of Happiness

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #31
    Dear all,

    I saw this thread just a few days after it started and meant to make a post earlier but had trouble at the time to find happiness in my daily life or even reflect on it.

    Thanks to Erica for starting this thread and everyone else who has contributed to it. I'm starting to realize the value of being aware of happiness and this thread is proof of the wonderful things that can be gained by just thinking about it.

    At the moment I find that just contemplating about happiness brings joy to my heart simply because I am able to do it, wheras in the past I was ignorant of it. I have come to not only believe that I will find it, but actually expect to and that is a huge difference from before.

    With regards
    Jimmy

    Edit: Oh yeah, thank you Erica for providing the link to "Good News Network". Excellent!
    Could someone direct me to mental clarity? I can't see through all this fog.

    Comment


    • #32
      Dear all,

      Whenever you find happiness, share with others; by sharing it, then you can have more.

      Joko
      开心 好运气
      kai xin... .......hao yunqi... - Sifu's speech, April 2005
      open heart... good chi flow... good luck ...
      ------------------------------------------------------------
      Have we not opened up thy heart ...? (The Reading, 94:1)
      ------------------------------------------------------------
      Be joyful, ..and share your joy with others -(Anand Krishna)

      Comment


      • #33
        Arigatou gozaimasu! (Thank you!)

        Greetings everyone,

        The more we bring our attention to happiness, the happier we become. There are many reasons for this, some of which I will post about later. For now, I want to sincerely thank everyone who is posting on this thread, because by doing so you bring me and many other people joy!

        Jimmy wrote:
        At the moment I find that just contemplating about happiness brings joy to my heart simply because I am able to do it, wheras in the past I was ignorant of it.
        I am so glad to hear that you have found how to be happy just by thinking about it! You must truly be "smiling from the heart."

        I have come to not only believe that I will find [happiness], but actually expect to and that is a huge difference from before.
        Here's the good news: You already have it.

        The only thing that is stopping you from being truly happy is that you think that 'happiness' is something that you will find in the future. You have all that you need to be happy now, and every moment of your life. And that is the very ability that you expressed in your last post: smiling from the heart.

        Let go of the idea that happiness is something that you have to find. Be happy now.


        Erica

        Comment


        • #34
          The Beauty of Everyday Life

          Thank you Erica for your posts, I really enjoyed them.

          I think that working toward happiness is trying to realise the beauty of everyday living. A way to reach that inner state is to be aware of the sacred aspect of everything.

          In this respect, even easying in the toilet is a sacred act. To urinate is a sacred act because it is a process of living/maintaining life, which is sacred.

          It is sacred because every thought, word or deed is an opportunity to realise its sacred origin.

          But finding holiness is only possible when the heart is directed toward holiness.

          Hence we should be grateful: because we are living, we are able to urinate. And because we urinate (i.e dispose some 'toxic' waste) we are able to live.

          If we can even see the sacred aspect of an impur act like urinating, then it will be easy for us to see the beauty of a co-worker smile, of an unknown face on the street, of that chocolate cake waiting for you on the table.

          Once we start to realise that everything is an opportunity to thank God/Cosmos/Tao/Allah/Brahma for being alive, then we set up the wonderful process of Opening One's Heart.

          And when one's heart opens, happiness shines forth.

          Don't you think?

          Maxime Citerne, Chinese Medicine, Qigong Healing & Internal Arts

          Frankfurt - Paris - Alsace


          France: www.institut-anicca.com

          Germany: www.anicca-institute.com

          Comment


          • #35
            Thank you

            Thanks everyone for a great thread!

            It seems a common theme being discussed here is being grateful and appreciating the beauty in all things and circumstances.

            In my personal quest for happiness, I have often struggled to "place" the negativity I see in the world around me. There are things that other people do that make me feel bad. But I think the philosophy of "live and let live" is a good one. Because often times the pain I've felt isn't so much that what someone else does hurts me directly, but that who they are isn't a match with who I am and my views. And I want them to see things my way.

            Letting go of the desire to control other people's views that are different than mine has helped bring a lot more happiness into my life. And also helped me to appreciate more of the positive things about people I meet, despite differences.

            Ultimately the best way to be a shining light on the world is to focus on and build up the light, not to spend all your time stumbling around in the darkness complaining about how dark it is.

            With much gratitude

            Ryan
            I'm floating down a river
            Oars freed from their holes long ago
            Lying face up on the floor of my vessel
            I marvel at the stars
            And feel my heart overflow

            Comment


            • #36
              Making decisions

              Greetings Shaolin family and guests,

              I continue to enjoy what everyone is bringing to this thread! Thank you Maxime and Ryan for your recent posts. I was just looking over them again today when it occurred to me that they have something in common: decision making.

              Ryan wrote:
              Letting go of the desire to control other people's views that are different than mine has helped bring a lot more happiness into my life. And also helped me to appreciate more of the positive things about people I meet, despite differences.
              In "letting go of the desire to control other people's views", Ryan made a decision to let more happiness into his life.

              Before that, he was making a different decision: he was deciding to block happiness from entering his life (by judging others).

              The potential for happiness was there, but he couldn't see it. When he decided to let go of that blockage, he finally became able to enjoy the good things that had been surrounding him the whole time.


              Maxime wrote:
              If we can even see the sacred aspect of an impur act like urinating, then it will be easy for us to see the beauty of a co-worker smile, of an unknown face on the street, of that chocolate cake waiting for you on the table.
              There are indeed people that see urinating as an "impure" act. In labeling it as impure, the person is making the decision to see the act of urination as a 'bad' thing.

              Let's say that the person were to make a different decision today, a decision to not judge urination but instead to recognize the good in it (i.e. how it helps the body rid itself of toxins, etc..). As Maxime described, by starting to recognize the good aspects of one little thing without judging it, the person will also start to notice the good aspects of other things.

              And so by making a small decision to stop judging something, the person will open up to seeing the beauty and joy that has been surrounding him/her all along.


              By changing decisions on how we judge the world, we change the quality of our own lives.


              There are millions of people walking around every day deciding to be unhappy. They might not be aware of it, but whenever they judge others or think of things as 'bad', they are actually deciding to be unhappy.

              Whenever I notice that I am unhappy, I gently remind myself that the reason I'm unhappy is not because I lack something or because something is wrong, it is simply because I am deciding to be unhappy for whatever reason. And so I just change that and decide to be happy!

              That decision starts with a smile from the heart and spreads from there. Once I'm smiling from the heart, it's easy to see the good things around me.

              What are your thoughts on happiness? What's your story to how you began to find more joy in your life?

              Smiling,
              Erica

              Comment


              • #37
                Absolute happiness

                To revert to the previous theme of sharing things that bring us those subtle joys, I share with everyone the wonderful world of cat pictures with captions! I've posted a few of my favorites, and many more can be seen at www.icanhascheezburger.com

                Enjoy all the sillies,
                Drew
                Love, and do what you will.

                - St. Augustine

                Comment


                • #38
                  Cat pictures with captions

                  Greetings everyone,

                  Drew....Thank you for the pictures! I smile every time I look at them.

                  Anyone else have good pictures/a story/etc... that makes you happy?

                  Care to share a time that you had "a breakthrough" and found happiness where you couldn't see it before?

                  Feel free to add anything happy here!!

                  Smiling,
                  Erica

                  Comment


                  • #39
                    Happiness and gratitude

                    Greetings to all,

                    I just wanted to take a moment to point out a thread strongly related to this one:

                    The Gratitude Thread


                    No doubt the more we can find to be grateful for, the happier we will be!

                    I believe that the more we bring our attention to what we're grateful for/what makes us happy, the happier we will become. So I've decided to make daily posts on happiness/gratitude and also read the other posts on happiness/gratitude on the forum.

                    Looking forward to hearing about what makes you happy/what you are grateful for!

                    Smiling,
                    Erica

                    Comment


                    • #40
                      Gnn

                      Greetings Shaolin Wahnam family and guests,

                      A while ago I put a post on this thread about the Good News Network. I've found it to be a wonderful resource for finding good news at a time when all the main news networks seem to be focusing on negativity (tragedy/crime/etc).

                      When I first started checking it, I was so surprised to see all the good things happening every day. Today I found a great article about blind people becoming able to 'see' with their tongues! See the link below:

                      A new medical technology allows blind folks to be able to 'see' with their tongues. Incredible!



                      If you come across a really great story on this site or anywhere else, feel free to share it with everyone on this thread. I hope that this story/the GNN site brings you a little happiness today.

                      Smiling,
                      Erica

                      Comment


                      • #41
                        Dear Shaolin Wahnam Family and Friends,

                        Erica, this is a wonderful thread, thank you for starting it and also for linking the Gratitude thread. It will be fun to watch them both 'grow' in the coming months

                        One thing that always makes me sigh with contentment and happiness is when I am surrounded by my students both Shaolin Chi Kung and Wahnam Tai Chi Chuan. When we go out to dinner together I can clearly see how much they have all changed in the months and years that they have been part of this wonderful family. The laughter, the open hearts, the sparkling eyes and the respect and fun we have together is very special

                        For me also Happiness is hearing the grass grow in Spring

                        Smile from the Heart,
                        Joan
                        Books don't mean a lot unless you open them, Hearts are the same.......


                        Valentine's Smile from the Heart 2019 IRELAND - world renowned Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit.

                        -A FEAST OF SHAOLIN transmitted by Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit FEBRUARY 16TH -19TH 2019
                        GENERATING ENERGY FLOW
                        ONE FINGER SHOOTING ZEN
                        THE INCREDIBLE 3 DAY INTENSIVE ZEN COURSE .

                        Sifujoan@gmail.com

                        Comment


                        • #42
                          Thanks for sharing that, Erica

                          What an awesome idea for a web site. I like good news. Which is why I hardly ever watch the major networks anymore (I think they can pretty much find the bad in almost any situation). I do like the Daily Show on Comedy Central, though

                          Ryan
                          I'm floating down a river
                          Oars freed from their holes long ago
                          Lying face up on the floor of my vessel
                          I marvel at the stars
                          And feel my heart overflow

                          Comment


                          • #43
                            I remember reading that polls consistently show the Daily Show as the place where most young adults get their news from. Maybe Jon Stewart should team up with GNN?
                            Love, and do what you will.

                            - St. Augustine

                            Comment


                            • #44
                              Greetings everyone!

                              From Ryan's post:

                              Originally posted by Ryan
                              Which is why I hardly ever watch the major networks anymore (I think they can pretty much find the bad in almost any situation).
                              It's interesting to see what has become of the major news networks. It seems that at some point not too long ago, someone realized that if people feel threatened they will pay attention (and therefore watch more news). And so tiny, isolated incidents are spun into a direct threat to anyone and everyone.


                              From Sifu Joan's post:

                              Originally posted by Joan View Post
                              One thing that always makes me sigh with contentment and happiness is when I am surrounded by my students both Shaolin Chi Kung and Wahnam Tai Chi Chuan. When we go out to dinner together I can clearly see how much they have all changed in the months and years that they have been part of this wonderful family. The laughter, the open hearts, the sparkling eyes and the respect and fun we have together is very special

                              I know the feeling! Going out to eat dinner with Sifu and my Shaolin family is something I always look forward to at Chi Kung/Tai Chi Chuan/Kung Fu courses. I'm also looking forward to meeting some of my extended Shaolin Wahnam family soon at Sigung's debut courses in Japan!

                              Smiling,
                              Erica

                              Comment


                              • #45
                                Metaphor Making Challenge!

                                Greetings Shaolin Wahnam family and guests,

                                I invite all of you to join me in a metaphor making challenge!

                                The Theme: Living a Happy Life.

                                The metaphor can be funny, serious, random, anything...be as creative as you like! Just be sure that it relates to the theme.


                                I love metaphors as they tend to bring people to deeper levels of understanding of a given topic. Also, by creating a visual image of an abstract concept, the ideas expressed by metaphors tend to stick in the mind longer than normal explanations.

                                As some metaphors work well for some people (and not so well for others) I hope to get a wide variety on this thread.

                                I've seen a lot of creativity on this forum, so I'm sure we'll end up with a great list of metaphors. I'm really looking forward to reading what you come up with!

                                Smiling,
                                Erica

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X