These famous words from St Augustine, are timeless. And this is why:
1. Start with Love and Joy instead of looking for Love, Joy and happiness.
Once a Swami asked a group of children at a school, who all among you want to be happy…. All but 1 child put up their hands. He asked the one child to stand apart from the rest and asked him don't you want to be happy? The Child answered with a smile "Swamiji I am happy!"
The swami explained to the children, that when you say you are hungry, you want something to fill your stomach. Similarly, when you want happiness, that means you are not happy with what you have Now. And that is the root cause of all the unhappiness in the world today…we are all going around looking for happiness somewhere outside of us.
2. "Wherever you Go There You Are"
A cousin of mine narrated this story a few years ago. She told a gathering that she used to believe that when she gets a new international role she will be happy. She got a job in Singapore and she was super excited. And very soon after she moved into Singapore, she came to the realization that the situation had changed but her mind was still troubled by the same issues that she used to experience before she had moved abroad. She had learnt, that "Wherever you go, there You are"
3. Then what is the solution?
Start with Love and Joy and you will find it everywhere around you.
Our true nature is deep happiness, bliss … in Sanskrit, Ananda. When we identify with objects, people of situations, we mistakenly carry the notion that our happiness lies in those objects, people or situations. But very soon after we acquire the object, we find that the happiness that we thought we will get is disappearing.
It is like the story about the old man who had lost a key in his house, but he was searching for it in the light of the lamp-post outside his house. Slowly a crowd started doing what he was doing, searching for the key in the light of the lamp-post. A wise-man passing by paused and asked "what are you doing?" and the old man replied "I am searching for the key which I have lost". The wise man asked "where did you lose the key?" the old man said "inside the house". The wise man was bewildered and asked "why are you looking for it here?" and the old man replied "oh there is no light in the house so I am looking for it here". We are looking for Happiness in the wrong place… in objects, people and situations. Instead, we need to turn inwards, discover our true nature of "Ananda"
4. How do I turn Inward and discover my true nature?
Turning Inward is a rare phenomenon that very few people in today's world are interested in doing. Because they don't want to be left behind in the race! But like the story goes… Even if you win the Rat Race, you will still be a rat! As Eknath Easwaran describes in his book "Take Your Time" we all can slow down and take a breath. Feel the cool air we breathe, feel the touch of soft cloth on our skin, and experience the warm sunlight streaming in through the windows, and take a walk in the street and just observe people and birds and the café. Eckhart Tolle, the author of Power of Now, invites us to visit a café and sit and order a cup of coffee and just sit and observe people. You may feel strange at first and you may notice how busy everyone is - often looking at their phones even while sitting with someone else at the same table. We are never really present and doing nothing… because we are all caught in the rat-race syndrome. So if we can slow down and gently let our mind come back to the present moment, and just pause… that's the beginning of turning inward. Experience the stillness within that allows us to witness all the commotion outside. Feel you’re the cool air as you gently breathe in, and the warm air as you breath out…this is the beginning of turning inward.
5. Stay with the Stillness of the Present Moment
The power of the present moment is incredible. When you begin to gather your mind to come back into the present moment stillness, you are at the doorstep of that deep inner happiness that we called bliss or Ananda. This stillness contains the seeds to lasting peace and a sense of deep joy that no object, person or situation in the outer world can come even close to. Once you have tasted the bliss of this stillness, then you will not feel the need to go begging for sprays of happiness from the external world - because you have accessed the ocean of nectar.
Let's end with the story of the Lion cub that was lost and raised by a group of sheep. As the lion cub grew around the sheep he ate what the sheep ate, he made sounds like the sheep and he even walked like the sheep! A few years later, a mighty lion saw this young lion hanging around the sheep and noticed that something was odd. He took this young lion with him and made him look at his face in a pond. He showed the young lion that he looked just like him. He then Roared loudly and exhorted the young lion to do the same. Initially the young lion just whimpered but after he felt something stir inside, he heaved and roared like the lion! He had just discovered his true nature! Who are you… a sheep or a lion?
Photos by Silas Kohler & Keyur Nandaniya on Unsplash
The Author, Anuj Chadha, is Founder of Three Circles - Coaching to create the Life that you love! At Three Circles, we come with a deep understanding of what it takes to navigate the challenges that life throws at us. We partner with our clients, listen to their life aspirations, and support them to break through the obstacles that seem to be holding them back. Life is too precious to be unhappy, unsure, or unfulfilled. Give us the opportunity to partner with you as you re-imagine and re-create the Life that you Love!
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