The Buddhist Story of unselfish happiness…

There was once a young monk who was very diligent in his meditation practice. He would sit for hours every day, trying to attain the state of piti, or unselfish joy. He had read that piti was one of the factors of enlightenment, and that it was a deep tranquility or rapture that suffused both the body and mind1. He wanted to experience this happiness that was not dependent on any object, but was a result of mental discipline2.

One day, as he was meditating, he felt a sudden surge of joy in his heart. He thought, “This must be it! This must be piti!” He smiled broadly, feeling proud of his achievement. He opened his eyes and looked around, expecting to see everything in a new light. But to his dismay, he saw nothing but the same old scenery. The trees, the rocks, the sky, the birds, everything was just as it was before. He felt a pang of disappointment and confusion. “What is wrong?” he wondered. “Why am I not enlightened?”

He decided to go and ask his teacher, who was a wise and compassionate elder monk. He found him sitting under a tree, reading a sutra. He bowed respectfully and said, “Master, I have a question. Today, while I was meditating, I felt a great joy in my heart. I thought I had attained piti, but when I opened my eyes, I saw nothing different. Everything was just as it was before. Why is that? Did I not really attain piti?”

The teacher looked at him with a gentle smile and said, “My son, you have indeed attained piti, but you have mistaken it for something else. You have mistaken it for a goal, a destination, a reward. But piti is not a goal, it is a path. It is not a destination, it is a journey. It is not a reward, it is a gift. Piti is not something you achieve, it is something you share. It is not something you keep, it is something you give. It is not something you hold, it is something you let go.”

The teacher continued, “You see, piti is not a feeling that has an object, but a feeling that has a subject. It is not a feeling that you have, but a feeling that you are. It is not a feeling that you experience, but a feeling that you express. It is not a feeling that you smile because of, but a feeling that you smile with. Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”

The teacher then said, “Now, close your eyes and smile. Smile with your whole being, smile with your heart, smile with your mind, smile with your breath. Smile not because you have attained something, but because you have nothing to attain. Smile not because you are happy, but because you are happiness. Smile not because you are enlightened, but because you are light. Smile, and let your smile spread to all beings. Smile, and let your smile be your piti.”

The young monk did as he was told. He closed his eyes and smiled. He smiled with his whole being, he smiled with his heart, he smiled with his mind, he smiled with his breath. He smiled not because he had attained something, but because he had nothing to attain. He smiled not because he was happy, but because he was happiness. He smiled not because he was enlightened, but because he was light. He smiled, and he felt his smile spread to all beings. He smiled, and he felt his smile be his piti.

He opened his eyes and looked around. He saw everything in a new light. The trees, the rocks, the sky, the birds, everything was shining with joy. He saw the teacher smiling at him, and he felt a deep gratitude and love. He bowed respectfully and said, “Thank you, master. You have taught me the true meaning of piti. You have taught me the true meaning of happiness. You have taught me the true meaning of life.”

The teacher nodded and said, “You are welcome, my son. Now go and share your piti with others. Go and share your happiness with others. Go and share your life with others. And remember, sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”

The Science of Yoga

In our teacher training, on the first day, I always say… Question Everything…

Only after careful analysis, will you find that truth for yourself. Teachers can show you where to look but not tell you what to see.

Buddhism is the root of many modern day sciences, from the study of the mind in psychology to study of the universe in Astrophysics. A questioning mind is essential to the Buddhist path.

Perhaps because of my Judeo-Christian background, I have a tendency to regard doubt as something shameful, almost as an enemy. We feel that if we have doubts, it means that we are denying the teachings and that we should really have unquestioning faith.

The Bible say’s, “Faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you can not see.” Hebrews 11:1

A young man asked a monk, “What is Buddhism? What do you believe in?”

The monk smiled and said, “Buddhism is not a matter of belief, but of experience. We do not ask you to believe anything blindly, but to investigate for yourself. The Buddha taught us to be ehi passiko, which means ‘come and see’.”

In the Indian Pali language, the words “ehi passiko,” was taught by the Buddha and means “come and see,” or “come and investigate,” not “come and believe.” An open, questioning mind is not regarded as a drawback to followers of the Buddha dharma. An open mind, which questions and doesn’t accept things simply because they are said, is no problem at all.

One of the outstanding principles that Buddha taught is to believe in the Law of Nature and the Rule of Cause and Effect. He taught, “If you plant a seed of bad deeds you will get a bad deed. If you plant a lemon seed you cannot expect a sweet mango tree. Buddha never taught anyone to have blind faith.”

The Buddha taught his follows, elders and scholars to not take anything on with blind faith, but only accept his or anyone’s teachings only after careful observation, reason and analysis; only then should one believe in anything.

“Don’t blindly believe what I say. Don’t believe me because others convince you of my words. Don’t believe anything you see, read, or hear from others, whether of authority, religious teachers or texts.”

In the famous Kalama Sutta, the Buddha tells of a group of villagers who came to visit. (This is 2,600 years ago, but sounds so familiar today) They said to him, “Many teachers come through here. Each has his own doctrine. Each claims that his particular philosophy and practice is the truth, but they all contradict each other. Now we’re totally confused. What do we do?” Same problems today. The Buddha replied, “You have a right to be confused. When there are reasons for doubt, uncertainty is born. This is a confusing situation. Do not take anything on trust merely because it has passed down through tradition, or because your teachers say it, or because your elders have taught you, or because it’s written in some famous scripture. When you have seen it and experienced it for yourself to be right and true, then you can accept it.”

“Conquer the angry one by not getting angry; conquer the wicked by goodness; conquer the stingy by generosity, and the liar by speaking the truth. [Verse 223]” ― Siddhārtha Gautama, The Dhammapada

The Dalia Lama teaches that it is in the study of science we find anything that proves a teaching in Buddhism false, then that teaching should be discontinued. In this way Buddhism continues to evolve and grow, as our understanding of the universe does.

“Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh

“They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.” – Tom Bodett

“Good timber does not grow with ease. The stronger the wind the stronger the trees.” Thomas S. Monson

“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.” Mahatma Gandhi

“Something very beautiful happens to people when their world has fallen apart: a humility, a nobility, a higher intelligence emerges at just the point when our knees hit the floor.” Marianne Williamson

“The biggest wall you’ve gotta climb is the one you build in you mind.”

“Adversity, similar to lava, appears to destroy everything in its way. But out of the ashes and smoke, new, better, and stronger things emerge that may have not been born in any other way.” Zoe V

“Fire is the test of gold; adversity of the strong men.” Martha Graham

“The last mile of any marathon is the longest mile.” – David Scott

“When things change inside you, things change around you.”

“Let go of the thoughts that don’t make you strong.” —Karen Salmansohn

““Peace begins with a smile.” —Mother Teresa

“Peace is the result of retraining your mind to process life as it is, rather than as you think it should be.” —Wayne W. Dyer

“We don’t realize that, somewhere within us all, there does exist a supreme self who is eternally at peace.” —Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love

“Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.” – Buddha

“In most of our human relationships, we spend much of our time reassuring one another that our costumes of identity are on straight.” – Ram Das

“Avoid negative people, they find a problem for any solution.” – Albert Einstein

“Don’t walk away from negative people… Run…” Mark Twain

“The battle you are going through is not fueled by the words or actions of others; it is fueled by the mind that gives it importance.” ― Shannon L. Alder

“Peace is the result of retraining your mind to process life as it is, rather than as you think it should be.” ~Wayne Dyer

“Meditation will not carry you to another world, but it will reveal the most profound and awesome dimensions of the world in which you already live. Calmly contemplating these dimensions and bringing them into the service of compassion and kindness is the right way to make rapid gains in meditation as well as in life.” ~Zen Master Hsing Yun

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” —Nhat Hanh

“Joy that is not shared dies young. Joy should be our journey, not our destination” – David Scott

“We cannot cure the world of sorrows, but we can choose to live in joy.” —Joseph Campbell

“Find a place inside where there’s joy, and the joy will burn out the pain.” Joseph Campbell

“It is not joy that makes us grateful. It is gratitude that makes us joyful.”