The subject of happy was the theme of the Mindfulness In Healing Sangha on June 22, 2022. It was inspired by this quote:
I am happy even before I have a reason. – Hafiz
Thich Nhat Hanh says, “We have everything we need to be happy right now!” What do you need to be happy right now?
In the guided meditation, we were invited to allow an image to form of when we were happy and during the talk, I offered teachings on the importance of social connection and the preference for investing in experiences rather than things. There was not enough time to go into other topics like exercise, sleep, mindfulness, gratitude, generosity and others. Many of these were covered in the Resources for How to Use Mindfulness to Be Happy. Let me know if you need the password.
Here are some of the quotes from the gathering:
I’m often moved by the well known story of Ananda asking the Buddha if having noble friends and companions was half of the holy life. The Buddha replied: “Do not say so, Ananda. Noble friends and companions are the whole of the holy life.” Meditative interpersonal inquiry is a practice that exemplifies this holy life. – Rob Creekmore and Sarah Keely
Relationships are the most important human experience available to us. I realized in my twenties that the meaning of life is not about what happens to people; it’s about what happens between people. Learning to connect with each other, to experience empathy, to step outside our own experience, and to experience love in all its forms–these, I believe, are the experiences for which we became human. – Martha Beck, Let ’em Run Their Own Business
Let yourself follow this impulse toward love whenever you feel it. This very moment, your heart is turning toward certain people, places, and experiences the way a flower turns toward the sun. It wants you to reach out and connect: write an email, offer help, give someone a moment of your attention. So do it. – Martha Beck, Demolish Your Definition Of Self And Other Wisdom
