Table of Contents
7 Vital Steps Towards Eternal Happiness
- Understanding the spiritual mindset.
- Identifying and overcoming ego barriers.
- Recognizing the futility of material desires.
- Learning the role of prayer in spiritual growth.
- Understanding the choice of a divine connection.
- Realizing the importance of a true Guru.
- Following the path to eternal happiness through surrender and devotion.
We All Long For Eternal Happiness
In this post we shall discuss a fundamental topic that is key to the goal of Spiritual Happiness. True happiness results only when we are completely content and satisfied at the innermost plane of existence.
This state of complete happiness is usually unknown, on this plane , which we know as the earthly plane and yet there are some very normal looking human beings, householders, next-door type of individuals who have attained this sort of happiness and joy as they continue to live their normal human routine.
Right from the most powerful individual, the millionaire, the powerful politicians and world leaders right up to the ant that crawls on earth, everyone is searching, continuously looking at some aspect of their life, discontent, worried, with an eluding smile, trying to cover up some hidden sorrow.
There are others who seemingly appear happy, partying, having drinks and drugs, apparently portraying some joy that they feel they have attained, only taking them closer to self-ruin. The obvious question is what is this happiness that we are talking about and how can it be attainable.
What are the fundamental steps to get closer to such boundless joy, while still being bound in the material cage of the body? Is it possible? The answer is yes, and here we shall discuss the very core fundamentals, simple ways of how this is possible.
Develop a Spiritual Mindset but How?
How can we develop the spiritual mindset? The Spiritual Mindset is a result of letting go. People feel that attainment of desires is the highway to happiness. This is like considering night as day, Maya, that which is not.
This is the first misconception that we as humans should get rid of. Through our many previous lifetimes, we have carried forward the instincts of animals, insects,birds and reptiles.
We now have a human body but unfortunately, we mistake the human body to be intelligent, driven by the false ego. As we get older, the ego also gets hardened and continuing our instincts, we look at all the wrong places for this eluding happiness.
Looking For Happiness at All the Wrong Places
We feel that by having a family, rearing children, having a house, car or amenities we shall be happy. We fail to realize that this norm has been forced down our throats by our family, society, culture, traditions and our herd mentality, born out of our seemingly innate ignorance.
We fail to realize that we have lost our gold ring at one place and are looking for it at a totally different location. This means that we shall never get our rightful ring, which is the source of our eternal happiness.
We have been misguided by society and family because these are institutions created to misguide individuals. This arrangement is convenient to people who are not in search and happy to live life blinded by their ignorance.
But people who are seeking answers to the pressing questions of life and existence are in search of ever-lasting joy. Such individuals have an alternative available. Let us explore those alternatives and a roadmap that defines such joy.
7/8 Questions from Sanatana Dharma
The scores generated in this Quiz may or may not be absolute. There may be right or wrong answers to each Question. A percentage towards 100 indicates that you are more aligned to the overall subject matter.
Books offer little to no help
Unless the Ego is subdued, the true journey towards the source of unbounded joy, that lies hidden deep within us, can never be explored. Many people, especially Western thought, describe Books as Man’s best friends. This is more of a fallacy in the endeavor that we are delving into. Books are tools for the mind, but we are trying to reach a stage that resolves the mind and go beyond the mind, the source of eternal happiness.
Yes, Books may provide some guidelines, yet it falls way short of the colossal goal of everlasting happiness. Books are a reference towards what happiness means, especially those who bare their hearts through such books, having attained the goal.
But such books are useless for seekers who have no idea of what is being talked about, because the words of realization are expressions and do not define the roadmap of how to attain such happiness.
The experience of self-established Individuals cannot be imagined through books. One may still be able to capture some of the moods intellectually. Unfortunately happiness falls beyond the purview of the mind, beyond any scale of imagination or intellect.
Genuine happiness or boundless joy is a function of the soul, alien to the idiosyncrasies of the weird mind. Then how do we get established in the perennial mood of joy? What is the stumbling block towards relentless, ever-increasing joy? In the next section, we shall address the primary stumbling block towards pure joy.
Ego: The Barrier Gate to Happiness
Being completely consumed by our instinctual nature, attaining the human form, becomes a curse in most cases. Our instinctual nature keeps our animosity and defense mechanism alive but our human form adds to the problem.
Being driven by the hardened rock of Ego over millions of lifetime, born out of insecurities, the jungle rule mania and many other subtle inadequacies, we are driven by manipulative survival instincts, trying to exploit and extract from other living entities. The poor try to play the victim card and try to dupe the rich.
The rich manipulate the governments and the public at large to get a fair share of their pie. The middle class try to somehow wiggle their way by trying to bribe or being bribed to stay relevant through valid or invalid means. Overall, the entire society is living in an exploitative mode.
Exploitation appears to be a necessary evil, which goes against the spiritual value system. If that is so, it clearly means that we are violating the spiritual laws that lead the soul towards ever-lasting joy. It must be then concluded that Ego alone is the source of all exploitation and is the chief weapon of material nature that prospers in insecurity and blocks every leak through which joy can be made available.
Desires stoke The Ego and Ego stokes Desire
Fears, Insecurities, Exploitation, Faulty Defense Mechanisms, Tendency to exert our infallibility and trying all means to get a fair share of our pie, makes it impossible for us to reverse the Ego. Moreover Modern Social norms, culture, traditions, practices and our herd mentality, makes the hammer blows of the Ego on the soul mount, leaving us bruised, mutilated, disillusioned and astray.
As we age it makes the Ego even harder and non-reversible. This leaves a huge vacuum within our heart thereby stoking the inferno of desires rage within, making us barren, infertile and thereby leaving us parched of sensitivity, sensibility and intelligence.
We chase the non-existent mirage of the water of happiness, in the desert of ignorance filled with the cacti of hurting relationships, failing health and dissatisfying ego-trips, trying endlessly through lifetimes, only to find ourselves in the same desert, not having moved an inch from where we thought we started of through umpteen lifetimes.
Prayer: The Start of a Fruitful Journey
We have to start somewhere and Prayer is a good starting point, in fact the only place from where we can start moving straight to the goal of eternal happiness, rather than dallying in the rigmarole of fruitless endeavors that cannot provide ever-lasting happiness.
But the question is whom do we pray to and what do we pray for. This is an interesting but the most important question that begs an answer. One has to Pray to Bhagawan. This is possible, only if we at least come to the understanding that there is a Creator and that Creator can make the impossible possible.
Unless one is convinced of this fact through Grace, the journey can never begin. If by some faith-system, such a mindset is cultivated, the journey towards happiness can truly begin. Next which Devata should we pray to. Any of the 6 Main Devatas of the Sanatana Scriptures such as Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, Devi, Ganapathy, Karthikeya or Lord Suryanarayana, can be connected with.
Now the question is what do we pray for? Do we pray for happiness directly? Do we ask the Devatas to fulfill all our desires? Do we ask them for Moksha? What should we really ask the Devatas? The answer to this is straightforward, yet needs to be understood applying a great bit of intelligence. We have to realize that Satya, Truth, Happiness, Jaya or Prema exists within the cave of our heart.
There is more to get rid of rather than acquire. But first we need someone to be actually present in front of us in flesh and blood, so that we understand the nuances of attaining the happiness that has eluded the rest of the human race.
Guru: The Way, The Road To Permanent Happiness
Sanatana Dharma has the secret within the heart of the Guru, a special individual who has burnt his body, mind and soul in the Service of the Supreme Being. The Guru alone has the secret towards Happiness, that which fills the heart with the light of overflowing contentment and prosperity.
This privilege has been handed over to the Enlightened Ones by Bhagawan, the Supreme Being. So We have to Pray to Bhagawan for Guru.
The Process is This: We Pray to Bhagawan for Guru and Then perform Sadhana and Serve Guru under His instructions. Then by the Pure Grace of Guru, all our inner deficiencies, unwanted desires, poisonous notions about life and after-life, our misconceptions, our herd mentality, societal pressures, our thankless efforts for survival, our misconceptions about Karma and fruits of Karma, every little doubt is permanently doused.
When this happens, we attain Bhagawan, Ananda, eternal happiness. It is certain that this is the only way that such happiness can be attained. There may be many types of Individuals and suited for every individual temperament, there exists a Guru.
There may be several paths like how the great Avatara Sri Ramakrishna says “Jato Mat Tatho Path” (As many view those many paths). Yet the road to eternal happiness has just one toll gate, the perfected Guru.
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