Is There A Formula for Happiness?

I was talking with a friend about what we were going to have for dinner, and out of nowhere a "deep" conversation about happiness showed up at the table. Someone brought up pizza, which of course led straight to the subject of happiness. More philosophical hunger-induced contemplations piled on from there. Does pizza always equal happiness? Is too much pizza the cause for unhappiness? Do our choices involving whether we abstain or indulge affect our happiness, and if so to what degree? I present for you a few areas of borrowed pre-dinner conversation for your contemplation and continued discussion. Bon appetite!

Consciousness

Most of us acknowledge that there is consciousness. It is what is and always will be, forever, until the end of time, and then into infinity after that too. There is no time frame with consciousness. There are no limitations or boundaries. The energy that resides in us is also in the air, the trees, the worms, and everything else. So if we understand the presence of consciousness in and all around us, what else is there? What about feeling and experiencing consciousness? Maybe there is some action we can take here.

Awareness

That brought us to awareness. Consciousness exists whether or not we are aware of it. If we become aware does anything change? When we find our way to awareness we start to gather a set of tools to do something with consciousness.

"The first step of awareness is to be watchful of your body. And as you become aware, a miracle starts happening: many things that you used to do before simply disappear. Your body becomes more relaxed, your body becomes more attuned, a deep peace starts prevailing even in your body, a subtle music pulsates in your body." OSHO

Purpose

Many of us have goals. There are things we want to do, experience, or achieve in our lifetime. My friend suggested that happiness exists when you align your purpose with consciousness. This kind of alignment feels like walking through open doorways. Acting out of alignment is more like banging your head against the wall. The trap is when our happiness is dependant on things. We get tricked into adopting a purpose directed at how much stuff we have. What's the purpose behind heading off for the moon, when we can already hold awareness of everything right where we are, just looking up at the stars? It seem like cultivating awareness while reflecting and checking the intensions behind our purpose may lead us down the happiness path.

"First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do." - Epictetus

Practice

So what is there to do? Practice. Krishna Das tells us to practice. Sing, do some yoga, garden, find your own meditative practice. Practice uncovers and clarifies our purpose. It helps us simply know what we should be doing, and can keep us confident in where we are and our direction. There will always be things that pull us out of awareness, and there is always practice to help us back. Sharpening awareness lets us function more in the flow of consciousness, and live our lives vibrantly.

"It's very hard to grow, because it's difficult to let go of the models of ourselves in which we've invested so heavily." - Ram Dass

I'm not sure if we solved the formula for happiness in our conversation. I did have some fantastic pizza that night though!

As a start, here are a few simple tips for first time meditation enthusiasts. It's a great practice that you can do anytime, anywhere.

Follow Tara Stiles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/tarastiles

Comments

[Paul David Walker - Huffpost Blogger]

Here is some thoughts on this all important topic from my recent blog. Happiness comes from the direct experience of life as opposed to our thoughts about life ... eating the pizza instead of the menu.

1. Realize that your thoughts are only an approximation of reality, not reality itself, and can cause negative emotions or false hopes.

2. Learn to observe and be amused with your thoughts as they arise. Don't take them seriously, and don't repeat them more than once. I always say to myself, "I am not going there" when thoughts start to repeat and create a negative emotion.

3. Don't take other people's thoughts seriously -- they are doing the best they know how, and are presenting only their approximation of reality.

4. Practice slowing your thoughts down to leave space for the "Life Force" to enter your consciousness by meditating, running, walking or any activity that you love and does not involve a lot of thought.

5. Practice letting go of, not repressing, your thoughts before they turn into emotions, and let go of negative emotions by realizing they only come from thought.

6. Remember experiences in your life that were full of joy and happiness, and write them down so you can repeat similar experiences.

7. Immerse yourself in nature -- the trees and oceans are beautiful and will naturally still your thoughts and provide a dose of "The Life Force."

Remember, there is no substitute for practice, so try these practices before you

[Tara Stiles - Huffpost Blogger]

Good point Paul. The menu is probably made of plastic...no good for eating :)

[elimenez]

BTW and I promise this is the end of my babbling, what makes a likely measured and balanced individual is nearly certain a result of your flexibility.

[elimenez]

Oh and as the old famous saying goes.... happiness is fleeting. I tend to consider the overall mood state of an individual much like a sinuisoidal curve, an oscillation, with a frequency, one is never happy all the time nor is one unhappy all the time. We have no baseline as our mood states are purely cyclical. Our coping mechanisms always assure homeostasis, which oddly enough is linked to our insular cortex.

[elimenez]

I hate to sound like a bugger Tara Stiles, but I would suggest you read some medical journals on neurology, the insular cortex, homeostasis, and empathy's biological foundations. I bet that would expand and add a realistic dimension to your otherwise abstract and and inherently subjective opinions. I'm not suggesting that a person must have a medical degree to achieve more accurate philosophical observations, or even that one should dismiss abstract and purely reactionary critiques, but that rather than merely discuss the effect you can actually understand the cause.

[bluecollarblogger]

Happines, is a ball of clay. Remember when you were in art class in school, you may have made an ash tray, a bowl, a cup whatever....and you wanted to do something different, did you just love it when your teacher said you could mash it all back together and start all over! That is happiness, realizing that each day is an opportunity to start all over, no boundaries, no limitations, just your imagination, and this wonderful ball of clay in front of you. We get jobs, we get bills, we get married, and there seems to be all these shapes which we are suppose to be, the next thing we know we have lost who we really are, or who we desired to be. Regardless of what type of relationship you are in there was a day which everything was a beginining, a new experience, I believe happiness is creating those each and everyday......all over again.................need some clay!

[haveyounodecency]

It's wanting what you have.

[3blueeggs]

Happiness, I have learned, has its roots deeply planted in acceptance.

Running against the wind is not wrong, as long as you accept that it may be the struggle that is what truly is making you happy. When the wind calms and/or you can no longer run, you are still you and the wind will inevitably blow again...accept it. You can hold on to something or somebody, but eventually your grasp will loosen...accept it. This is the dialog that takes place in my mind.

Accepting, for me has been an ongoing challenge. One side of me wants to stomp my feet in defiance and the other genuinely desires to have the luxury of accepting. Even accepting this truth about myself is difficult.

[Paul Walker]

Very good, I love your You Tube instructions. Thanks, and I meditate too.

[royevatom]

Define "Happiness" please!
Are you so sure you know what it is?
Do you think it is the same thing for me?
I love assumption and speculation and conjecture.
They make me happy!
Therefore I am.

[khanti]

Take a look at the 12 dependent origination explained by the Buddha. Make a search for it. You will have a clearer perspective of consciousness. After reading it and you still don't understand let me know.

[DiogenesOfAlaska]

Is Pizza one of those 12?

[khanti]

If you have craving for it it is the second one.

[mcmutter]

Watch out for who you marry....

[KennyFox]

Boooom!

[Kzb]

Sooo is this basically religion?

[Social Construct]

I choose the red pill.

[Merlin7]

"Most of us acknowledge that there is consciousness. It is what is and always will be, forever, until the end of time, and then into infinity after that too."

Sheer nonsense. Where do you get that stuff? Apparently you are using "consciousness" as a substitute for God, whose existence is a bit hard to swallow. Yoga should be about learning to exist without the need for imaginary father figures, even those dressed up as beams of light or whatnot. Beware of swamis bearing simplistic views of the universe.

[situationcritical]

The formula to happiness is obviously sunglasses and red lipstick.