Guidelines for Happiness

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1. True happiness lies within the soul. It is not to be found in

possession of large quantities of material goods, nor in mind-

altering chemicals, nor in control over other people.

 

2. Take good care of your body. Eat healthy food. Get plenty of sleep

and exercise. Use alcohol only in moderation. Completely avoid

tobacco, heroine, cocaine, and other chemicals that can destroy the

body.

 

3. Cultivate peace within your own soul by controlling negative

emotions (anger, hatred, jealousy, greed, etc.). You can control

negative emotions in several ways. The most important is meditation.

This can be combined with pleasurable sensory input into the brain.

This has the effect of turning the brain's attention away from

negative thoughts and helping you turn your soul in a positive

direction. There are thousands of ways of doing this, and you should

use as wide a variety as possible. Any of these methods will not work

if you become bored with it. All the senses can and should play a

role. We recognize not five senses but seven. A few suggestons:

 

a. Smell: incense, perfume, fragrant flowers

 

b. Taste: good food and beverages with pleasant flavors. Especially

useful are fresh fruits, herbal teas, strongly flavored candies, wine

(in moderation), and main courses flavored with herbs and spices.

Herbs and spices need not be hot; Middle-eastern food, for example,

is frequently flavored with mint, which is just as effective in

pleasing the palate as cayenne. Again, the key word here is variety.

 

c. Sight: Flowers, scenic natural vistas, painting, sculpture

 

d. Hearing: pretty music, birds chirping, a brook babbling

 

e. Touch: Massage, a hot bath, sauna, lying in the sun, or simply

hugging a friend

 

f. Humor: laughter and smiles

 

g. Sex: any sexual stimulation, ranging from looking at photos of

members of the opposite gender, to tantric sex sessions lasting

several hours. This is dangerous given the complex and frequently

hostile attitudes on this subject in many countries, and also given

the usual necessity of involving another person in the process. We do

recognize this, however, as a legitimate and essential method of

bringing happiness to a person's psyche.

 

4. Love other people and try to bring them happiness. This can

involve sacrifice on your own part, but the immense amount of joy you

gain from augmenting the happiness of others outweighs any small

sacrifice you can make.

 

5. Work toward correcting injustice. Injustice is defined as people

hurting other people. There are thousands of ways in which this

happens, and thousands of ways to fight it. Remember these

guidelines: first go to guideline #3 above. You will not be effective

in correcting injustice if you cannot control your own emotions.

Acting from hatred and anger is usually counterproductive. After and

only after you have come to peace within your own soul, then you can

decide on a proper course of action designed to correct the

injustice. Remember in doing so that your ultimate goal here is

increasing the amount of joy and happiness in the world.

 

by Sister Usha