Every one wants to be
happy. We spend billions of dollars on entertainment, holidays, gourmet
meals, alcohol, drugs, etc., just so we can feel good. If we examine
our lives closely, we would agree that all those activities might give
us transient pleasure, but not lasting happiness. Some of these
hedonistic indulgences also have a heavy price tag attached, making
one’s life miserable and dysfunctional. Nowadays, there is a tendency
to confuse pleasure and conveniences with happiness. For this reason,
some of us become very annoyed when we believe that we are being
inconvenienced, such as waiting at a red light, and when circumstances
do not go our way. We are looking outside for something that is on the
inside. No wonder this does not get us anywhere.
The old story of the thief and the jeweller aptly sums up our
condition. A notorious thief received information about a local
jeweller who was about to purchase an expensive diamond in the market.
The thief staked out the
loc
ation
and waited patiently for the jeweller to arrive. When he spotted the
jeweller, he moved in close so he could see where the jeweller placed
the precious gem. The jeweller weaved through the marketplace and
promptly boarded a train. The thief was sure he knew where the diamond
had been placed. Try as he might, he could not find the stone. Feeling
sad and sorry, he confronted the jeweller and confessed his intention.
The jeweller said, “I was aware of your purpose when you began to follow
me, so I put the stone in a safe place where you would never look.” The
thief begged, “Please tell me, sir, and I will be forever grateful. I
won’t steal the gem from you. You have outsmarted me.” The jeweller
took the diamond from the thief’s pocket and said, “It has always been
here, in your jacket pocket.” In the pursuit of happiness, we
unwittingly forget that the diamond is in our pocket, that the happiness
we seek is within us.
Tai
Chi and various forms of meditation show us that true happiness is felt
only when we stop chasing the outside and begin looking on the inside.
Taming the restless mind and relaxing the body are the first steps.
When the mind is calm and the body is relaxed, the heart begins to
open. When this happens, we feel a deep sense of peace and joy. Once
you have this experience, your Tai Chi and life in general will take on
another dimension. In Taoism, reconnecting with the true heart is the
way back to the state Lao Tzu called the Uncarved Block. This is an
unconditioned state of being where the mind and spirit enter into a pure
state of awareness. In this state, we feel intimately connected with
our surroundings. Everything is vibrant and feels perfect just the way
it is. All judgements subside; only peace remains. I hope that through
practice, you will be able to make the connection with the true heart.
When you do, happiness is no longer a destination. The sky never
disappears. It is always there, even though it may be obscured by a few
floating clouds. So, happiness is always within you.
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