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Deviate
newbie
Registered: 04/20/03
Posts: 4,497
Last seen: 8 years, 5 months
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Inner peace, freedom and the secret to happiness
#19007929 - 10/21/13 10:59 AM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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Who can honestly say they have found the road that leads to real, lasting happiness and who has enough freedom in being to keep their happiness when it is assaulted by ever changing and often difficult and challenging circumstances and events?
If you've found it, please share your technique.
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Dudits
Tao


Registered: 09/16/13
Posts: 233
Loc: West coast
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Re: Inner peace, freedom and the secret to happiness [Re: Deviate]
#19008016 - 10/21/13 11:20 AM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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i believe acceptance and love is the way, but have been unsuccessful at living up to my beliefs. Knowing what is right and doing what is right is a hurdle many of us struggle to get over
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Icelander
The Minstrel in the Gallery



Registered: 03/15/05
Posts: 95,368
Loc: underbelly
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Re: Inner peace, freedom and the secret to happiness [Re: Dudits]
#19008032 - 10/21/13 11:23 AM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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I must agree. Having an experience of lots of "love" chemicals on Ecstasy I can honestly say there is nothing better imo. But we really aren't made for continual states like that. At least it seems so anyway.
-------------------- "Don't believe everything you think". -Anom. " All that lives was born to die"-Anom. With much wisdom comes much sorrow, The more knowledge, the more grief. Ecclesiastes circa 350 BC
Edited by Icelander (10/21/13 11:24 AM)
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birdland

Registered: 07/24/11
Posts: 2,202
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Re: Inner peace, freedom and the secret to happiness [Re: Icelander]
#19010349 - 10/21/13 07:53 PM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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instead of spending billions of $ on stupid shit like war technologies, drug enforcement, shitty hollywood movies, etc; we should be investing time and money in to lasting ways of increasing those chemicals - both naturally and artificially.
I mean I agree with your assertion that we aren't made for continual states like that, but I also think we aren't made for many things that we do anyway. We're a pretty adaptable species it seems... and what better area to research than ways to live in blissful states?
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Icelander
The Minstrel in the Gallery



Registered: 03/15/05
Posts: 95,368
Loc: underbelly
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Re: Inner peace, freedom and the secret to happiness [Re: birdland]
#19010576 - 10/21/13 08:36 PM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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Oh I agree. I'm all for blissful states.
-------------------- "Don't believe everything you think". -Anom. " All that lives was born to die"-Anom. With much wisdom comes much sorrow, The more knowledge, the more grief. Ecclesiastes circa 350 BC
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Kickle
Wanderer


Registered: 12/16/06
Posts: 17,891
Last seen: 1 hour, 22 minutes
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Re: Inner peace, freedom and the secret to happiness [Re: Deviate] 1
#19010744 - 10/21/13 09:16 PM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
Deviate said: Who can honestly say they have found the road that leads to real, lasting happiness and who has enough freedom in being to keep their happiness when it is assaulted by ever changing and often difficult and challenging circumstances and events?
If you've found it, please share your technique.
I'm not very old and have not had a challenging life, but me.
There is no technique as far as I can tell. I was born privilaged. Not wealthy by American standards but filthy rich compared to most. Both of my parents loved me and despite being near polar opposites in approach it still was clear. This left me spending much of my youth trying to show that same love to others. The techniques I learned from my more active mother.
I was successful in school, a top athlete, and socially at the top. As I aged I stuck with my social group which was more athletic and less intelligent. That led me away from school and into the party scene. I was never comfortable with the degree of irresponsible use I saw but I felt somewhat obligated to stick it out and be a voice of reason.
Post high school I had developed many bad habits but avoided any legal consequences or really any consequences at all. I moved out of my parents at 17, went to college and strived hard to counter my past. Near the end of my 4 year degree I had fought my way right into a new dillema. I stumbled into the psychological research on self-delusion, on relatively universal self-enhancement, and its vital role in mental health. Then I was introduced to death anxiety by Icelander and the idea of Self (Ramana Maharishi style) by chronic. Those two views in conjunction have led to my present circumstances.
Whenever I look at death anxiety I perpetually am reminded not to sweat the small stuff. And really, not even the "large" stuff. It curbs my self-enhancement in a sense. But at the same time by itself I find myself running into a wall. Death anxiety does not involve a solution which is part of its beauty to counter any and every important thing I might run into. But that hardly suffices for happiness to feel as though nothing is important.
That is where Buddhism entered my life in force. The teachings on emptiness work perfectly in tandem with death anxiety for me. They too say that ultimately, when you dig down far enough, there is nothing of import at all to be found. Yep, I'm there. But they also balance this with the experience of being a living, breathing human being. And try to make a beautiful use of this. Perfectly seeing emptiness is wisdom and working with death anxiety was a great entry point for letting go enough to start seeing emptiness. Some Buddhists might try 20 years of meditation trying to still their body and mind yet never seeing their own fear of death as a sticking point.
Anyways, wisdom alone is not a way to happiness IME. It can be totally depressing really. None of it is important? Why bother then? But just because ultimately it is unimportant does not mean that relative to me, the living breathing human being, it is unimportant. The use of wisdom here is to allow the freedom you speak of. When things are not going according to plan, its easy to see its unimportant and feel happy regardless. When things are going according to plan its easy to see its unimportance and feel happy regardless. It opens up individual freedom to be happy.
I say this but happiness has some sort of emotional connotation to it. But really it plays out more like this. The day is going well but my mood is low. If I am that low mood I will try to engage in one of two approaches. Either I will try to change the circumstances or I will try to change myself to accommodate the circumstances. But if I see emptiness and identify instead with this, the low mood can be as it is, the circumstances can be as they are and there is no concern. Nothing stirs. It may not feel ecstatic but it does feel restful. I find myself at rest often.
Everyone has their own road towards finding rest is my guess.
-------------------- Why shouldn't the truth be stranger than fiction? Fiction, after all, has to make sense. -- Mark Twain
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r72rock
Maybe so. Maybe not.




Registered: 01/06/09
Posts: 1,327
Loc: Chicago
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Re: Inner peace, freedom and the secret to happiness [Re: Kickle]
#19011061 - 10/21/13 10:24 PM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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Thanks for sharing.
I feel like I'm in a similar place between DA and Buddhism. I've personally found some good parallels between them.
-------------------- Current favorite candy: Peanut Butter Kisses
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Kickle
Wanderer


Registered: 12/16/06
Posts: 17,891
Last seen: 1 hour, 22 minutes
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Re: Inner peace, freedom and the secret to happiness [Re: r72rock]
#19011165 - 10/21/13 10:45 PM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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Jahhh
-------------------- Why shouldn't the truth be stranger than fiction? Fiction, after all, has to make sense. -- Mark Twain
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Withinity
Untitled


Registered: 04/11/10
Posts: 1,357
Loc: Côte d’Ivoire
Last seen: 1 year, 11 months
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Re: Inner peace, freedom and the secret to happiness [Re: Kickle]
#19011372 - 10/21/13 11:24 PM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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I like those insightful posts into your life experiences Kickle. Thanks for sharing.
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Icelander
The Minstrel in the Gallery



Registered: 03/15/05
Posts: 95,368
Loc: underbelly
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Re: Inner peace, freedom and the secret to happiness [Re: Kickle]
#19011642 - 10/22/13 12:32 AM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
Kickle said:
Quote:
Deviate said: Who can honestly say they have found the road that leads to real, lasting happiness and who has enough freedom in being to keep their happiness when it is assaulted by ever changing and often difficult and challenging circumstances and events?
If you've found it, please share your technique.
I'm not very old and have not had a challenging life, but me.
There is no technique as far as I can tell. I was born privilaged. Not wealthy by American standards but filthy rich compared to most. Both of my parents loved me and despite being near polar opposites in approach it still was clear. This left me spending much of my youth trying to show that same love to others. The techniques I learned from my more active mother.
I was successful in school, a top athlete, and socially at the top. As I aged I stuck with my social group which was more athletic and less intelligent. That led me away from school and into the party scene. I was never comfortable with the degree of irresponsible use I saw but I felt somewhat obligated to stick it out and be a voice of reason.
Post high school I had developed many bad habits but avoided any legal consequences or really any consequences at all. I moved out of my parents at 17, went to college and strived hard to counter my past. Near the end of my 4 year degree I had fought my way right into a new dillema. I stumbled into the psychological research on self-delusion, on relatively universal self-enhancement, and its vital role in mental health. Then I was introduced to death anxiety by Icelander and the idea of Self (Ramana Maharishi style) by chronic. Those two views in conjunction have led to my present circumstances.
Whenever I look at death anxiety I perpetually am reminded not to sweat the small stuff. And really, not even the "large" stuff. It curbs my self-enhancement in a sense. But at the same time by itself I find myself running into a wall. Death anxiety does not involve a solution which is part of its beauty to counter any and every important thing I might run into. But that hardly suffices for happiness to feel as though nothing is important.
That is where Buddhism entered my life in force. The teachings on emptiness work perfectly in tandem with death anxiety for me. They too say that ultimately, when you dig down far enough, there is nothing of import at all to be found. Yep, I'm there. But they also balance this with the experience of being a living, breathing human being. And try to make a beautiful use of this. Perfectly seeing emptiness is wisdom and working with death anxiety was a great entry point for letting go enough to start seeing emptiness. Some Buddhists might try 20 years of meditation trying to still their body and mind yet never seeing their own fear of death as a sticking point.
Anyways, wisdom alone is not a way to happiness IME. It can be totally depressing really. None of it is important? Why bother then? But just because ultimately it is unimportant does not mean that relative to me, the living breathing human being, it is unimportant. The use of wisdom here is to allow the freedom you speak of. When things are not going according to plan, its easy to see its unimportant and feel happy regardless. When things are going according to plan its easy to see its unimportance and feel happy regardless. It opens up individual freedom to be happy.
I say this but happiness has some sort of emotional connotation to it. But really it plays out more like this. The day is going well but my mood is low. If I am that low mood I will try to engage in one of two approaches. Either I will try to change the circumstances or I will try to change myself to accommodate the circumstances. But if I see emptiness and identify instead with this, the low mood can be as it is, the circumstances can be as they are and there is no concern. Nothing stirs. It may not feel ecstatic but it does feel restful. I find myself at rest often.
Everyone has their own road towards finding rest is my guess.
Excellent post. You seem very well balanced emotionally. Nice for you.
-------------------- "Don't believe everything you think". -Anom. " All that lives was born to die"-Anom. With much wisdom comes much sorrow, The more knowledge, the more grief. Ecclesiastes circa 350 BC
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CosmicJoke
happy mutant


Registered: 04/05/00
Posts: 10,848
Loc: Portland, OR
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Re: Inner peace, freedom and the secret to happiness [Re: Deviate] 1
#19012066 - 10/22/13 03:06 AM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
Deviate said: Who can honestly say they have found the road that leads to real, lasting happiness and who has enough freedom in being to keep their happiness when it is assaulted by ever changing and often difficult and challenging circumstances and events?
If you've found it, please share your technique.
See the universe as an IQ test. There probably will never be a point in your life where there are no longer difficult, challenging circumstances, so your best bet imho is to look at the things that hinder you as opportunities for self development. But to do this, you have to drop the moral significance to whatever your current problem is. Blaming somebody else, yourself, or the Universe is like playing a role in a lame daytime drama. Extricate yourself from the drama. Then it's only a matter of coping with the situation the best you can, free of the burdens of anger, resentment, guilt, and shame attached to the problem.
-------------------- Everything is better than it was the last time. I'm good. If we could look into each others hearts, and understand the unique challenges each of us faces, I think we would treat each other much more gently, with more love, patience, tolerance, and care. It takes a lot of courage to go out there and radiate your essence. I know you scared, you should ask us if we scared too. If you was there, and we just knew you cared too.
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Spacerific
- - - >


Registered: 10/13/12
Posts: 4,923
Last seen: 8 years, 10 months
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Re: Inner peace, freedom and the secret to happiness [Re: CosmicJoke]
#19012119 - 10/22/13 03:56 AM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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I'm pretty sure I have, but I'm still working on logistics for applying it full time 
The way is this: show up to your local Santo Daime church with some regularity. And/or get together with various friends and shroom together. And/or shrooms and/or drink cactus juice together with lovely ladies in your life, again with some sort of regularity, whatever you feel is right for you. But together, with community and oneness   
Of course, take time to go inwards, focus on your breath and body and reconnect with yourself, with shrooms/other stuff, as well as without.
Other ideas:
Build or join a community like Eco Truly Park, but WITH all of the above. Here is a version without, almost perfect:

 Find or better yet create and contribute to awesome space like Damanhur. 

 And try to live in a house with arcs and colors, as opposed to jagged rectangular corners and straight lines. 





 And these I would say are my current ideas about happiness
-------------------- Blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.
For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. - Matthew 13:16
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birdland

Registered: 07/24/11
Posts: 2,202
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Re: Inner peace, freedom and the secret to happiness [Re: Spacerific]
#19012250 - 10/22/13 05:41 AM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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cool pictures
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Icelander
The Minstrel in the Gallery



Registered: 03/15/05
Posts: 95,368
Loc: underbelly
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Re: Inner peace, freedom and the secret to happiness [Re: CosmicJoke]
#19012301 - 10/22/13 06:12 AM (10 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
CosmicJoke said:
Quote:
Deviate said: Who can honestly say they have found the road that leads to real, lasting happiness and who has enough freedom in being to keep their happiness when it is assaulted by ever changing and often difficult and challenging circumstances and events?
If you've found it, please share your technique.
See the universe as an IQ test. There probably will never be a point in your life where there are no longer difficult, challenging circumstances, so your best bet imho is to look at the things that hinder you as opportunities for self development. But to do this, you have to drop the moral significance to whatever your current problem is. Blaming somebody else, yourself, or the Universe is like playing a role in a lame daytime drama. Extricate yourself from the drama. Then it's only a matter of coping with the situation the best you can, free of the burdens of anger, resentment, guilt, and shame attached to the problem.
Nothing better than this advice imo. Can't always pull it off but intuitively and from experience I know it's the best way.
-------------------- "Don't believe everything you think". -Anom. " All that lives was born to die"-Anom. With much wisdom comes much sorrow, The more knowledge, the more grief. Ecclesiastes circa 350 BC
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Fierce Deity
Hero of Now



Registered: 01/02/12
Posts: 193
Last seen: 7 months, 20 days
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Re: Inner peace, freedom and the secret to happiness [Re: Kickle]
#19024191 - 10/24/13 06:50 AM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
Kickle said: I say this but happiness has some sort of emotional connotation to it. But really it plays out more like this. The day is going well but my mood is low. If I am that low mood I will try to engage in one of two approaches. Either I will try to change the circumstances or I will try to change myself to accommodate the circumstances. But if I see emptiness and identify instead with this, the low mood can be as it is, the circumstances can be as they are and there is no concern. Nothing stirs. It may not feel ecstatic but it does feel restful. I find myself at rest often.
Everyone has their own road towards finding rest is my guess.
In the Buddhist teaching, the Chinese term for the Buddha, fo [fo 佛], consisting of one part meaning "man" and another means "not." Some may interpret this as the Buddha being special, because he is not man. But I believe that it has a much broader meaning to this, meaning that the Buddha is both man, human, and not, infinite emptiness-void. We are all buddhas, whether we have discovered this or not is another thing. Just like you said, you can choose to identify with your human half or your void half. Doing either will cause you to behave a certain way in the circumstances. Which you decide at what time is up to you. And neither is wrong. You can both enjoy being a finite human and undifferentiated infinity or should I say non-finity?
One thing to note, it is very easy for Buddha to forget about his void nature and only know that he is human, thus he is suffering, thus I/you/he/she/we/they are suffering. To be able to stand at the center of the wheel of duality is a gift that comes to all of those who are ready.
The question of happiness can be a conscious choice, can be dictated by the circumstances of the human half, can be a spontaneous explosion of color just like a big bang. Happiness is a surface response that requires some human element to it, because the human is separate. Happiness can fade and return, because it possible for it not to be present in the emotional field and because the antithesis is possible-sadness.
My friend here said something about finding rest in the void. If the spinning wheel of duality gets tiring, go to the center and rest. If you enjoy the cycles, go back to the surface. The choice is yours.
I love you my friends.
-------------------- Ah, the mystery. When sight and seen are complete, who looks through these eyes? All words are lies. This statement, too, is false.
 
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Fierce Deity
Hero of Now



Registered: 01/02/12
Posts: 193
Last seen: 7 months, 20 days
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Re: Inner peace, freedom and the secret to happiness [Re: Fierce Deity]
#19024199 - 10/24/13 06:52 AM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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There is another feeling that is similar, but less surface dependent than happiness that many have called joy. Joy is different than happiness in that it is not at all connected to circumstances. I could try to explain it as a pleasurable feeling that comes when you both know and feel your existence happening. It is beautiful. This would probably be the turning point of unrealized Buddha to realized Buddha in that the unrealized Buddha has surface reality covering up the feeling of joy whereas the realized Buddha can choose to feel joy at any moment while he/she experiences surface reality. I would say that it is possible for a Buddha to remember and forget he/she is Buddha many times during their own life, and definitely over many lifetimes (if re-incarnation does happen).
-------------------- Ah, the mystery. When sight and seen are complete, who looks through these eyes? All words are lies. This statement, too, is false.
 
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Chronic7
Registered: 05/08/04
Posts: 13,679
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Re: Inner peace, freedom and the secret to happiness [Re: Deviate]
#19024983 - 10/24/13 11:02 AM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
Deviate said: Who can honestly say they have found the road that leads to real, lasting happiness and who has enough freedom in being to keep their happiness when it is assaulted by ever changing and often difficult and challenging circumstances and events?
If you've found it, please share your technique.
I haven't found the road or a path that leads to lasting happiness but i have found that ultimately i am only ever looking for myself, so no road can ever lead to that, if there is a path it is to just be true to myself, and to do that by not limiting what i sense my self to be through thinking and believing that i am this or that, to stop thinking i have to do something more, to just be, not to think about being, just being
I did read lots of teachings of self inquiry where you are told to not question what you see but to question yourself, as your thoughts stray to ask yourself openly who am i? and to not accept any answer as you can only be the answer, after reading it so many times i had to start putting it into practice
The theory if you like behind it is that you are what you are looking for, happiness, bliss, peace, love, you are that, so don't look for them in anything outside of yourself, don't even look for them inside yourself, you are that, before you even lift a finger you are full total infinite perfection, so don't question things, question yourself as you are, who am i? what am i? or you can just pay attention to the feeling 'I', but really you are already what you are seeking, you cant become yourself, any of the practices you use are only gentle reminders that you are it!
If it doesn't last then do not strive for it and whatever it is that does last you need not strive for
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Edited by Chronic7 (10/24/13 11:10 AM)
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drkkenny
Explorer

Registered: 10/13/11
Posts: 1,440
Loc: Down a well
Last seen: 5 years, 9 months
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Re: Inner peace, freedom and the secret to happiness [Re: Deviate]
#19025781 - 10/24/13 01:40 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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Sometimes you cannot hide your happiness from others, its so obvious to the eye that others will acknowledge how happy you appear to be. Sometimes you will see other people just as happy as you and wish to celebrate your happiness.
As if you wish to have a tea party to honor your newfound happiness. Also certain objects will automatically make us extremely happy from us realizing their manifestations, as if the object alone is enough for us to derive amusement from it revealing a release of intentional happiness for others to take joy in. For some things are much greater than we give them credit for, as if we are purposely trying not to acknowledge how much joy it really gives us.
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No More Stories Are Told Today, I'm Sorry They Washed Away // No More Stories, The World Is Grey, I'm Tired, Let's Wash Away. God 2 read 10932148 Unread messages
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ChiefGreenLeaf

Registered: 01/11/07
Posts: 1,596
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Re: Inner peace, freedom and the secret to happiness [Re: Deviate]
#19027416 - 10/24/13 06:42 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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You must completely still the mind to be liberated If you still think you aren't truly free Let all impressions go What does a blank slate look like?
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Yogi1
Squatchin

Registered: 04/01/13
Posts: 1,015
Last seen: 4 years, 2 months
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Re: Inner peace, freedom and the secret to happiness [Re: ChiefGreenLeaf]
#19027539 - 10/24/13 06:59 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
ChiefGreenLeaf said: You must completely still the mind to be liberated If you still think you aren't truly free Let all impressions go What does a blank slate look like?
A retard? Honestly I think the world is always so full misdirection to ensure we don't attain liberation.
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