The Happiness Quotient

The Happiness Quotient is now available at
www.amazon.com,
www.chapters.com,
www.borders.com,
www.bn.com, and at major Chapters and Indigos across Toronto and the GTA, University of Toronto bookstore and Pages.

Readings/signings will be held at:

Markham Chapters (Hwy 7/Woodbine) Feb 16, 12-4pm
Richmond Hill Indigo (Hwy 7/Yonge) Feb 23, 3-5pm
Square One Chapters (Mississauga) Feb 29, 7 pm
Bayview Village Chapters March 1, 1-3pm
Newmarket Chapters (Yonge Center) March 15 1-3pm

Please check again for more recent updates to the schedule.
I would love to see you there!
Warm Regards,
Rita

 Most people define happiness as “the state of feeling good,” but even happiness is relative. The happiness of a student passing his exam and a student coming first in class is relative. The happiness of a child eating an ice cream cone and a hungry child receiving food is relative. There are degrees of happiness. It is important to note that regardless of this relativity, the desire of the cited individuals is satiated by an external source. What this means is that we generally need an external source to provide happiness.

However, if a person is found to be happy under any circumstance, good or bad, it means that the source of joy is not outside himself. One who is positive, calm, good-natured, and free from fear can also be called happy. To a large extent, this kind of a person sustains equilibrium. In contrast, someone else who reacts to the whims of the world outside experiences a continuous stream of ups and downs. If the environment or external forces are conducive, we are happy. If we do not get what we want, we are disappointed, hurt, and angry. The power of the outside world has the capability to overwhelm us in many ways and control our lives. A truly happy person has the ability to rise above the situations imposed on him by the external world.   

There are two ways to reach enlightenment:

1. Jnana Yoga (path of knowledge) which ends in parabhakti (supreme devotion)
2. Bhakti Yoga (path of devotion) which ends in jnana and parabhakti

However, before we can properly follow either path, we have to purify our minds. Purifying our mind means removing negative tendencies. This is done through karma yoga. So really speaking, karma yoga is a pre-requisite to either jnana or bhakti.

Performing karma yoga, means we have to practice the following:
1. Neutralize our likes and dislikes, which help us get rid of our vasanas (predispositions)
2. Follow our swadharma or our own nature so we lessen our negativities
3. Go beyond the pairs of opposites and gain titiksha or the ability to bear
4. Move up the chain of gunas - sattwic, rajasic and tamasic
5. Unselfishly perform our duties and responsibilities
6. Understand that rites and rituals get us only finite results, but jnana gets us infinite results, so gain knowledge of vedanta
7. Serve the guru in such a way that it drops our egos
8. Make right choices and follow dharma
9. Obtain prasad buddhi, i.e., all results obtained are by His grace alone

Following karma yoga will lead to the path of jnana or bhakti by giving us:
• Vivek or discrimination
• Vairagya or detachment
• Equanimity or treating all equally
• Desirelessness

Most people define happiness as “the state of feeling good,” but even happiness is relative. The happiness of a student passing his exam and a student coming first in class is relative. The happiness of a child eating an ice cream cone and a hungry child receiving food is relative. There are degrees of happiness. It is important to note that regardless of this relativity, the desire of the cited individuals is satiated by an external source. What this means is that we generally need an external source to provide happiness.

However, if a person is found to be happy under any circumstance, good or bad, it means that the source of joy is not outside himself. One who is positive, calm, good-natured, and free from fear can also be called happy. To a large extent, this kind of a person sustains equilibrium. In contrast, someone else who reacts to the whims of the world outside experiences a continuous stream of ups and downs. If the environment or external forces are conducive, we are happy. If we do not get what we want, we are disappointed, hurt, and angry. The power of the outside world has the capability to overwhelm us in many ways and control our lives. A truly happy person has the ability to rise above the situations imposed on him by the external world.

 None needs proof of his own existence. The Self is self-manifest. Every individual is spontaneously aware of his existence. It is prior to all mental operations. It is the nucleus of all other facts. On the basis of this existence, a person denies, agrees, defies, accepts - even the concept of God. “What is extraneous can be denied but not the Self. For he who denies, that is the Self.” The small Self, the microcosm is indeed the same as the big Self, the macrocosm.

There is now extensive research suggesting that ‘religious’ people are happier and less stressed.(BBC, TIME). Surveys by Gallup, the National Opinion Research Centre conclude that spiritually committed people are twice as likely to report being “very happy” than the least religiously committed people. A recent systematic review of 850 research papers on the topic concluded that “the majority of well-conducted studies found that higher levels of spiritual involvement are positively associated with indicators of psychological well-being (life satisfaction, happiness, positive affect, and higher morale) and with less depression, suicidal thoughts and behavior, drug/alcohol use/abuse.

Often people will say that certain things make them happy- a new car, a fancy coffee drink or even chocolate ice cream. However, happiness is an internal force and cannot be caused by things.  Chocolate ice cream does not contain happiness.

If happiness is in the chocolate ice cream then I should be able to eat ten ice creams, and each should give me the same pleasure. The tenth ice cream should be just as desirable and delicious as the first one I ate. But we know this is certainly not the case.  In fact ten ice creams would have the opposite effect. So where does happiness reside and how do you come to that conclusion?

We are all looking for happiness, but few of us know that we are looking in the wrong place. Whatever power, possessions or passions we obtain or experience is not enough. They all come from the world external to us. We need to look inside ourselves for happiness. But, if it is not in our physical body, where is it?
Is it in the state of mind? They say the mind is the greatest enemy and the greatest friend for seeking happiness. Since the mind is responsible for our highs and lows, we actually need freedom from the mind. This is the path to happiness.

More explanation is provided in The Happiness Quotient, coming out fall of 2007.

There is a story about a security guard who used to watch the CEO drive in every morning through the company gates. The CEO rode in the backseat of a limousine, sometimes folding his newspaper as he approached the building. The guard envied the driver, thinking how wonderful it would be to sit in the air-conditioned car and drive in such an important man. The driver used to drop the CEO off on the front steps of the building. He could picture the receptionist, sitting inside, sipping her coffee and talking to very important clients on the phone. He wished he was the receptionist. As the receptionist watched the CEO come in and talk with the office manager, she thought of how lucky he was, shaking hands with the top guy, and engaging in important conversation. As the office manager ushered the CEO into the conference room, he wished he was making the very important decisions instead and getting paid big money for it. The CEO stared out of his 9th floor executive suite, and thought . . .

Well what would you think? Is the CEO content and happy because he is in charge? Does his air-conditioned limousine and important job give him happiness? Or does he look to someone else? 

If you were CEO who would you look to?

Leave your comment below and tell us what you think.

OM everyone!
Of course God REALLY exists. He just does not exist in the way we have been thinking about him or picturing Him . This is a lesson i learnt about 15 years ago. It came through the deep understanding of the Vedantic philosopgy. God exists as Pure Consciousness or Awareness eveywhere. He is self-aware and blissful and silent and all-intelligent. He does not judge - judgement happens because he put universal laws in place. We are all responsible for our own actions.

You can discover God too through study, contemplation and experience. Start NOW becasue frankly speaking everything else seems hollow after discovering God. He is awesome.
LOVE YOU ALL
Rita