Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Where the Mind Dwells


 


By anne-laure djaballah

 
                                                          ( anne-laure djaballah )
 


"The purpose of our life is to feel happiness, joy and satisfaction, and peace. In order to achieve that, so much depends on our mental attitude rather than money, power, or external things."
The Dalai Lama
His Essential Wisdom


 
We can choose to be happy with material gain, just as easily as we can lose our way with material gain.  The same can be said about money, power or acquired things.  If we receive abundance, there is no guarantee we will  be living in bliss.  With regard to money, power, and  accumulating things, our intentions and perceptions will be a deciding factor in measuring the degree of what we feel.  Our lists of what makes us happy or powerful will differ among us, as we have our individual preferences. 
 
As long as our focus is on external gratification, happiness and joy can allude us as they are internal emotions.  Our feelings bubble up from the inside and remain until we shift our observations to something else.  Material things can be taken away or lose meaning whereas emotions can be retained more securely. 
 
With freedom of choice, we decide how and what we feel and for how long.  With our minds, we create happiness or joy.  Life illustrates money and power do not always produce happiness.  There are many who externally reflect abundance, but they are lonely and depressed.  There are those who have lost everything through a random act of nature, but are over joyed to be alive.
 
A person can upset us only as much as we allow them to disturb our sense of balance.  We can be hurt only as long as we allow our selves to be hurt.  When we shift our focus from negative feelings to whatever remains positive, hope begins to grow.  
 
So again we are faced with the need for balance between external and internal.  Neither living in solitude at a monastery nor success in the lime light are certain to produce joy.  Much depends upon where our mind dwells. 








 
 
 
 

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