FUNDAMENTAL HAPPINESS

Tuesday, 29 April 2014

FUNDAMENTAL HAPPINESS Series 32 - ACCEPT NOTHINGNESS !

ACCEPT NOTHINGNESS !

Hi Friends,

I uploaded this post on 24 Oct, 2013. I have re-posted it with an appropriate title: "ACCEPT NOTHINGNESS". If you go to the Blog Archives, you will notice that I have given titles to all my posts, to make them identifiable. Accepting nothingness is one of the most powerful spiritual exercises.

I am back. I am incorrigible! I keep coming back. It is my life's mission to take this message on the possibility of tasting FUNDAMENTAL HAPPINESS to as many people as possible. From the responses I get and the viewership across the globe, I get a sense that many of you are connecting with my proposition.

It is also my keen desire to help all those who may be suffering from un-caused depression, anxiety, emptiness, meaninglessness or despair, that is often diagnosed as 'clinical depression'. I wish to hold out my own example as someone who has been through all that and today does not need medication or mood altering drugs to stay happy. So, read on.

Some of you would have tried the initial exercise that I described about feeling different parts of your body, and then feeling your entire body internally. You will discover an energy flow within yourself. Witness that energy quietly. Apart from doing this exercise when you are free from distraction and noise, I also suggested that you gradually cultivate the habit of doing this also during brief intervals that you get amid a busy life. You can do this while waiting in a queue, waiting at the boarding gate at the airport, or while stuck in a traffic jam.

Have you noticed how we feel satisfied when we keep our schedules fully packed? We might complain that we are too busy, that there is no free time. But, secretly, we are comfortable that way. Imagine yourself suddenly confronted with a situation that you have nothing to do for a full day! Let's say all your planned programs for a Saturday get canceled. Also, imagine that the friends you could possibly connect with are also busy elsewhere. So you have nothing to do! Now, that could be a terrible situation to be in, at least for most of us.

Now here is what you can do. ACCEPT the situation that you have nothing to do. Your mind will be fidgety, looking for a way out of this loneliness. Do not fight your mind. Just observe it. Take a decision that today you will do NOTHING. Be with the nothingness.

There are a few things you can do when you are doing nothing. Wherever you are, look around. You will notice many things. Can you notice the empty spaces around everything? Or, more specifically, do you notice the space, the emptiness, that has allowed all things to be? Do not try to objectively reason out this "nothingness". Your mind will love doing it, and once again you will get trapped. Whereas if you have the courage to just peacefully face the nothingness, and also witness your uncomfortable mind, without fighting it, in a while you might discover a peace you have not felt before. This is where sensitivity is important. Sensitive persons, who are able to hold this position for some length of time, may be able to feel that peace and joy spring from within.

Those who have been too engrossed in the external, material world, with their possessions, positions, position-power, or essentially all ego driven attachments, may miss these subtle messages from within.

Which is why I have suggested right at the beginning that you question your attachment to all these 'things'. Fathom yourself bereft of all these things. You need not give them up completely. Just question and notice how you are clinging to them. Having moved up the spiritual journey, now enjoy them from a new vantage point, from a higher vision.

Once you develop this ability to notice the emptiness around you, and see things in the backdrop of this nothingness, the beauty of the same things will increase manifold. The same mountains or trees that you were seeing earlier, will now appear alive and rich!

Here is a picture that I took in 2012 of Lake Michigan, USA from my room in the Kellogg School of management at the Northwestern University, where I had been for a course.

I was spellbound by the sheer beauty of the scene outside. Notice the beauty of the trees with all leaves shed, against the vast openness and the expanse of the sea! You actually develop a new vision. Not only that, you can listen to music too from a different level. You start seeing things and listening to music and other sounds, like birds chirping or water flowing, from the level of being.

Keep reading. Cheers!

Deepak Chatterjee

chatterjee.deepak33@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/deepak.chatterjee.944
Twitter: @deepak33c
http://fundamentalhappiness.blogspot.com

Views are personal

Thursday, 17 April 2014

FUNDAMENTAL HAPPINESS Series 31 - Indian Elections: Human Angst and Beyond

Indian Elections: Human Angst and Beyond

Hello Friends,

Amazon (Canada)

[You can now also buy the e-book version of ARE YOU REALLY HAPPY? in India from Flipkart. You don't need a Kindle device to read in this format. Click here: Flipkart e-book]

I wrote on The Spiritual Politician in Series 25 uploaded on 8th February, 2014. It captured the flavour of National Elections. Voting is under way and ends on 12th May; results are due on 16th May. I gave a gist about parliamentary democracy in India, for the benefit of readers outside India.

As we move closer to the climax, the display of human angst is at its peak. Elections can be keenly and bitterly fought in most democracies. When the eligible voters number 815 million amongst a population of 1.2 billion, it is bound to get very noisy. I have seen many elections in my life, but this time, the Indian elections are bringing forth a wide spectrum of human emotions/spirit/negativities - anger, despair, fear, hope, greed, debauchery, hatred, lies...

In many ways, this election is very different from the previous ones. So far, the bitterness in elections has remained restricted to the political class. This time acute bitterness has spilled over to the electorate - common people like us who vote. I have not seen this kind of sharp divide within the electorate. Differences did exist in the past, but there were overlaps and some common grounds. Sane conversations did show objectivity. Things are different this time.

The advent of social media and a very confident and vocal Indian population, in urban as well as rural areas, have added to the punch. Here is a sample of the issues being debated:

By Adam Taylor - Simplify360 taken from Google Images

Friends are falling off, there is tension within families, and tolerance for the opposite view is at its lowest ever seen in India before. All this is happening with people who are not even remotely associated with the political class.

I faced my own share of fierce opposition to my views shared on Facebook. One friend asked me to buzz off for he did not agree with me. I might have lost his friendship. Another friend was more polite: she asked me to refrain from such views as I, an author on happiness, am not expected to air strong views. I agreed and stopped posting political comments. (Why I did so is an interesting point of another post . :)

Why is it so this time in India? Is it because of a predicted (by pollsters) regime change? No. Regime changes have happened quite often in India: 2004, 1998, 1996, 1991, 1989, 1977... The ones in 1977 and 1989 too evoked a lot of popular debate, but it was nothing like this.

Indians dread polarization during elections. The appeal to voters' religious sentiments has been the bane of Indian elections for a long time. It is difficult to name any major political party that has not indulged in this. This time we are witnessing a polarization of a different kind. For whatever reason, this election has been reduced to a referendum on the acceptability of a certain politician as the future Prime Minister. Indian voters don't directly elect a PM, but the dynamics have been such that effectively this time it is a referendum. You are either for him or against him. Is that strong enough reason for the display of collective angst?

My guess is that this sort of "referendum" has pulled people out of their traditional comfort zones - on either side of the political divide.

In spiritual terms, this is perfect reason for all of us to feel the angst, unease, despair and all that I collectively call FUNDAMENTAL UNHAPPINESS, that is normally buried deep within - well, almost! It has got exposed in election time. Interestingly, ordinary voters like you and I are likely to feel this human unease more strongly than politicians. For, politics is not our profession. Having been yanked off our comfort zones where we were possibly hiding, we are face to face with the ugliness within.

If you have been reading this blog or have read my book ARE YOU REALLY HAPPY?, you will quickly understand that feeling your very own ugliness is great news! Just give up, and observe what is going on within to move towards JOY. Our strong views, which we think are causing this distress when in clash with opposite views, are merely triggers. Just drop the argument. And, yes, notice the ego. It has surely crept in. For, when you do so, you have taken a major step in your journey towards FUNDAMENTAL HAPPINESS. Continue with your election debates, but occasionally pause to take an honest look at yourself.

So, while elections will happen and we will certainly fulfil our democratic duty, let us also take this opportunity to rise in spirit!

Cheers!

Deepak Chatterjee

chatterjee.deepak33@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/deepak.chatterjee.944

@Deepak33C

If you are following this blog through email, you will notice that the post that you receive in your in-box does not have the blog archives and other features. At times the formatting is not good. For a better view you can see the entire blog at:

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Thursday, 10 April 2014

FUNDAMENTAL HAPPINESS Series 30 - Don't shun things in the material world - just go beyond them...

Don't shun things in the material world - just go beyond them...

Hello Friends,

Amazon (Canada)

[You can now also buy the e-book version of ARE YOU REALLY HAPPY? in India from Flipkart. You don't need a Kindle device to read in this format. Click here: Flipkart e-book]

You would have noticed one suggestion in many spiritual discourses: sell your Ferrari to become a monk. In other words, abstinence is a precondition for any spiritual progression.

On the other hand, I have been exhorting through these pages, and have similarly dwelt on this in my book ARE YOU REALLY HAPPY?, that any kind of drastic abstinence is not necessary.

I quote from Series 26:

"The other myth surrounding any mention of spirituality is the presumption that it entails living life as an ascetic, renouncing the material world. I have assured readers in some of my earlier posts that nothing like that is necessary. I did not do any of that myself while embarking on my journey towards BASIC HAPPINESS. I keep enjoying 'things' in life."

I went on to say that: "The only difference is that you need to question your overwhelming attachment to the material world. Just 'question' it; 'notice' it; 'observe' it. Even doing this small bit uplifts you in your spiritual quest."

I wish to counter the suspicion that we may have deep in our minds about this fundamental requirement of renunciation in any yearning for spirit in our lives. Please appreciate that noticing and questioning our overwhelming attachment to 'things' in life itself is helpful in our journey towards FUNDAMENTAL HAPPINESS.

Through this post, I wish to bring in another element that will further simplify the paradigm and encourage you to take the plunge into BASIC HAPPINESS.

Take the example of anything that you are strongly attached to, say, wealth or your house. Let me assert that both, wealth and residential property are important things in life. The suggestion is not that you neglect them. But are you completely defined by them? Do they occupy an overwhelming space in your consciousness? Are you horribly stuck with your wealth and property? That is the key question. One way is to question and notice our attachment to these things. Another way to approach this dilemma is to go beyond these attachments. As you gain more spirit in your life, you will be able to appreciate what it means to 'go beyond'.

In simple terms all it means is that you transcend your attachments and see life beyond them. So, there is no need to give up these things. Yet, you are not stuck with them. That is a beautiful state to be in. You are now well on your journey towards FUNDAMENTAL HAPPINESS. Some writers have used a phrase: "transcend and include". That explains the wisdom of going beyond, instead of trying to practice complete detachment and renunciation. This stance also helps us to decide where to draw the line: how much of wealth or sex is enough.

Yes, sex is an excellent example for understanding what I am recommending here. Many spiritual discourses have recommended celibacy. Yet, ancient Indian tradition has celebrated eroticism.

My take is that instead of trying to put sex in good or bad buckets, be guided by your value system and enjoy it, but do not remain stuck with it. This is an excellent way to break free of obsessions and addictions, all of which are major impediments to our movement towards basic happiness. The key questions to ask yourself when you are attached to any thing is: Must I have it right now? Am I desperate about it? Will hell break loose if I do not get it now? If the honest answer is 'Yes' then pause and observe yourself. Notice your craving. You need not necessarily give up your attachment; try to move beyond it, so it is still there in your scheme of things, but you don't cling to it any more.

Now let's come back to wealth or possessions. I can anticipate readers wondering what a person who is still struggling to acquire a house should do. Should he shelve his plans? No. I repeat, owning a house is an important goal in life. But, having a goal is one thing, and being obsessed with that goal, or trying to derive a mistaken sense of completeness from the acquisition of the house is quite different. A planned progression towards a goal is a wise thing to do. We fall in a trap when there is a sense of desperation.

Ironically, those who have successfully acquired some basic things in life like a house or some wealth often keep craving for more. They do not know where to stop. As I keep writing, this craving is backed by the mistaken belief that more things will fill the fundamental void within us.

Makes sense? Read on.

Cheers!

Deepak Chatterjee

chatterjee.deepak33@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/deepak.chatterjee.944

@Deepak33C

http://fundamentalhappiness.blogspot.com/

views are personal

Thursday, 27 March 2014

FUNDAMENTAL HAPPINESS Series 29 - Focus on just two facets of daily living: (i) don't hold yourself back and (ii) let go...

Focus on just two facets of daily living: (i) don't hold yourself back and (ii) let go...

Hi Friends,

I keep writing on how to move towards FUNDAMENTAL HAPPINESS giving examples from day to day life. You will find many more examples in my book, ARE YOU REALLY HAPPY? Yet, it will be helpful if I narrow down the theme to just the two important elements that I have mentioned at the head of this post.

I have written about denial, acceptance, resistance, undue attachment, distraction, ego and many more aspects of human existence. I have also written how resistance within prevents us from taking the plunge into new life, even though mentally we may appreciate the simple logic of the new paradigm that I write about. We refuse to look within and, instead, we lead a life of falsehood.

If we look closely, it is possible to narrow down the difficulty faced by us to two elements:

(i) we keep holding ourselves back

(ii) we don't let go

Holding ourselves back is due to internal resistance. We cling to familiar things for comfort, even if we realise that the known territory is really not leading to any lasting joy or happiness.

We have so many examples of holding ourselves back. In my last post I wrote about our resistance against simple participation in the fun and frolic of the Indian festival, Holi.

There can be more serious examples. How many times do we hold ourselves back from doing something worthwhile or close to our heart due to pressures from society, family, friends? This happens all the time, and the worst sufferers are women. In a male dominated society, women mostly have to fall in line with what society prescribes as 'correct'.

Every time we restrain ourselves, we move away from spirit; and every time we let go, we rise in spirit. We have got used to living within boundaries, structures and constraints.

Now, I can well sense the alarm that this premise could cause among readers. What about order in society? What about the reckless behaviour of criminals and other fringe elements who can be disruptive to society? What about common courtesies? Are we going to scream and shout at others at will?

The answers to all these questions are found in two more aspects of human behaviour: ego and inauthenticity.

It is the ego that prompts us to do terrible things. So next time you wish to let go and yet wonder whether what you are about to do is proper or not, question whether the ego has come into play. If your action is devoid of ego, there is very little chance that you would do something that might be considered terrible or cause hurt to others.

I have written a lot about inauthenticity - how we do not acknowledge the basic unhappiness within and often take it out on others. This is often as big a cause as ego for humankind bringing misery to fellow humans.

Finally, our value system is a good guide to steer us in our journey. But be careful. A lot of oppression takes place, especially of women, in the name of value system!

One thing I can state with certainty: the more you are in touch with your being, the closer you move to spirit, your actions will always be in harmony with human existence.

Cheers!

Deepak Chatterjee

chatterjee.deepak33@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/deepak.chatterjee.944

@Deepak33C

http://fundamentalhappiness.blogspot.com/

views are personal

Saturday, 15 March 2014

FUNDAMENTAL HAPPINESS Series 28 - The Indian Festival of Colours - Holi - is an opportunity to give up resistance and move towards inner joy.

The Indian Festival of Colours - Holi - is an opportunity to give up resistance and move towards inner joy.

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Holi is an Indian spring festival also known as the festival of colours and love. It is an ancient Hindu religious festival which has become popular in many parts of South Asia.

The festival has, in recent times, spread to parts of Europe and North America as a spring celebration of love, frolic and colour.

I have, in my previous posts, given examples of many ways in which we can adopt the posture of submission, reduce the resistance within, and thereby make a paradigm shift in our lives towards FUNDAMENTAL HAPPINESS. Much the same way, we can try and give up the resistance within and take the plunge into coloured waters this Holi.

One interesting aspect of many religious festivals is that they are increasingly seen as social, joyful events in which members of any religious belief can participate. The extent of religious devotion is a personal choice. The overtly inviting stance where all can participate in the celebrations and fun is deeply cherished at the social level too. This is true of festivals like Christmas, Diwali (festival of lights), Holi, Durga Puja (fight of good over evil), the Iftar parties in the run up to the Eid festival and many more the world over.

Holi is round the corner, to be celebrated on the 17th of March. I have enjoyed playing with colours since childhood. I also have memories of certain ugly things that happen during Holi - hooliganism, a license to indulge in misbehaviour for some, and a general menace for many. Whatever I say here, is with this caveat: carefully choose the company you are going to keep while enjoying Holi.

For the uninitiated, traditionally, Holi is played by smearing colours (both dry and water based) on each other from morning to noon. People are often drenched in coloured water. In short, you can indulge in a lot of fun and frolic by letting your hair down. Unfortunately, the coloured water used can also have menacing variations like the use of chemicals that can be very difficult to wash off from your skin or the more dangerous ones that cause allergic reactions. Once again, if you are sure of your company, you can protect yourself from such risks.

Completely understanding all those who are against playing with colours, and without prejudice to their right to abstain from it, I still have a suggestion to make: please do consider, what within you prevents you from enjoying a simple festival of colours. Is it that old culprit, EGO, once again?

There is a reason why I suspect that this might be the case at times. For instance, I have seen grown-ups getting cross and irritated when little kids try to play Holi with them!

Come on, what do you think is going to happen to you? A bit of colour smeared on your face, some wet clothes, that's all. What is the big fuss about?

And you lose a big opportunity to submit yourself, just give up, and allow yourself to just be. As I keep writing, surrender is that big step necessary to move into your journey towards FUNDAMENTAL HAPPINESS. Instead of waiting for that opportune moment when you take the giant step by adopting a posture of surrender, why not take up the numerous small opportunities that come in life?

It is interesting to note that there are similar festivals across the globe that give us that opportunity to give up and surrender. La Tomatina is a festival that is held in the Valencian town of Buñol, Spain, in which participants throw tomatoes and get involved in this tomato fight purely for fun. It is held on the last Wednesday of August, during the week of festivities of Buñol. This festival is about as messy as Holi. Once you submit yourself to the discomfort of this messiness, you might discover the sheer joy at the very core.

Those of you who have watched the Hindi movie, "Yeh Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara" have seen three friends trying to come to terms with themselves by shedding all inner inhibitions. They enthusiastically participate in the festival of tomatoes in Spain, and feel redeemed.

Finally, playing Holi also presents the opportunity to rekindle old, lost or troubled relationships, to renew friendship and love, and to shake ourselves from the 'structured existence' that we all seem to get used to. It's a chance to break free.

The English daily Times of India has an interesting story today (here is the link: Times of India link) on how long-ostracized widows socially condemned to wear only white and shun colours of any kind, revelled in the colours of Holi by snubbing tradition.

Let us see this festival as a day to meet others, play and laugh, forget and forgive, and repair ruptured relationships.

HAPPY HOLI!

Deepak Chatterjee

chatterjee.deepak33@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/deepak.chatterjee.944

@Deepak33C

http://fundamentalhappiness.blogspot.com/

views are personal

Tuesday, 4 March 2014

FUNDAMENTAL HAPPINESS Series 27 - Those who consciously feel and suffer their inner depression and despair are actually the lucky ones!

Those who consciously feel and suffer their inner depression and despair are actually the lucky ones!

Hello Friends,

I am back. I have more time with me now. Hence I try and come back as soon as possible.

So, how is it going? Many are able to understand and appreciate the logic of what I write, but have we taken the plunge? Not yet? Is it getting postponed to some future occasion? Well, I appreciate the tentativeness and resistance that is probably being sensed. Let me be honest - I pushed my own plunge by three months or more, much after I had mentally understood what this journey is about. But, as I keep writing, the mind is required only to understand and internalise the process and the suggested paradigm. Beyond that, once you gather up the courage to get onto the journey, it is an exercise of the body and spirit.

I have written in the past about those who are suffering from depression and anxiety, and are probably heavily dependant on medication even though it may not be giving much relief from the deep rooted pain within. They have nothing to lose and are most likely to get onto this journey towards FUNDAMENTAL HAPPINESS. Such persons have both the motivation and opportunity to embrace this suffering, give up the struggle and the defences, and move into a new life.

I am tempted to re-emphasise here that, ironically, those who consciously suffer from depression, anxiety and despair, are really the lucky ones.

How do you respond to this proposition?

For, they are only a few steps away from getting the first glimpses of BASIC HAPPINESS. Since they are probably living miserable and pathetic lives with a fair degree of distaste for many 'things' that most of us are desperately attached to, the idea of facing existence minus these attachments does not horribly shake them up.

This is strange irony. We normally picture a person engulfed in depression and despair as the unfortunate one who deserves sympathy and needs help. The only help he really needs is to be shown the simple path through his pain, instead of struggling against it.

On the other hand, those who are in denial and almost successful in distracting from their inner, innate pain, will most likely shudder at the thought of fathoming their existence bereft of the innumerable attachments.

Yet, I must highlight, as I have done in a few posts in the past, that you can take almost any unhappiness and build courage to face it without resistance and struggle, and get on board the new journey. I suggest this for it may be difficult for many to identify and notice their inner fundamental unhappiness. So if you are wondering what this human malaise is about, don't worry. Take any ordinary unhappiness, dissatisfaction or disappointment that may have arisen due to circumstances surrounding you.

Readers can rewind back to Series 16 posted by me on Nov 22, 2013. I have given the example of a bad day almost all of us have had once in a while. That could be an excellent opening for moving into a new life. In time you will be able to notice the uncaused depression or angst within you.

Read on...

Cheers!

Deepak Chatterjee

chatterjee.deepak33@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/deepak.chatterjee.944

@Deepak33C

http://fundamentalhappiness.blogspot.com/

views are personal

Wednesday, 19 February 2014

FUNDAMENTAL HAPPINESS Series 26 - Does spirituality imply religion, mysticism, occult? The answer is 'NO'.

Does bringing spirit to your lives mean giving up on all worldly goodies? Does spirituality imply religion, mysticism, occult? The answer is 'NO'.

Hello Friends,

I get many queries to my posts. A lot of them imply a good understanding of what I write. That does not automatically mean that all of you have embarked on a journey to BASIC HAPPINESS. Please take your time. Yet, a lot of pondering about the pros and cons does not help. Having understood the paradigm, it is only resistance within that holds us from taking the plunge. When you do that, it will be on the spur of a moment. That's how I started off. I went on debating for 3 to 4 months, then one day I just let go and got onto the journey.

Another set of questions, though fewer in number, point towards some kind of questioning, doubt - an "is that so?" kind of thought. This is not resistance. For such readers, the idea itself has not sunk in. A major reason for that springs from the myths surrounding spirituality.

Many wrongly think that spirituality is about religion. I would like to assert that being spiritual requires no religious beliefs or orientation. One can be an agnostic/atheist and still advance remarkably on the spiritual journey and enjoy the fruits of BASIC HAPPINESS or FUNDAMENTAL HAPPINESS. Whatever I write in this blog and have written in my book ARE YOU REALLY HAPPY? is based on sound logic, is amenable to science, has nothing to do with miracles, and is based on several thousands of years of research.

Similarly, my recommended practices will not clash with any of your religious beliefs. You are free to pursue your own religious orientation.

I can say about myself: I did not grow up in an overtly religious environment. By finding more spirit, by being able to face life more realistically, my 'need' for religion has further diminished. It is not necessary that all of you must feel the same way. I see religion as a matter of personal freedom and support full liberty to all individuals to pursue their own religious beliefs (or disbeliefs!). I have devoted a full section on religion and spirituality in my book, with the same purpose of demystifying spirituality.

The other myth surrounding any mention of spirituality is the presumption that it entails living life as an ascetic, renouncing the material world. I have assured readers in some of my earlier posts that nothing like that is necessary. I did not do any of that myself while embarking on my journey towards BASIC HAPPINESS. I keep enjoying 'things' in life.

The only difference is that you need to question your overwhelming attachment to the material world. Just 'question' it; 'notice' it; 'observe' it. Even doing this small bit uplifts you in your spiritual quest. Whenever you crave for something, notice your craving. As you keep doing this, you will reduce your pressing 'need' for those things. You will stop craving for them. However, do not fight your craving. That way more resistance will creep in. This practice of passively observing yourself, is a great spiritual exercise. Isn't it interesting?

With this practice you will create a space between you and the things. You will not cling to them any more. You can still enjoy them. You can enjoy them even more than before, for now you do not fear losing them.

The same is true of any important position that you may be holding. Allow that space between you and the position; do not become the position. Many leaders falter for this reason: they would have got fully identified with the position that they are holding. And, what do you think facilitates this? Yes, the same old culprit: the EGO.

Makes sense? Read on.

Cheers!

Deepak Chatterjee

chatterjee.deepak33@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/deepak.chatterjee.944

@Deepak33C

http://fundamentalhappiness.blogspot.com/