A little about me:

I am a contemplative living outside the traditional contemplative culture. After training for seven years in 3 monastic traditions--I was drawn back into the world-at-large for further training in the arena of so-called ordinary life. After struggling for so long with the myriad ways my mind made me miserable I suddenly discovered I could be happy in spite of it and in fact I now consider myself a Happiness Expert.

Interests

• My adult life has been characterized by my spiritual journey and my interests tend to radiate from that core undertaking; i.e. the work of (simply) being Present has become the dominant state of being, one which underpins anything else I might be engaged in. Simple activities have greater dimension and the innate possiblity of enJoyment. Considering what my mind and my life were like when I started this path of self-correction, the difference is miraculous.
• I love to sing, to dance, to just make toast!
• write poetry
• or just watch raindrops sliding down the windowpane.

WHAT IS HAPPINESS ANYWAY

"The mind is restless, turbulent, powerful, violent; trying to control it is like trying to control the wind." --Bhagavad Gita

I suspect that every human being on this planet wants to be happy. This is one thing we all really do have in common. But how can we be happy when unhappy situations are clawing at the door of our equanimity and possibly pushing us to the edge of our endurance?

Let's take a look at what happiness really is. There are two ways to look at this question, one would be a relative definition of happiness and the other would be objective. The relative definition is open to personal interpretation and is usually dependent on some condition that must be fulfilled in order for happiness to ensue. This creates an if/then premise. i.e. if I am married to the right person, then I will be happy, or if I have my health, then I will be happy. The problem we encounter here is that if the condition is lost then the happiness goes with it.
We need to install a standard of happiness that does not depend on the attainment or acquisition of any condition or element but rather is happiness that stands alone; happiness itself; a state that is attainable (actually noticeable would be a better word) regardless of circumstances.
This is the only definition of happiness I can accept for myself and it makes happiness absolutely available to anyone regardless of their income, age, degree of beauty or any seemingly adverse circumstances. This happiness is the result of accessing the joy that is inherently available to all of us and which arises naturally and spontaneously in the absence of mental distractions.
To attain this joy, we must turn inward to the source of our being; we must learn to be still. When we learn how to be still, that stillness will deliver up the joy. It is stillness that gives rise to joy and joy is the fundamental heart of happiness.