A Place for the Happy Buddha: Me

Budai, Hotei or Pu-Tai

Ha!  As I continue to be aware of all aspects of this person named Charles Patrick Woliver, I identify more strongly each day with “the Happy Buddha”.  The many blessings that I experience on a daily basis, plus the increasing shape of my belly, leads me to an ongoing appreciation for this historical icon.

But let’s briefly discuss this attribute we call happiness.  Let’s begin with an experiment.

At the end of this sentence, STOP and ask yourself, “What am I thinking?”  [Pause] GO. Perhaps you answered, “I am thinking… [fill in the blank].  Let’s call the [fill in the blank] x.  Now your x and my x may have been the same, but probably not.  Your x could have been, “I am hungry” while my x might have been, “My feet are cold”.  Or perhaps, you had a moment of void, until finally your brain filled in the blank.  The common denominator here was a message from your brain.

Our brains are designed to create x based on our current environment (sensory perception) and the statistical history of our past thoughts.  In other words, if we have recently thought x, then there is a good chance that x will pop up again.  But, luckily for us, the brain can potentially send us an innumerable number of different thoughts, but more importantly, we can direct our brain to send positive ones.

Enter mindfulness and intention! How can we control x ?  One possibility is to enter a quasi-meditative state and/or directed focus.  Easier said that done.  Try this: close your eyes and focus on the residual light behind your closed eyelids.  Stay there.  As thoughts come to you, acknowledge them, let them go, and then simply refocus on the residual light.  The residual light will probably change.  Now take that focus, and place it on your breathing.  After a period of time, open your eyes and return to normal thought. You have just guided your brain through on exercise that is therapeutic to your brain.  

I refer you to Buddha’s Brain by Rick Hanson, PhD.  Hanson states, “What flows through your attention sculpts your brain.  Therefore, controlling your attention may be the single most effective way to shape your brain, and thus your mind.  You can train and strengthen attention like any other mental ability; mindfulness is well-controlled attention.” (Hanson, p.189).

Now let’s tackle happiness.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines happiness as: a state of well-being: Joy.

Most spiritual leaders and psychologists advocate for acceptance combined with the avoidance of craving as a path to the state of happiness.

Let’s now circle back to our mindfulness exercise.  We know that we can place ourselves in a condition where we can regulate our thoughts. Within the exercise, we can accept any thought that comes to us [x] acknowledge it, then let it go, and transition back to a state of focus.  If the thought includes a crave, we can dispense with it, and redirect our thoughts elsewhere perhaps to a thought that brings joy.

I am very blessed, and have gratitude for the many joys in my life.  When I feel “out of sorts” I try to “fly out to 30,000 feet”, take a new perspective, and attempt to return to a state of happiness.  More often than not, I am successful; or by engaging the mindfulness exercise, I can redirect my negative thoughts to a place of joy and, therefore, potentially eradicate them.  Either way, I have embraced the mantra:

Om mani pedme hung [the pearl is in the lotus]

Be well and happy.

CPW