Eight: Happiness.

I AM SUFFUSED BY THE SUBLIME states of the Brahma-vihara. Rooted in insight, equanimity provides the perfect stomping ground for the 3 other sublime attitudes I mean to cultivate in my heart and mind: compassion, sympathetic joy, and loving kindness.

What does it mean, to have compassion. It is to see that all being suffer. It is to know that suffering will come again for those who experience happiness. It is to know that each and every being — from mother, lover, brother, to friends, colleagues, strangers, to hated enemies —every being suffers greatly in this life. To have compassion is to see this suffering and do our best to help reduce and remove it, not increase it. To be sympathetic with those who create suffering for themselves and others. Suffering is separation from what we desire, association with that which we dislike, fear of the unknown, ignorance of the truth.

What does it mean, to be ignorant of the truth? Ignorance of the Buddha’s noble truths of suffering. The buddha’s noble truths say that there is suffering. The buddha’s noble truths say that suffering is caused by people trying to grasp things which are ungraspable, or avoid things which are unavoidable. The buddha’s noble truths say that there is a way to alleviate suffering, through mindfulness, meditation, the noble eightfold path.

How does one traverse the noble eightfold path? It is a path of insight and understanding that one must cultivate. The path of insight leads to seeing the 3 marks of existence, the three marks of all sentient beings:
1) impermanent; everything in constant flux, changing, like the water of a river stepped in for the second time.
2) suffering; because of this constant change, no phenomena (material thing, feelings, thoughts) of any kind can bring us lasting happiness
3) not-self; we lack a permanent self. The conditions for the continued arising of this form we mistake as ‘self’ are a result of our past actions, mindset, obscurations from our true nature, and separation from the whole.

Seeing the truth of suffering and impermanence, and knowing that we lack a truly inherent self (or soul; which might otherwise be our greatest priority — to protect and further our own self/soul, in this life or the next) — we are able to open our heart to kindness and love and good deeds in the hope of helping to alleviate suffering from others’ lives in small ways, and hopefully help grant them the spaciousness and opportunity to practise cultivating their own peace, too. Seeing the truth of suffering and impermanence, the truth of not-self, we see that others’ happiness and joy are also too our happiness and joy.

What is seeing other people’s joy as your own? This is sympathetic, empathetic joy. This is the kindness to take pleasure in the pleasures of other beings, large or small though they may be. From a fly that lands on a sugar cube, to the CEO who builds a great company, to the individual who achieves their goal through effort and diligence. There are so few rays of joy that pierce the veils of our suffering, so those that do we must multiply across as many sentient beings as we can. Let us share our joys equally with all in our world, and share in their joy equally, without envious thoughts in the back of our minds. This is sympathetic joy.

When we see other people’s joys as our own, and put ourselves in their place, realising that they suffer as we do, with compassion in our hearts, how can we not then love them, too? How can we not love them as we wish to be loved, for suffering pervades all phenomena. Do we need to add to it, with more suffering caused by our own harsh words and ways? Or can we share love, instead? This is loving kindness, to treat others with the love you would like to be treated. With love, which is the antidote to suffering anywhere in the world.

These three sublime attitudes, together and rooted in insight, pervading within an attitude of equanimity, lead to a calm, beautiful, mindful concentration, the perfect state for being in the world.

I will continue to cultivate the Four Immeasurables in my daily meditation practise, as much as possible, until my mind has made them its natural home.

I also had a really good night last night when I went out with a couple of friends. I got extremely drunk and made lots of friends very easily, and quickly. It felt good to be so care-free and let go of worrying about being judged. It has helped boost my confidence around other people, again. It made me feel ready to go on a date.

I am excited by the idea of drawing more paisley patterns, particularly on the wolf-head outline I have — I think this would make a fantastic Pocket-Tee, and will likely be my focus tomorrow during some horrifically cold, windy, and rainy weather here in Sydney.