Noted by Dwija Ramesh

Recap:

Happiness is our nature unlike what we decided last week. 

Discourse:

At a high level, all of our actions are motivated by two things:

1. Sukha prapti  – Seeking happiness
2. Dukha nivritti – Escaping sadness

We are always attempting to rearrange the external environment to make it more comfortable for us. At the individual level, this is the community we associate with, the objects we buy, and the access we have to this. 

What sucks about this is that there is no particular arrangement that works for all of us. No matter how much we try to attain both above, all will continue to change and we are left fighting for some kind of balance to be comfortable.

So what do we do?

First we need to know where Happiness is. We think that it comes through our senses but this kind of joy is conditioned happiness. The same goes for the number of things, friends, etc. that we would want. No object itself is inherently joyful.

If it is not in objects…. where, Sumanji? The mind?

When the mind is agitated, there is sorrow or anxiety. When the mind is calm, we feel joy. Happiness is measured by the quietness of your mind. Happiness is NOT a quiet mind, however one who is happy has a quiet mind. The agitations of your mind in the state of desire viel the state of happiness. When the mind is quiet, what is ever present can be experienced. 

1. Step 1:
   1. Priya – imagination of union
   2. The joy experienced in thinking of the object you desire
2. Step 2:
   1. Moda – anticipation for union
   2. Joy experienced in anticipation of getting that object
3. Step 3:
   1. Pramoda – union
   2. Maximum amount of joy you experience with that object

These steps were not because of the object. The veil was lifted and you could experience happiness, but in a dependent way.

RAW Debrief: 

1. Define what Happiness is:
   1. A number of desires fulfilled/the number of desires entertained
   2. The more desires you entertain, the more will end up popping up.
   3. The lower the number is, the better and the indicator that you are happier
2. Tell a joke to at least 3 people
   1. I always knock on the fridge door just in case there is a salad dressing (lol that made me laugh more than I should have)
   2. One of the easiest ways to access our true nature is to laugh

This week’s RAW is:  Think of something that you’ve wanted really badly and eventually, you got it in the steps that we talked about. How much do you value that object now?