kriyayogamalaysia

Empowering Belief 1 – We are Responsible for our own Happiness

From our e-book “Filling our Life with Celebration”

Many of us depend on others to make us happy. We tell ourselves that if our spouse, children, parent, boss or friends were what we expect them to be, we would be happy. New lovers have fantasies of how the other party should be; only to be disappointed later on. This results in unnecessary arguments and heartache.

This belief puts the responsibility on us to be the master of our own happiness. When we are unhappy because others have not live up to our expectations, it is better to change our expectations rather than try to change the other person. Trying to change others focus our attention on their weaknesses and deprives us of the joy of seeing their strengths.

In Tibetan Buddhism, emphasis in placed on training our mind. This is based on the premise that our happiness is dependent on the state of our mind. The more conscious we are, the better is our ability to manage ourselves. If we do not train our mind, it will become our master instead of a tool we use to live our life. The mind is a tool we use. We are not our mind. When the mind becomes the master, we react to circumstances based on our habits, beliefs, perceptions and memories. We become like a robot, reacting based on what others have programmed into us. We become limited. We become like zombies.

Some of us place the responsibility on God to make us happy. This is because we see the Divine as separate from us. The Divine is within us just like water is within ice cubes; the sea within the waves; the tree is within the leaves. When Mr. A defeats Mr. B in a race, it is not because God favours Mr. A more than Mr. B. It is just the way it is. It is not because the Divine is punishing Mr. B or testing him. Whatever happens; happens. Every event leads to growth. When we accept this fact, we can free ourselves from unnecessary mental suffering whenever seemingly bad events happen to us.

When we accept that the Divine is equally within all of us, we take back our power. We do not need to go through another person to speak to the Divine. The Divine is always listening and sending back messages to us. We just need to slow down and listen. The Divine feeds us with wisdom and insights all the time. That is how we evolve and grow. That is how we take back our Power.