Who believes that happiness is strictly spiritual and that it can be long term?

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   aviannoviceposted 12 years ago

   Who believes that happiness is strictly spiritual and that it can be long term?
   
   What are your experiences?

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   moneyfairyposted 12 years ago

   I think you are as happy as you make your mind up to be and it doesn't nessisarily have to do with spirituality but rather your own internal psychological make up. And yes it can be long term if you so choose it to be. It's all up to you, ie: seeing the glass half empty or half full. It's all in how you percieve things and situations that arise in your life. Good question!

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      aviannoviceposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks, moneyfairy.  I am one of those perpetually happy people, which is why I thought it could be spiritual.

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      moneyfairyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      aviannovice: What a great quaility to be perpetually happy we need more people like you in the world. And wherever it comes from spiritually or not Keep it flowing thru you always!!!

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      mrmathew1963posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      G'day Moneyfairy
      Yes I would have to agree on this, there was a man who was traumatised from physical & mental abuse & found solitude in spiritualism however when a psychologist was speaking with him one day he  broke down in tears.
      Love
      Mat

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   Anna Havenposted 12 years ago

   Good question,I believe that we can all be happy in own lives, but  this happiness unfortunately is affected by loss and other human problems. When we resolve our problems we can return again to a happy state.  This is also affected by our general outlook and if our outlook is positive.
   I think that reaching spiritual awareness affords us a level of happiness which isn't affected by problems in the same way as our more 'day to day' happiness within ourselves and is therefore more long term.
   That all sounds very hippy trippy, but it is what I think.

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      moneyfairyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Anna, How is happiness affected by loss and problems?If you look at your life as a problem then you are unhappy only if you choose to be right?Otherwise you are at the whim of your daily happenings/emotions.

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      Anna Havenposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Moneyfairy, life isn't a problem, what I mean is no matter how happy you are, when you are faced with the loss of a loved one or for example with them facing illness, it does affect your happiness. But with a positive attitude you can overcome it.

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      moneyfairyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      So true Anna! How you choose to think and feel in any situation that arises determines how happy you'll be. Your attitude is everything. You can overcome anything.

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   mrmathew1963posted 12 years ago

   G'day Aviannovice
   
   No I don't believe so but long term happiness is certainly plausible if one is spiritually connected to ones inner self, in actual fact the more connected one becomes the more accepting & content therefore happy one is.
   
   Love
   Mathew
   
   PS Good question to ask!!

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      aviannoviceposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Hey, Mr. Mathew!  Thanks so much for you opinion on this.  Connection, in general, I believe, can bring us closer to happiness as well as inner wisdom.

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   Bhawna Dixitposted 12 years ago

   Happiness depends on our state of mind. I was in habit of seeing only negative side of situations. I was so much pessimist that on an happy occasion i couldn't laugh wholeheartedly. I always thought that another bad news will be soon on horizon. Being spiritual has helped me a lot. It teaches me to control my emotions and how to deal with them. It teaches me to think  beyond  materialistic nature.It tells me what true happiness exactly is. A book which can surely give happiness on long term is "BHAGVAD GITA. " It has basically teachings of lord Krishna for his disciple arjun. It is best self help book one can ever have.

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      aviannoviceposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      The teachings of Lord Krishna can also be obtained through yoga, correct?

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      Bhawna Dixitposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Hi aviannvoice. Yoga helps us in physical, mental and spiritual well being. Many patients have claimed to get remarkable improvement through it's various " asnas" . While in Srimad Bhagavd Gita every chapter has given name of yoga like karma yoga.

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      mrmathew1963posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      G'day Bhawn
      I know of a bloke who was traumatised through abuse, he became a devout practicing Buddhist. Some time latter a psychologist talk with him & all of a sudden he broke down in tears so you are right the psyche is very important. Love Ma

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      manatita44posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      You are sweet and sincere. Still, no matter how inspirational, books are merely pointers. We have to do the work. We have to go beyond the mind. Happiness is beyond the mind. Meditate, pray, serve ...

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   cam8510posted 12 years ago

   The word spiritual is a tricky term.  Some will interpret it as meaning religious, while others view it as introspection.  While I no longer follow a religion of any kind, I believe I do have a spiritual side.  The phrase, spiritual but not religious has become cliche', yet there is still an element of truth there.  I found that I had to do some serious house cleaning in my own life in order to be truly happy.  There are things that I have done and people I have hurt in my life.  Those things bothered me and kept me from being as happy as I could have been.  I have gone back and made right all the wrongs I could.  I can't resolve them all, but I have taken care of the important ones.  It is amazing how this has freed me emotionally, and yes, spiritually.  I have a contentment and peace of mind that was not there before.
   
   As for happiness being long term, in my own life it can be as long as I keep my conscience clear.  When something I have done or said is nagging at me, I can't be completely happy.  I need to resolve the matter.  That is how I maintain happiness.

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      aviannoviceposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Resolution is so important in our lives for us to be able to properly carry on.  Thanks, Chris, for your fabulous insight!

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   WalterPoonposted 12 years ago

   Wikipedia says: "Happiness is a MENTAL or EMOTIONAL state of well-being characterized by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy." I have never ever thought that happiness has anything to do with spirituality but I do agree that it has something to do with our spirit... and I don't mean alcohol, LOL
   
   Can happiness be long-term? A general feeling of well-being, yes, but not that intense emotional state that makes you laugh or smile to yourself. The human body has an inbuilt mechanism called "sensory overload" and any feeling, whether happiness or sadness, wears off after a time.
   
   When I first joined a chocolate factory, I mentioned, "The smell is so aromatic, I don't mind if the salary is $100 less!" To this, the accounting manager told me, "Wait for another 2 weeks and then tell me!" And sure enough, after just 5 days, I never smelled the cocoa aroma anymore. So what does this tells us?
   
   In fact if you read about Buddhism, Buddha did say that everything in this world is impermanent.

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      aviannoviceposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Great comment, and I admire your viewpoint.  Thanks for taking the time for this, Walter.

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   manatita44posted 12 years ago

   First, the Christ ate, drank, went to the toilet and so on. My Teacher used to say that there is no such thing as mysticism. It exists, yes, but only because it is too much for the mind to grasp. Spirituality is rather like drinking water, to the awakened Soul. He, like the Christ, lives in this state and everything is perfectly normal and natural.
   
   Yes. happiness is an inner state. It requires the Higher Forces to descend and they in turn rely on the purity of the Soul. Nothing can take place without Purity. It is the life-breath of the Supreme, or as the Christian saints called it, the lily of all virtues.
   My original point is that once we are ready and living in that state, everything appears and feels natural. Life is Spirit, and Spirit is God. There is nothing outside of This.

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      WalterPoonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Manatita, your reply sounds rather esoteric. You seemed to say that there is no such thing as mysticism and yet you say it exists. Kind of confusing. To me, I know that mysticism cannot be understood by thinking but only through meditation practice.

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      aviannoviceposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      manatita, I think, defines mysticism and spirituality as two different things.

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      manatita44posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Precisely, Walter.
      The Master said that it is not necessary to speak. "Then why do you speak?" said the devotee. "Only to take you to the point where you realise that words are not necessary."
      Avian:They are related, but natural to the Awakened Soul

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