In this second part of my two-part blog post series, I would like to continue the discussion of what I learned over a two-day retreat with Khentrul Rinpoche, a Tibetan Buddhist.
In my last post, I touched on Rinpoche’s teaching of how our mind’s perceptions cause our suffering. Today, I would like to move on to his philosophy on happiness and mindfulness.
We must use happiness, joy, and pleasures to continue on your progress. When we get what we want, our extreme excitement eventually leads to extreme sadness.
People can handle quite a bit of suffering, but when it comes to happiness, we have a far more difficult time sustaining it.
Whenever happiness and success enter our lives, if we are not careful, we will slip under their power increasing one’s arrogance, greed, and laziness. We think that it will last forever and when it does not, we tumble fast and hard.
To demonstrate this concept using relatable examples, look at lottery winners, professional athletes, and even famous child actors.
They can be living the good life experiencing fame and fortune one minute and then, within the blink of an eye, they are hitting the complete opposite end of the spectrum.
Rinpoche emphasizes the important of finding a balance. Otherwise, when we crash we will not be ready for the fall. We must practice mindfulness, which allows us to still enjoy and experience happiness but also be aware of the fact that it is impermanent.
In terms of our everyday lives, I think we can all relate to having both good days and bad days. Especially when you just had an amazing week then, all of a sudden, you experience that streak of bad luck. It feels like it came out of nowhere leaving you asking yourself “What the heck happened?”
Even the Tibetan Buddhist, Khentrul Rinpoche, admitted to having bad days. He stressed the importance of not being overly dramatic no matter which end of the spectrum you are at during any given point in life.
When you are mindful of your situation, you can experience that moment for all that it is. You begin to practice more gratitude because you are aware that tomorrow it could be gone.
Rinpoche is not suggesting that we avoid celebrating our achievements, milestones, successes, or good fortune that life brings, but to simply recognize it and appreciate it without getting lost in the moment. Life continues to move forward and with each new day, new challenges and experiences await.
Now it’s your turn.
How does this quote inspire you?
Contact me or share your thoughts below in the Comments section.
Let’s get the discussion going.
Remember, you are not alone on this journey. Together we can become stronger individuals.
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