We’ve been encountering so many questions about Happiness through all walks of life…
People say, “Happiness is the way.” Many keep seeking happiness, even becoming obsessed with the term in a very blurry way. All of this causes us human beings to become hopelessly unhappy happiness-hunters.
Having been pondering and meditating upon Laozi and Zhuangzi’s ideology for quite a long time, I feel that happiness is not the way to drive and lead our lives, nor is it a goal to chase after. It’s purely a state to feel and enjoy, but it can always come and go.
*Laozi (Lão Tử) and Zhuangzi’s (Trang Tử) ideology emphasizes the importance of harmonizing with the natural flow of life. Central to their philosophy is the concept of wu-wei, or “doing not-doing,” which advocates for effortless action and allowing things to unfold naturally without force. They encourage being soft, flexible, and spontaneous, mirroring the adaptive and unresisting qualities of nature. By embracing these principles, one can achieve a state of peace and contentment, flowing downstream with the transformations of nature rather than against them. This approach leads to a more harmonious and fulfilling existence.
So just let it be when it comes and goes. Feel all the aspects of the moment – Yin and Yang, dark and bright, every single simple thing around us… You will find yourself naturally happier by NOT pursuing happiness. Seeking lifelong MEANING and discovering your True Nature/True Being instead. Nurturing and growing your values. Fostering and bringing up your human flourishing to the fullest…
Magically, when you’re on the path to follow meaningful things and discover your spontaneous Higher-Self in the Truth, happiness keeps showing up in a natural way as your daily joy, effortlessly… No need to build up, run after or ask for…
That’s, my friends, when the Ultimate Freedom and Lasting Fulfillment come to light…
With that said, the Path to Happiness is Not pursuing Happiness, searching for Meaning instead – meaningful lifestyle, meaningful relationships, meaningful careers, meaningful hobbies, meaningful projects, meaningful YOU…
Learn something new every day (acquire new hobbies, study new subjects, practice new skills, pick up new lessons from others…). Continuously learning something new makes you feel free from vanity and focus more on your inner values and interior work.
Travel and discover new lands, cultures, and people to open more windows of your soul and mind to new values.
Listen more to people around. Start sensing more every single thing about. Feel more empathy and compassion for others’ suffering and try to help heal if you truly can. This will make you feel relief and more aware of other people’s feelings and their happiness rather than being over self-centered, as humans habitually are.
Anyway, “Happiness is amazing. It’s so amazing it doesn’t matter if it’s yours or not” – my favorite quote from After Life Netflix series by Ricky Gervais.
And another deep thought by Kyle Maynard regarding the difference between Happiness (Hạnh phúc) and Bliss (Chân phúc): “Thinking of what makes me happy doesn’t give me the same clarity as thinking about what gives me bliss.”
*Kyle Maynard is a best-selling author, entrepreneur, and ESPY award–winning mixed martial arts athlete, known for becoming the first quadruple amputee to reach the summits of Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Aconcagua without the aid of prosthetics – A mentor from the book Tribe Of Mentors, Timothy Ferriss. Audible and Kindle Edition.
“Happy” is just a state of emotion which can come and go. An uncertainty. You can’t decide.
“Bliss” is a state of mind which is always just there, the whole time, what makes you feel most alive and meaningful. A certainty. You decide.
So, make Meaning for you and other people. Follow your Bliss. Be more of You and Be more for the World.
-Minh-
