Making Spiritual Happiness the Foundation of our Lives

Excerpts from a talk at 2008 Convocation by Brother Achalananda

Change no circumstance in my life, change me

Spiritual happiness is not connected to the senses. Guruji said:

A strong determination to be happy will help you.

We need volition, then unceasing determination, to become dynamic. We must will and act, knowing we are going to succeed (to be happy or do anything else we want to achieve).

We need

1) Desire,

2) Willpower, and

3) Belief it can happen.

This can give instantaneous success and change.

Sri Gyanamata said:

Change no circumstance in my life, change me.

We can overcome any problem with this attitude.

If you are having lots of troubles, stop thinking about your unhappiness. Just go out of your way to focus upon making others happy. But don‘t do that so that we can think we can make ourselves happy. Just give without thought of return. It comes from God’s grace (not our good karma), plus meditation.

The Law of the Garbage Truck.

A taxi driver almost accidentally hit the back of a car he was driving behind. The man was swearing at him but the taxi driver just smiled back and waved. He explained to the occupant of the taxi that many people are like garbage trucks - they are full of anger and frustration. It piles up and they need to find somewhere to dump it. Sometimes on you! Don‘t take it personally. Don‘t take on their garbage.

Love the people who treat you right and pray for the ones that don‘t.

Sri Daya Mata said, when people dump on you, you become like a garbage pail. To cope with this we have to become strong.

Life is
10% what you make of it, and
90% how you take it