Gates of Happiness

Among so many life gimmicks, the most searched is happiness. Whatever the everyday life, from schooling, farming,  working, praying, until the spiritual activities are mostly put happiness as a goal. Most people find happiness very rarely,  a very small portion of people “rest” in happiness. It all depends on how deep the person cultivate happiness.

Desire Fulfillment

Most lay person identify happiness with fulfillment of desires. Eat well, sleep well, beautiful place to recreation, spiritual tours to sacred places, all belong to this classification. And the main features of this kind of happiness, it is short-lived, make one to cling then create further suffering.

In a simple logic, this happiness begins with the unmanageable desire. Once it is fulfilled, the desire getting higher and higher. When it is not fulfilled, then disappointment follows as a result. This explains why many rich and handsome people suffer  a lot. Rich people suffer not because of lack of money, but having over expectation on money. Hoping that money can make people respect them all the time, expecting that money can make them happy forever. And certainly there is no life which is full of happiness and praise all the time. The same thing happen to people who want to be good looking  all the time. Good looking makes a person has a high self-esteem. Not everyone can appreciate them as high as expected. When the desire to be appreciated not being met, then disappointed.

Contentment

Anyone who had long discovered how volatile the unmanageable desire is, how dangerous the desire that wanting more and more, then there is a longing for deeper happiness.  Happiness at this level, no longer characterized by seeking and pursuing, it is characterized by “the art of stop”. It means stop searching and running. What is sought and pursued soon to be found when one is able to train oneself into contentment.

The situation is similar to a cat chasing its own tail. The harder the cat chase the more distant the tail. Once it is stopped the tail is stop as well. International celebrities like Bob Marley, Michael Jackson to Whitney Houston are meaningful teachers in this regard. All of them running, chasing, pursuing till experiencing fatigue life. All were tired, the only thing that could stop them from chasing was drugs that open the door of death.

It’s all open mystery, contentment is the  greatest wealth. More than just providing deeper happiness, contentment is an important step towards enlightenment. In simple language of a Master, enlightenment is closer to contentment rather than excitement. Enlightenment is closer to one ability to say enough than excessive pleasure. That is why people with deep meditation can have calm face, soft language, touching heart. The reason is simple, having the greatest wealth of contentment. One of the friend who arrived here whispered: “Holy land is in the here in the now. No need to be somebody, no need to go to some distance places. It all provided here in the now”.

Perfection

The beauty of happiness caused by contentment,  one does not stop growing, life grows even further opening the gate of perfection. Series of areas that can not be explained by human words, it can only be felt. Due to the nature of perfection that can not be explained, then make holy people who arrived at this stage express the inner experience in beautiful poetic language.

Jalalludin Rumi is one of those who had reached here. Notice one of his poems: “Life is like staying in a guesthouse. Guests keep changing every day. And whoever the guest never tired to smile”. Mother Teresa also had come here, noticed one of his legacy: “When you want to contribute to the world peace, go back home take good care of your family”. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is similar, note the essence of his teaching: “The most important thing is to  help, if you can not help do not to harm”.

Heritage of the people who entered the gate of perfection just around this: “smile, loving-kindness and compassion, providing hands to help”. Although a lot of help been provided, the people of this type do not allow the help to make them so arrogant. Mainly because in the level of perfection secret is opened, no one to give, no one to receive, no process of giving too. Everything is the perfect dance of the same perfection. Once arrived here, then there is possibility to  have “perfect rest” in happiness.