Awareness of happiness

Experiments with happiness and awareness

The Meditation Second for now:

Being aware of what makes me happy. Now!

Benefits:

We think we know what makes us happy, yet we don't. Be aware of what makes you really happy. It may be very small things, something like breathing slowly or listening to inner sounds or relaxing the belly ... Find out what makes you happy - this moment become aware of happiness and it might turn into bliss.

Osho on the awareness of happiness

Without awareness happiness means nothing

"What is happiness if you are not aware? You may be the king of the whole world and if you are not aware what does it mean? Animals live in a kind of happiness, but unaware, not knowing that they are happy. Without knowing that you are happy, happiness means nothing. It is better to be miserable, but knowing is a must.

Happiness can become bliss

Socrates is reported to have said, "Even if I am going to be miserable, I would like to be a Socrates rather than a satisfied pig. An unsatisfied Socrates I would like to be, but not a satisfied pig." What is he saying? He is saying awareness is more valuable than any happiness, because only in awareness does happiness become bliss."

Osho, excerpted from The Wisdom of the Sands, Vol. 2, Chapter 2

Osho on aloneness and happiness

Happiness is autonomous

"Remember, this is one of the indications of a man of awareness: he can be happy alone. His happiness is as perfect alone as when he is together with somebody else. His happiness no more depends on anybody else, his happiness is autonomous. Now he can share, now he can give. And he has too much, and it goes on flowing, and it goes on coming...and what is he going to do with it? He has to share it."

Osho, excerpted from Zen: The Path of Paradox, Vol. 2, Chapter 2

Happiness is not enough - an Osho quote

Happiness without the ego

"Who is really happy? Are you happy by being just alive? You are not; the whole world is so miserable. So one thing can be deduced, and can be deduced unconditionally, that just by being alive one is not bound to be happy. Just being alive is not enough to be happy - something more is needed to be happy, something "plus." Life plus awareness...then happiness arises, because in awareness, in the light of awareness, the darkness of ego disappears.

By happiness and awareness death disappears

Now, when life has a plus point of awareness great things happen. First: the ego disappears. and with the ego disappears death, because only ego can die - because ego was born. With ego, birth has disappeared, death has disappeared. With ego, your separation from existence has disappeared."

Osho, excerpted from Tao: The Pathless Path, Vol. 1, Chapter 1