Expert: Judy - 9/5/2009

Question
What then is Eternal Happiness?
How do I obtain it?
Can you provides with a diagram of Eternal Happiness?

Answer
Hi, Henry,

Thank you for the question.  

In general, happiness, as all sadness, disappointment, and emotions, is temporary.  This is due to our influence by external conditions, such as time, material, people, desires, and etc.  The emotions we are feeling are NOT derived from our TRUE-SELF.  On the contrary, eternal happiness is within each one of us human beings.  We all have the potentials to obtain it through self-realization.  We all have the seeds already and can have eternal happiness, yet the seeds sit there awaited for sprouting.

It is very difficult to just describe the ways to obtain it by writing out a few paragraphs, for it involves many aspects, as well as personal experiences, spiritual development, and causes and conditions.  Especially, this topic is not like math, which you can pretty much have any formulas and follow them to get the right answers.  Thus, there is no diagram of eternal happiness.

However, I am trying my best to explain it in the simplest way.  Eternal happiness is not something that our loved ones, money, materials, or etc can give to us.  We obtain it through practice.  Some people have one big sudden but complete enlightenment, while others take a long time to have many small sections of enlightenment and self-realization.  It all depends on all the conditions, your practice, experiences, and karmic path.  The practice is very simple, for it does not need anything else but yourself.  However, just because it is so simple, people ignore it.   This practice is called full-awareness.  It becomes hard for us to be aware even for a few minutes, for we have not practiced awareness for a long time.    When you are fully aware of all your thoughts, physical movements, all senses, and surroundings, you are in the state of eternal happiness.  It is the ultimate equanimity.  You become an observer, rather than someone who is affected by conditions.