The Secret That's Not A Secret
Photo by Daniel Mingook Kim on Unsplash
I want to tell you a secret. But the thing about it is, it’s not a secret. People have been talking about this since the beginning of time. It’s the secret to being happy.
Do you want to be happy? I mean what else is there to want in life. Everything we do is in order to somehow be happy. OK, I’m not going to lie, I’m not always happy after knowing the secret, but I’m happier. It’s something. It’s a lot actually.
I have a chemical imbalance formally called Bipolar Disorder. This causes me to have emotional spikes that are very high, where I’m very energetic, sometimes delusional, and very ecstatic. It also causes lows that lead to deep depression. I have been fighting this disorder for my entire life.
I have tried a multitude of medication combinations. They made things better, but they didn’t like make everything better. I know I need these medications for the rest of my life, and they are helping. But I needed something to add to this.
I discovered that when I meditate, just sit down and breathe slowly and repeat a mantra, Waheguru, which is the Sikh name for god, I don’t suffer from the highs and lows. I feel peace, I feel even and I even feel happy.
I have not meditated occasionally and found that I feel depressed again. I have to do this every day just like I have to take my medication every day. It is not an option for me to not do this if I want to remain sane.
Perhaps you don’t need this as much as I do. Maybe you are normal. However, most normal average people are kind of miserable I have found. They may not have a chemical imbalance or a cocktail of medications, but they are unhappy nonetheless.
Photo by Ksenia Makagonova on Unsplash
Are you unhappy? Be honest. You don’t have to tell anyone. But be honest with yourself. Are you as happy as you think you could be?
Since I have been meditating for half an hour a day, in the morning, I’m kind of happy. While I am doing the meditation at this point, I feel a feeling of bliss while I am doing the actual sitting meditation.. But that is not the end of it. After that I am happier all day long. I try to make life a living mediation.
You have probably heard this all before. I have probably said this all before. So why am I repeating myself over and over and over again? Well, I repeat the name of god over and over and over again. Repetition get’s a bad rep. It can be really helpful to remember things.
Why do we repeat the name of god you ask? Because in fact we are remembering our true nature, that we in fact are god. I know, I know, saying that you are god sounds ridiculous and egotistical. However it is the truth. You are god. So am I. “The difference between you and me is that I know it.”--Sai Baba. That is the truth. You repeat her name over and over again to remember your true nature. But that is not the end of it. When you are looking around at life, you remember that everything is god. The table, this computer, my cup of coffee. Yes my cup of coffee is god. Does that sound ridiculous? The truth is insane.
Maybe you have to be insane like me to believe the truth. You may think this is all cockamamy bullshit. If it doesn’t ring true for you, then go with that. Find your own truth.
I want to scream about this at the top of my lungs because this has made me so happy. I want to tell everyone, it will solve all your problems. Literally. You won’t be as upset by anything anymore.
You can do meditation any way you want. You could convince me that smoking a cigarette is meditation. I’m not kidding.
Anything you do that relaxes you and if you do it mindfully, it is a meditation. Mindfully just means to notice what you are doing. Like if you are just sitting, notice your breathing. If you are driving in a car, notice your surroundings. Be there.
I always knew that mediation was good for me, but I didn’t realize how good until recently. It has changed my life, I kid you not. I’m not exaggerating.
nina