If you want to experience rich, enlightened bliss, then you have two role models to choose from:
The first are monks and yogis with decades of practice. These are the kind of people who, even without speaking, radiate an intense and loving presence. When they look at a person, a flower, a sunrise, they see the inner beauty and are captivated by it.
Your other role models are dogs and children.
It’s hard to imagine being a dog. Every time you see someone or go out, it’s the most amazing thing. Even something that happens every day leaves you gasping with excitement.
However, maybe you can remember when you were a child.
Once upon a time, everything was new, confusing and mysterious. That’s how most kids see the world…and they’re weirdly happy about it.
There is a special taste of joy that comes naturally to some children.
However, it is rare among adults.
Unless, of course, they’ve unlearned some painful lessons. If they peeled the onion and discarded what they didn’t need, then there’s a chance that light will shine through.
If you want to feel joy, train yourself to see familiar things in new ways.
This is how dogs, monks and children see the world. It is also the source of his pure and enlightened joy.
How many trees do you walk or drive by each week? Probably more than you realize. You have places to be. Also, only weirdos and hippies stop to marvel at trees, right?
Now there is something worth unlearning.
A part of your inner mind explores the world in search of interesting things. Your unconscious looks for dangers and opportunities. It is worth noticing any food, rivals, companions, predators, fires, and trading opportunities around you.
The problem is when you fall into the habit of dismissive thinking. It trains you not to see what is around you.
That tree is not interesting because it is just a tree.
That car is not interesting because it is cheap and ugly.
This person? They are not interesting because they are boring.
This opportunity is not interesting and I don’t know why.
Some people walk with their eyes open but totally oblivious. No wonder they can’t find happiness in “normal” things. If you’ve trained your mind to erase details, then you won’t see what makes everything special.
However, you can correct this oversight. My favorite tool is self-hypnosis. You can remember the whims of your childhood, or you can imagine what it is like to be fascinated by everything.
This takes practice and is easier in a trance state.
And once it becomes a habit, it stops being something you do and becomes something you are.