One quality that is important to develop spiritually is to be loving and kind to all. This is often symbolized by one physical gesture that each of us can learn to make. We can bring joy into our environment just by smiling. A smile on our face can brighten the lives of all we meet. When we face life’s challenges, it is hard to smile. When we have problems at work and the boss is making difficult demands on us it may be hard to smile. When we think we have done our best work, yet we are criticized for our mistakes, we tend to frown. When we find others getting a promotion or raise, but we are at the same job with the same pay, our face shows our unhappiness. It is sometimes difficult for parents to smile when their baby is waking them up in the middle of the night. It is hard for parents to smile when they are taking care of the child’s every need at the expense of their own. Whether it is changing a diaper, feeding the child at all hours of the day or night, or dealing with a child’s temper tantrums when they want something you know is not good for them, it is hard to keep smiling. But if we can learn to smile in the face of the challenges of parenting, we will be providing a model for that child to also grow up and smile in the face of life’s difficulties. This will bring one more smiling person into the world.
Laughter and smiling has a role in improving our health too. Studies on the value of smiling show that they release hormones such as endorphins that have the power to make us feel happy. When the body is flooded with these chemicals produced by our own body, they not only raise our spirits but fortify our immune system. Thus, when we smile, our immune system is stronger, and we are better able to resist diseases when in good health. Some may have experienced that when they are in a good mood, feeling happy, they may be around people who have a cold or flu but do not seem to succumb to those illnesses. But when we are sad, run down, or depressed, we may find that our immune system is not strong enough. Thus, in the same circumstances, when around others who are ill, we seem to also get sick. Similarly, if we are already ill but remain positive and happy with a smile on our face, researchers report that we can cut down the time of our illness and heal faster. Another thing the doctors encourage to speed up healing is meditation. Studies have been done to show that relaxation and meditation can speed up the healing process. How? They can put us in a state of calm, in which the body is producing hormones that make us feel good. This aids the healing process.
Smiling is a wonderful way to dispel a tense situation. It helps relieve the pressure of life and puts us in a relaxed state. Going jolly and laughing has a component to our mental health. Those same happy hormones can keep us feeling mentally good. This can help turn around the feeling of being in the doldrums. Life hands each of us problems. No one is immune from difficulties. We may think we alone are filled with worries but listen to the tale of every person and each suffers as much as we do in his or her own way. It is said that if everyone puts their problems into a pile in the middle of the earth and were asked to pick a set of problems from that pile, after examining the problems of others, each would pick his or her own set of problems again. We would realize that others’ circumstances are not much better than our own, and sometimes they may even be worse. Problems are a normal part of life. It is up to us whether we choose to be depressed about them and go about with sadness surrounding us, or we choose to smile. Our problem may not go away immediately, but we can face them boldly. When we have a problem, being sad creates a secondary problem, because our mental state is agitated and our immune system weakens.
One of the quickest ways to put a smile on our lips is through meditation. When we meditate, we are tapping into a source of all happiness and bliss. Those who experience God refer to God as all consciousness, all truth, and all bliss. Our soul is a drop of that ocean. When we meditate, we are connecting with our soul, our true essence, which is bliss. In meditation, when we focus at the seat of the soul, a doorway opens that leads us into the realms beyond. Carried on a stream of Light and Sound, the same essence as God, we swim along this river of bliss which leads to the eternal infinite ocean of bliss. Immersed in this ecstasy, we are far removed from the pains and sorrows of life. Our soul is filled with happiness so much so that we become one big eternal smile. When we emerge from our meditation, we carry that happiness with us the rest of the day. Thus, no matter who we meet or what situation we are in, we are shored up by the bliss from within. This helps us deal with life’s problems in a state of internal happiness. We may still have to deal with outer problems, but we are not affected within.
Picture an astronaut leaving the safety of a space capsule to fix it or do an experiment in space. His spacesuit is equipped to keep the temperature at the right level and to protect him from any particles floating in space. He can maneuver difficult work outside because he is in a safety bubble. Similarly, when we meditate, we are immersed in a safety bubble of happiness and peace. This protects us from the dangers and problems we encounter in life. When we experience the inner joy, we naturally can go about our day experiencing happiness. Thus, it is easy to keep a broad smile on our lips.
So let us 'go jolly' and turn our long face into a smiling face as we go about our life. We will find we are not only happier ourselves but that it has a ripple effect. We add happiness to our environment. The people around us in turn radiate happiness, which returns to us. Over time, this smiling atmosphere spreads. Little by little, smiles will emanate from us to our households. From our households, it spreads to our neighborhoods and communities. Then each community, spreading happiness, can radiate to the whole world. Let us bring forward the happiness we experience in meditation to our outer lives and make sure we wear a smile wherever we go and gift a smile to whoever we meet.
Next week check out for Blog "Antidote To Stress".
Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj is an internationally recognized spiritual Master who teaches meditation on the inner Light and Sound as building blocks for achieving spiritual illumination. Social and civic leaders throughout the world have praised Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj for his deep wisdom and efforts in promoting inner and outer peace. Visit www.sos.org
.jpg)
COMMENTS