Th following reflections are excerpts from a few assignments that I found the most meaningful: The Book of Joy reflection, Awake video by Eckhart Tolle on benefits of being in a more present state of mind, and the course book, Twelve Steps to Inner Peace.

The Book of Joy Jacqui G. Haas

By Douglas Abrams, Penguin Random House, Published in 2016

‘Lasting happiness cannot be found in the pursuit of any goal or achievement. It does not reside in fortune or fame. It resides only in the human heart and mind’. I chose to read, The Book of Joy interviews of Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu, this quote from the preface struck me. These two men are selfless individuals that have deep concerns for humanity. The editor Douglas Abrams was a lucky man to have experienced their conversations. I would give this book 5 stars!

The four best ideas I took away from this book:

1. Joy is bigger than happiness

2. Mental immunity

3. How to live with joy despite day-to-day troubles

4. The blending of science and meditation

1. The archbishop believes that joy is much bigger than happiness, happiness comes from a short-lived external moment while joy is deeply embedded in who we are and how we react to situations. The Dalai Lamai believes joy comes from a deep sense of kindness and compassion, particularly when it involves doing good deeds for others. I never realized there was a difference between happiness and joy, but joy does seem to be a deeper spiritual sensation.

2. The Dalai Lama speaks about mental immunity or learning how to avoid destructive emotions and create positive ones. Desmond Tutu suggests accepting destructive emotions and learn to forgive yourself for having them. I realize each opinion has merit, but sometimes it can be challenging to control negative emotions. While the objective is to avoid destructive emotions, we must forgive ourselves for negative emotions, let them go, and continue to strive to do our best.

3. ‘Taking care of others, helping others, ultimately is the way to discover your own joy’. Developing a strong sense of compassion can help find empathy which leads to a better sense of joy. The Dalai Lama shared an experience where he was suffering from acute and severe gall bladder pain. Along the way to the hospital in Bihar, India he saw people suffering from poverty and disease, one man was lying in the street, dying. The Dalai Lama felt so much compassion for the dying man he forgot about his pain. Some suffering may be necessary to develop empathy, suffering teaches us to shift our focus onto others. Showing compassion for others creates joy in our selfless hearts.

4. Buddhist tradition believes that, upon dying, one will have no pain, bodily and mental states will end, and a clear light arises. The Dalai Lama meditates on this process daily in preparation for that day. Desmond Tutu isn’t sure where prayer ends, and meditation begins, but he spends time every morning participating in both. After reading their chapter on meditation, I found the science behind it most interesting. The integrated fibers of the middle prefrontal cortex can settle the over-reactive emotional structures of the brain during meditation. Meditation can help expand our ability to stop and choose a better response to a problematic situation.

One last thought, a Joy Meditation practice is listed in the book that guides the reader through the eight pillars and is meant to calm the mind to find inner peace and joy. The science behind meditation practice gives it validity. This is a practice I am now participating in it gives me a healthier view of situations I find frustrating. Even though fear and frustration are inevitable it is how we choose to address them which will ultimately determine how to find a joyful life.

Eckhart Tolle, Reflection on Presence Jacqui G. Haas

Eckhart Tolle is a spiritual teacher who focuses on the importance of being more present in every moment which is an awakened state of being. The awakened state interrupts the disruptive ego.

Eckhart Tolle’s readings on being in a state of ‘no mind’ is inspiring. It makes sense to release past and future thoughts because they really don’t exist anyway. It will take a lot of practice to find silence in the mind and just enjoy being in the moment, but it can be done. The perceptions that our mind tells us, particularly when it comes to the past creates barriers. We begin to hide behind the barriers and believe the perceptions are true. Releasing the barriers and learning from the past can certainly be liberating if we are able to do it. Once you realize the perceptions and barriers never really existed, you can be free to enjoy living in the present moment.

The ego might be the root of all evil. The ego creates a distorted view of how important we think we are. The constant need to be better than others, to have more material objects than others, and to always be right, prohibits us from living in our reality. Perhaps someone with a large ego is overcompensating for a lack of self-esteem and love for themselves. Perhaps they are ignorant and weak but, once they are aware of how a troubled ego works, they can begin to heal and live with freedom. A boss wants it done his way, another driver on the road wants you out of his way because his schedule is more important, a supposed friend needs to feel more superior, are all examples of a troubled ego and it is all around us. Maybe if we made decisions for a greater good instead of our own personal desires there would be less ego, more compassion, and more appreciation of being in the present moment.

Twelve Steps to Inner Peace with Empowering Spiritual Tools Jacqui G. Haas

by Premlatha Rajkumar and Sheryl Lynn Christian

This book was a meaningful journey of awareness. Each chapter brought thought-provoking discoveries that have been long overdue. The ‘forgiving’ chapter helps anyone caught up in the heartache of being unable to forgive someone for past and painful incidents. Perhaps some of us think we should forgive others but making it happen is another story. Deeply looking at how lack of forgiveness affects us is an important aspect of finding inner peace. Without forgiveness, one will live in a place of anger and revengeful thoughts which can be debilitating. Anger and revenge don’t affect the person we can not forgive, it affects us. To avoid anger, revenge, and the ultimate suffering that follows, we must learn to forgive and move on. The painful incidents are in the past and don’t exist anymore. Forgiving and moving on is difficult and needs to be practiced. The forgiveness chapter ended with forgiveness affirmation tools to practice daily. Each affirmation can be repeated to help us think deeper about forgiveness which will lead to inner peace.

The ’gratitude’ chapter reminds us to be more mindful and observant of every beautiful moment around us. Every moment is a blessing and should be appreciated and celebrated. Trusting in our existence and being grateful for the gifts bestowed upon us leads to feelings of joy. Reflecting often on our gifts helps us to see the world in a different light. We begin to acquire more self-respect and a higher sense of self-esteem. We become a better parents, friends, or siblings. Gratitude in the workplace improves working relationships creating peace and harmony. Daily gratitude journaling or meditation is a helpful spiritual tool to remind us of the importance of realizing the abundances in our lives.

Chapter 11 was an enlightening read. When speaking of relationships, it is important to have a compassionate few of our self before we can have a healthy relationship with others. Harmony and humility begin with loving ourselves. We tend to tell ourselves stories that may or may not be true. Stories that affect relationships, the ego-mind stories keep us in a place of darkness. We can not experience true harmony and love if we are living with stories that control our thoughts. We are the only ones responsible for our harmony, we cannot blame others for our inability to find inner peace.

Twelve Steps to Inner Peace is a book I have recommended to family, friends, and students. Inner peace, which ultimately brings joy to our lives, begins inside everyone. We must take a deep look at how we see the world, what our mind thinks about all relationships and how we live our lives to find peace.