Connect to Gratitude & True Happiness

In this track we deal with the question, "what is true happiness?" It’s when we let go of attachment to personal needs & appreciate the selflessness of being. Tony Samara explains how in this profound transmission.

Transcript

Then Making sure that if you have anything that's distracting in the background,

Any technologies or any devices,

Making sure that this is put aside or turned off,

Just so that you are open and receptive to the transmission,

Your own inner wisdom.

As you breathe in and breathe out,

Making sure that you let go through the breath,

Through relaxing your body,

Let go of the mundane,

Let go of worries,

Stresses,

The mundane,

That part of experience that very often is connected to what I call the limbic brain,

That impulsive part of ourselves.

Just letting that go.

It's a part of the brain that doesn't always want to listen to another part of the brain known as the neocortex,

And the neocortex is the part of the brain that allows us to see things within a perspective that often means that we have to detach from situations,

Means that we have to step a little bit outside of the impulses,

Outside of the inner forces that are speaking to us in a language that sometimes the limbic brain says I need to right now in this moment think or feel or react or process,

Understand the situation in such a way.

The limbic brain very often allows us to see things within this immediate gratification process that it understands very well.

The neocortex has the ability within meditation,

Within the practice of just allowing yourself to step outside of this very forceful,

Very powerful energy field that the limbic brain creates,

Just stepping outside of that,

The neocortex then has the possibility for us to see things from a different perspective.

One of those perspectives is gratitude,

And it's very difficult to feel gratitude from the paradigms that we often listen to and react from and understand the world from.

These paradigms are all about wants and needs.

Gratitude is something that's so very different from wants and needs that it's almost impossible to understand the truth behind the concept,

Not the conceptual intellectual understanding of gratitude but the experiential understanding of gratitude.

It's almost impossible to understand it without letting go.

So that's part of going a little bit deeper into gratitude,

Which is one of the most powerful ways to allow meditation to be experienced from within the detached and loving and kind perspective is to make sure that whatever your mind is sort of forcing you or manipulating you into thinking,

I'm unhappy or I'm stressed or I'm overwhelmed or I'm caught by this or that or whatever situation,

Whatever is creating that drive within you to sort of react immediately to a situation.

Now that you are in meditation,

Just saying to yourself,

Okay,

I can set this aside and I can begin to look at gratitude from within personal happiness.

It's not the personal happiness of wanting situations to change or wanting specific needs or desires to be fulfilled,

But personal happiness is basically feeling connected to gratitude from within this moment and gratitude is not about fulfilling needs and desires but rather being able to step aside and see things as they are and just feel that the way that life presents itself is perfect.

There is no imperfection.

It's just your concept that creates imperfection.

So gratitude is almost like a gift that is there right in front of you but you can't see it because you're too busy looking the other way.

So as soon as you let go of the tension,

The paradigms,

The manipulations that make your brain,

The limbic part of your brain,

Think and react and want and need certain situations to change or certain situations to create happiness.

As soon as you let that go,

Then it's easier to understand gratitude.

This means you're simply looking in the direction of this gift that is there waiting for your focus,

Your energy to connect to the reality that is very different than that reality that the limbic brain creates.

So it's almost as if you can touch your gift but only when you let go of this immediate instant gratification process that the limbic brain creates.

There is nothing wrong with this process.

The limbic brain is part of your mind,

Part of the brain,

So it's an important part.

But when life gets received through this part of your brain,

Then everything becomes more stressful and due to the stress,

It's impossible to feel a sense of gratitude.

And gratitude means that you are not only compassionate but you're generous with your energy.

It's impossible to feel generous or wanting to give your energy to anything,

Including meditation,

Including the practice,

If that energy is caught in a desire or a need to fulfill an immediate gratification that's been presented as urgent because of the stress or because of the anxiety of your experience being presented as urgent and needing your attention right now.

Then you pull away from the natural aspect of every human being,

And that is to be loving,

Kind,

Generous,

Compassionate,

And just present to life from a state of gratitude.

So as you breathe in and breathe out,

Just giving yourself a few moments to come back to this state of gratitude.

And even if you can't really feel this,

Even if your experience doesn't recognize this gift,

It doesn't matter.

It's simply because you're looking the other way.

So don't begin a process of,

As some people do,

Reacting to the situation because you can't feel gratitude,

So you're saying,

I'm not good enough,

Or I can't feel gratitude because it just doesn't work for me,

And begin to sort of create more stress and anxiety because somehow a need,

Another need is created out of this practice.

I need to feel gratitude.

Gratitude doesn't come out of a need.

It doesn't come out of a desire.

It comes out of the natural space that simply requires that you come back to being receptive to the energy that's within rather than reactive to your thoughts or your feelings or the situations around you.

Compassion which is part of gratitude doesn't mean that you have to get anything or understand anything or connect to anything.

Compassion is a natural state of being,

So it's simply about you recognizing this being.

It's not something that you have to earn or something that life somehow owes to you,

And you can get angry at life or whatever you expect from this energy field,

Life,

The divine,

Whatever being mean to you,

And so you get upset.

Gratitude is an act of intentionality.

That means that you are actually creating an intention to connect from within the space of compassion,

Which starts with compassion towards yourself,

Within the space of compassion to the experience of gratitude.

If you're upset with yourself or you're upset because your attitude or because your experience isn't allowing you the space of gratitude,

Or if you're upset at the divine or the world or people around you or situations around you,

The external,

Because you're unable to connect to this state of gratitude,

Then your intentionality is lost.

You cannot create an intention to open up and be receptive to the gift that is right in front of you,

And that gift is within your experience.

If your experience is lost in conflict,

In stress,

In anxiety,

In a lack of equilibrium,

Then it's very difficult to understand gratitude.

Even if you don't feel or sort of perceive gratitude,

That doesn't matter because it's all about intentionality.

This means that you are understanding that through your intention that this experience is worthwhile.

So you're prioritizing the experience through your intentionality.

So even if you don't feel or cannot even begin to touch anything that relates to gratitude,

Your intention is a personal choice.

If you understand by prioritizing that this state of compassion is one that you choose,

Even if you don't experience what it is that I'm speaking about,

Your intentionality creates the space to understand.

Even if you cannot experience it right now to understand,

You're creating the space within your brain,

The neurons are firing and wiring in such a way where the space is being created so that you connect to the natural gift that's within you,

Within this being that is you,

Beyond your reactive state,

Beyond the limbic brain.

There is a space that you slowly come back to due to this intention that you're creating within your practice.

So as you breathe in and breathe out,

Just come back to the stillness and understand as you create this intention,

The gift that you are receiving or the gift that is there that you're appreciating is only activated within the intentionality of the giver.

This means that you are giving the gift to yourself,

You're giving the space to experience the gift.

This means that your energy moves from the limbic brain's scenario of immediate satisfaction to trust beyond prioritizing and making a personal choice,

You're trusting that gift that I'm speaking about,

That gift that's within your heart is part of your experience.

So as you prioritize and begin to the process of trust,

You begin to trust yourself in this way where the energy is shifting from the limbic brain to the neocortex and you can begin to not simply move towards gratitude,

Which helps you to increase your personal happiness.

You are able to move to a space of depth within yourself that is much more than happiness.

You may be able to feel this right now.

It's a space where even beyond just feeling good within yourself,

You understand that the reflection of this space is allowing everything to feel good,

Not just say your mind or your feelings,

Not even just your body or your energy,

Not even just the space within your body and energy,

But the space that is everywhere.

So you're actually giving.

Gratitude is an act of giving,

Giving the energy that is far beyond giving,

Say being helpful or giving yourself to do certain things or to create certain situations that people recognize as giving.

You're giving energy to the situation.

The being within yourself is now expanding.

It's almost as if you're connecting and through connection giving a positive flow of energy,

A positive power.

This is the positive power of gratitude to the space that is around you beyond the self.

That is one thing that is very important to remember is your intentionality allows you to move deeper into trust as you prioritize the importance of this practice.

It's important to recognize that gratitude is not about the self.

It is a selfless act.

As you selflessly connect to the space around you,

This means that you are just giving for no reason other than the fact that gratitude is the gift of giving.

So as you begin to unravel,

Open up and see that the gift is within you,

Within your being,

And already begin to recognize this as you open up yourself to being more receptive rather than reactive,

What you're doing is opening up to the structure of the gift,

Which is selfless.

Selfless means that you're giving for no other reason,

Even if giving doesn't make you happy in an obvious way that the limbic brain says,

Okay,

I want this,

But I'm not getting this,

I'm not happy.

Why am I giving my energy to all this and all these other situations?

Because I want this and I'm not happy.

As you step beyond that and move into the selfless space of receptivity,

Gratitude begins to function within the space in a very interesting way.

You slowly recognize that happiness isn't just about immediate satisfaction.

Happiness is much more complex.

Personal happiness is not about fulfilling needs and desires.

We know this from science.

We know that happiness is much more complex than just a Western paradigm of fulfilling personal desires and personal needs.

This is the Western paradigm that helps us to keep evolving and creating this so-called evolution of humanity.

But we know this doesn't actually function so very well when it comes to happiness.

Happiness is much more than just personal happiness in that way where the person is focused upon the self.

Happiness is all about being connected.

So this gift of gratitude is recognizing this connection by being selfless.

Now for many people who are already overwhelmed where the limbic brain is functioning over time,

Being selfless is just another demand.

So then all of a sudden you begin to feel more stressed.

But now that you're in meditation,

The space of gratitude doesn't mean that we're asking ourselves to do something more.

We're asking ourselves to let go of the attachment that is created through personal desire and through personal needs and to connect to something much more profound.

And that is the space of being present to this moment.

And that in itself reveals gratitude in its multiple dimensions.

So as you breathe in and breathe out,

All you have to do is let go.

Deep breath.

Let go.

And as you begin to appreciate gratitude,

The selflessness of being,

As you begin to connect to the space around you,

As your neurons begin to fire and wire within the neocortex and expand your perspective,

Not just to be more open and receptive,

But expand your perspective so there is a connection to your being and the being that is the universe,

Then happiness is a natural result of this wonderful perspective that you are enabling yourself through this meditational intention that you set forth right now,

Every time,

Every time you breathe in and breathe out.

Deep breath,

Letting go.

Deep breath.

Letting go,

Relaxing.

As you continue exploring this gift of gratitude and understanding that gratitude is not a strategy or tactic for feeling better or for increasing personal happiness or for fulfilling needs and desires created by the paradigms that we believe to be the truth of reality or that are created by the limbic brain of immediate satisfaction has to happen right now,

We understand that what we are connecting to is this present moment,

Something much more than the concepts and brain manipulations that happen through thoughts and through feelings because of the limbic brain,

Then we understand that gratitude means that our activity,

The energy that we place within the activity of what we are experiencing is not only to feel good,

But to do things that are good for ourselves.

This means that we also treat ourselves with compassion.

This is very important because it's so subtle.

Treating yourself with compassion means that you are kind and compassionate and loving and patient and receptive,

Not only to situations around you,

But to the space within yourself that's being created through your awareness,

Through your consciousness.

And this requires an intention also.

The intention to cultivate and strengthen this practice is in itself part of the experience of gratitude.

So now as you relax and you let go of this movement of energy that forces you to act out and feel or think immediately,

You're sort of receptive to the positive power that is within life.

As you create this intention to be a little bit more receptive,

A little bit more,

Creating a little bit more space within your activity so that you're able to do other things and just get caught by the energy of those thoughts or the energy of those feelings.

Activity means that you do something.

It's very important.

Part of meditation is always being active in a conscious sort of way.

So being active,

For example,

Connecting to your breath is a state of activity.

Connecting to your body,

Relaxing your body is a state of activity that comes from this power,

This positive power that is recognized when you allow yourself this personal freedom where you can choose either to be free of the situation or to connect to whatever is driving whatever energy that's driving you to think or feel in,

Say,

An ungrateful way or the negative way.

You have a choice.

So now you have a choice that goes even more deeper than this because you've made this choice already.

That choice is reminding yourself of what gratitude means.

Sometimes this practice means that we have to write down things.

This is why I'm always speaking about a journal because sometimes we have to remind ourselves because the power of the limbic brain is so intense that when you're feeling stressed or feeling negative or feeling that things aren't flowing and you're overwhelmed and that feeling sometimes is so very powerful it helps you to forget about the positives that are present in your life.

And so writing down is one way to remember what is important,

The choices that you're making and the positive choices that you're making and remembering those choices by writing them down is a very,

Very powerful way to cultivate the positive power of gratitude.

Gratitude is not just about saying,

Oh yeah,

Of course I felt good when that time back then,

You know,

That's the positive power of gratitude is bringing this experience into the moment.

Because gratitude is born out of the space that is present in your experience.

It's this present moment and connecting to this present moment.

So the positive power of gratitude can be remembered in your,

In whatever you're doing,

Say in your thoughts or your feelings by writing down those things that could be as simple as I'm grateful just to be alive or I'm grateful just to be able to eat this beautiful fresh apple or I'm grateful because of,

And you can write down a few things that help your brain to switch from the natural inclination that the limbic brain creates,

Which is to connect to what is known as the negative bias,

To connect to problems,

To try to resolve those problems,

To worry about those problems and come back to awareness.

And awareness means that you're moved beyond the limbic brain's connection to the negative bias and you are receptive to your experience from a new positive space.

And writing is a very powerful way to connect to your brain,

The switch.

So it doesn't mean that you have to spend lots and lots of time doing this,

Just a few moments every day.

Perhaps after your meditation,

Some people prefer to draw the positive aspects,

But writing is also important because it helps the mind to conceptualize and bring the experience down to a level that is part of the thinking that most Western people are very focused upon in their experience.

So writing in a journal just helps to shift our thoughts from this attachment to the negative bias and come back to a state of gratitude and remembering that gratitude from mindfulness or from awareness.

And when you do this,

We know from science that we change our thoughts,

We change the way that we think.

We change our thoughts simply because you begin to remember more of what is real,

What is important to focus on,

And bring that energy into your true activity,

Into your present moment awareness.

And so you're making a real choice when you do this to focus upon the positive rather than being caught worrying,

Stressing about the negative.

It's a practice that sometimes takes a little bit of time,

And it's a practice that is sometimes important to do just before you sleep because,

And you don't need to write these things down,

But you can make a choice to remember those aspects of gratitude that you have understood in this meditation at night because at night is when the limbic brain tends to more easily switch into worry or switch into,

Oh,

Things aren't so good.

And because your neocortex is somehow asleep or more relaxed,

If you don't make that conscious choice to move away from this manipulation that the limbic brain has been taught to think this is okay because our paradigm is to fulfill,

Our Western culture paradigm is to fulfill needs and desires,

This is okay.

If we don't make a conscious sort of choice to move away from that space of worry,

Then that worry at night tends to become very strong.

We can really get into negative thoughts.

This is why it's so important to surround yourself with conscious reminders,

Not to watch say a movie at night or listen to the news,

Which is negative because that tends to manipulate the mind into thinking about more negativity.

So it's important just before you fall asleep that you have a ritual where mindfulness or awareness is very much part of your activity and the choices that you make within this conscious mindful space helps you to grow and helps to transform your inner world from one that is caught in negative thoughts to one that naturally connects to the space of gratitude.

So you can remember you can do this just before you fall asleep by remembering the beautiful things,

Making sure that your mind,

Even if it naturally wants to move to worry,

Making sure that the activity of your mind remembers what gratitude means.

That means you can't just expect it to happen by itself.

For some people this means that you really need to move the neurons to come back to that part of the neocortex that appreciates the space rather than needs to fulfill the part of the brain that needs to fulfill them right now,

Say worry.

Worry is a need.

It's not a natural state of being.

So as you move away from this before you sleep and remember the state of gratitude that you have now practiced during the day,

You've practiced during these hours,

Then your mindfulness becomes so much more powerful because your meditation is not just something that you do in the morning or in the evening,

But your meditation is part of the ritual of falling asleep and part of your sleep.

So you begin to remember gratitude in your sleep.

So your sleep connects to not that part of the limbic brain that is sort of nervous and stressed but connects to that part of your inner being where the qualities of gratitude become more obvious in your sleep,

In your dream,

In your dreams.

You'll notice that this state of gratitude expands because the space,

Even if not recognized,

Recognized by your mind is very much about connection.

So in your dreams you begin to connect to the positive rather than the negative.

This is a very,

Very powerful way to remember that gratitude is about coming back to the natural happiness that is your birthright.

So you breathe in and breathe out.

That's the choice that you can make in every moment.

Do I forget the gift of life,

The gift that is my birthright,

And get caught in the worries and whatever that the limbic brain creates for me and get lost in that so that I feel that I don't have a choice?

Or do I create within my meditational practice,

Within my intentional activity,

The space to remember the gift,

The gift of being alive,

This gift of appreciation that goes beyond the self,

The appreciation of just being here?

As you remember this in your dreams or in the way that you write in your journal or in the way that you put meditation into practice,

Then you will notice that the positive power of happiness gives you more strength,

Gives you this space where it's easier and it gets easier with every little practice that you put into motion,

With every little meditation that you practice.

Even if it's for a minute or two minutes,

With every little meditation that you're putting into practice,

Happiness becomes more obvious.

Deep breath.

May wish to continue for a few more moments,

Just in stillness,

Open and receptive,

Connecting to the space.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

You're welcome.

Reviews

What a perfect relatively quick reminder on the importance of creating a daily gratitude practice! Thank you! 🙏🏾