In the late 1960s, Donovan released a song with the lyrics “Happiness runs in a circular motion.” Paradoxically, recognizing and accepting the cyclical nature of happiness is key to being happy. We usually experience happiness when our expectations or desires are met. We get the job promotion we are seeking. Our offer for a house is accepted at a price we can afford. A relationship develops the way we were hoping. Our happiness is the result of reaching a certain point along the circle of life.
And yet, almost inevitably, the same situation or circumstance that brings us happiness at one point in time offers us discontent or distress at another. The new job requires us to work much longer hours than anticipated. The house needs a lot more work than we expected. The relationship turns out to be more challenging than we imagined when we were in the early infatuation stage. The only stable thing we can count on in life is that everything changes. This invariability of change that brings both joy and sadness is the primary driver for a spiritual life. The essence of spirituality is the quest to embody the field of non-change in the midst of ever-changing reality.
From a Vedic perspective, human beings have the capacity to know relative reality as the dimension of change and absolute reality as the domain of consciousness that underlies and gives rise to the changing world of form and phenomena.
In every experience we can tease-out a three-fold division: the experience, the process of experiencing and the one who is having the experience. The experiences change but the silent witness to the experience provides the non-changing continuity to our existence. We have been traveling along the circle of life for longer than we can remember. We can recall experiences as children, teenagers, and young adults that brought us happiness and sadness in life.
Expanding our sense of self to embrace the dimension of non-change residing in our soul enables us to tap into a state of bliss that transcends the ups and downs of life. Traveling inward through the regular practice of meditation is key to awakening this field of imperturbable happiness. From this expanded perspective we can relax and enjoy the circular ride of life.
