happiness

HAPPINESS 

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The reason why somebody really is not happy, is because  they don't really know yet who they are. That's the only reason. If you really were aware of who you really are, your  real nature, happiness would exude from every pore of your body. It's just wonderful. Happiness is. There is really 

no reason for anyone to be unhappy. 

People who are unhappy take the world too seriously. They take themselves too seriously. They take life too  seriously. They think things are real, and they're going to last. It makes no difference what position you’re in right  now. It makes no difference what's going on in your life. It makes no difference where you are, or who you are. The  only thing you have to do is come to terms with yourself. When you understand yourself, how can you possibly be 

unhappy? Your self is the self of the universe. Your self is consciousness. 

Consciousness is just being conscious of 

your happiness, being totally conscious. When you're totally conscious you have to be happy. 

Why? 

Because what  we call happiness is the substratum of existence. It's the underlying cause of everything. 

Do not judge by appearances. Do not look at things and believe that's the way they are. Live in the moment. 

Can you  be unhappy in the moment? 

The only reason, again, you're unhappy is because you're thinking of some condition or  situation you don't like. 

True? 

You're thinking about something from the past or you're worried about something 

that's going to happen in the future. That's the only reason you're sad or unhappy. But if you learn to live in the  moment, if you learn to become aware now, how can you possibly be unhappy? 

Because now is bliss. 

Just don't think. Experience now. If you're really not thinking and you're experiencing now, you're in bliss. Now is reality. Now is ultimate oneness. Now is liberation. But as soon as you allow your mind to tell you, "Oh this is  nothing but a bunch of b.s.," why do you think so? You are thinking of a condition, you are thinking of a situation in 

your life that you don't like. You're thinking of something that's wrong some place, somewhere. And you believe it's  going to last forever. 

We do not change conditions. We change ourselves. As you know, you've changed conditions most of your ife, and  when you get into a new situation, everything seems rosy. But then after a while you turn right back to your old  ways. The novelty has worn off and again you're unhappy. You therefore have to do things to be happy. You have to  watch a lot of TV, or go to the movies, or read newspapers, or read books, or get involved in some kind of situation, 

so you don't think. The only reason you get involved in all kinds of physical, material situations, is so you will not  have to think. You will be too busy to think. But when you're alone, when you're by yourself, when there is no one  around, how long can you sit by yourself before you become mad at yourself or angry over something, and you turn  on the TV, or drink a bottle of beer, or go bowling, or do something. 

Even those of you who go look at nature, climb mountains, enjoy flowers and the trees, are doing so because you  really believe that the joy, and the love, and the experience you see out there is external to you. So even the beauty  of the so called world is erroneous. You're running away from something. You're looking for beauty outside of  yourself. You have to learn that you are the beauty. You are the joy. You are the flowers that you enjoy so much. 

You are the trees and the ocean and the sky and the mountains. It's all coming from you. 

If you really realize that you are that, would you run around seeking things? 

Everything that you want is within you. 

You are that. Even relationships. You look for relationship with someone so they can make you happy, so you can  enjoy their company, so you can love them, so you can be with them. But I can assure you that within yourself is a  greater love, a greater joy, a greater peace than you can ever find anywhere else. True. You've got it all. There is  nothing, no thing that you need from the outside. And nothing can ever happen to you, because there is no one to  make it happen, except yourself. 

When you begin to think erroneously, you imagine all sorts of things are going to happen to you. You imagine that  you’ll lose your job, that you'll be bankrupt, you'll get sick, you'll die from disease. You have all kinds of  imaginings. This is the only thing that makes you miserable. If you can only learn to look within, if you can only  learn to dive deep within yourself and identify with the self, merge with the self, I can't begin to tell you the joy you would feel. 

There is nowhere you have to go. 

There is no one you really have to meet. There is no thing you have to  do. 

You simply have to be yourself. 

You are the joy of the world. 

~ The Collected Works of Robert Adams.