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Karma Talk
with Swami
Beyondananda
Dear Swami:
You've written a lot
about humor and laughter, but I haven't seen
you say anything about happiness. Could
you expound on the nature of true happiness?
Lynn C. Doyle,
Los Altos, California
Dear Lynn:
First of all, let me
say that I am not an exponent of expounding. Bashing
former mates may feel good in the short run, but it is
not the way to lasting happiness. However, I will
answer your question anyway.
It is true that in
recent years, the pursuit of happiness has become one of
our society's favorite pastimes. But like the dog
chasing a car, the thrill is in the pursuit -- it is
rare indeed to see a dog lounging in the sun munching
contentedly on a Toyota. And in fact, a billion
dollar consumer industry has grown up to encourage this
pursuit -- an industry that would likely go out of
business if enough people actually found the happiness
they doggedly pursue.
Sadly, money can't buy
happiness -- even though it can rent it for a while.
Ask anyone who's had a near-debt experience, and they
will tell you the pleasure of having can rarely make up
for the pressure of owing.
Happiness is an inside
job, and when we embody happiness in the now we find
that it pursues us rather than the other way around.
Take, for example, the contention that low frequencies
can cause depression. Studies show that folks whose
frequency is once or twice a year tend to be more
depressed than those whose frequency is more frequent --
like three times a week.
And yet, I remember
meeting a man whose frequency was extremely low, and yet
I've never seen anyone happier or more aglow. I
had to ask how he did it. "You've just
told me your frequency is once every six years, and yet
you're smiling as if you're the happiest man on earth.
Why is that?"
"Because tonight's the
night," he replied.
And when we're happy
in the here and now, tonight is always the night.
* * * *
Dear Swami:
By now, you will have
revealed Elvis's message for the millennium to those who
have gathered at your shows. Well, how about the
rest of us Presleyterians. Can we hear the King's
message as well?
Juan Knight,
Memphis, Tennessee
Dear Juan:
Well, you may not be
able to hear Elvis's message, but you can
certainly see it. The message, which came to me
during a visit to the Shrine of the Velvet Elvis in
Toledo, contains the titles of 31 Elvis songs:
Hymn to the King
I got stung one night
Now and then there's a fool such as I
I'm all shook up, I'm in a mess of blues
It's now or never, Big Hunk of Love
I need Your love tonight
And I won't step on Your blue suede shoes
Love me tender, please surrender,
return to sender
Love me tender, please surrender, return to sender
Lovin' You is too much
I wanna be your teddybear
I'll even wear your ring around my neck
My wish came true I'm stuck on you
Now I don't feel so bad
Because You're the Big Boss Man
You're the King by heck
Love me tender, please surrender,
return to sender
Love me tender, please surrender, return to sender
Don't ask me why I follow that
dream
You Hunk of Burning Love
I'm Yours so treat me right I beg of You
Suspicious minds tell me why
You're the devil in disguise
But I can't help falling in love with You
Love me tender, please surrender,
return to sender
Love me tender, please surrender, return to sender
This
Month's Unanswerable Question
Dear Swami:
I want to share with you something I
just realized about shiatsu... There are two kinds of ki:
yin and yang. Sometimes ki gets stuck and causes
pain or disease. The purpose of shiatsu is to move
the stuck energy out of the body, back to the ground or
the sky where it is supposed to be. In other
words, the purpose of shiatsu is to make that yang ki go
home.
Philip Heller,
Mountain View, California
* * * *
Read also:
"Who
Is Swami Beyondananda?"
and
more
articles from the Swami
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