MISSION HAPPINESS

I served the Bank for thirty-five years. It provided me bread and butter and gave me a respectable place in the society. As I was nearing my retirement, a thought of giving back came to my mind. I wanted to make others happy.

Laughter yoga generates a lot of feel good hormones, positive vibes, and cheer. It is a unique concept where any one can laugh for no reason, without the use of jokes, comedy, or humour. I learned the art and science of laughter yoga along with my wife and we soon practised it in small and large groups. We conducted laughter sessions for Nestle, Abercrombie & Kent, Airports Authority of India, schools and colleges, international students, and, of course, our own Bank. It gave us great satisfaction and fulfilment.

Positive psychology is the modern science of happiness. I was always fascinated by it and studied it in great depth after retirement. It taught me to engage deeply in work, play and parenting and to devote my life to a meaningful purpose. We thought of giving even more to the people around us for which we travelled to the Himalayas to learn yoga and meditation.

The Buddha always inspired me, and I wanted to go deeper and deeper into his teachings. It was like a vast ocean and a small drop from the Dhammapada was sufficient to quench my spiritual thirst:

“Abstain from all unwholesome deeds,

Perform wholesome ones,

Purify your mind.

This is the teaching of the Enlightened Ones.”

We conduct sessions on happiness and well-being in the neighbourhood and wherever we are invited. These sessions include inputs from positive psychology, laughter yoga, yoga, meditation, and spirituality. We feel happy and content serving our fellow beings. At the same time, these exercises keep us fit too. Our gratitude to the Bank that provides us safety and security even at this age.

 

-       Jagat Singh Bisht 

आचार्य सत्यनारायण गोयन्का

आचार्य सत्यनारायण गोयन्का ने बुद्ध की ध्यान विधि विपश्यना को शुद्धतम रूप में सारे विश्व में पहुँचाया. उनके इस अमूल्य योगदान के लिए सम्पूर्ण मानवता उनकी हमेशा ऋणी रहेगी.

       विपश्यना बुद्ध द्वारा सिखाई गयी ध्यान की महत्वपूर्ण विधि है. बुद्ध के परिनिर्वाण के पश्चात ५०० वर्ष तक उनकी वाणी और प्रयोगात्मक शिक्षा विपश्यना शुद्ध रूप में कायम रही. उसके बाद धीरे-धीरे वह क्षीण होते होते भारत से पूर्णत: लुप्त हो गयी. बाहर के कुछ देशों में बुद्ध की केवल वाणी कायम रही. लेकिन विपश्यना विद्या केवल बर्मा (अब म्यान्मार) में बहुत थोड़े से लोगों में कायम रखी गयी.  

       आचार्य सत्यनारायण गोयन्का का जन्म बर्मा देश के मांडले शहर में २९ जनवरी १९२४ को  हुआ. उन्होंने कम उम्र में ही अनेक वाणिज्यिक और औद्योगिक संस्थानों की स्थापना की और खूब धन अर्जित किया. वर्ष १९५५ में गोयन्काजी माइग्रेन के सिरदर्द से बहुत दुखी हुए विशेषकर इस दर्द को दूर करने के लिए जो मॉर्फिन के इंजेक्शन दिए जाते थे उनसे बहुत पीड़ित हुए. तब डॉक्टरों की सलाह पर वे सारे विश्व के बड़े बड़े देशों के प्रसिद्ध डॉक्टरों से इलाज कराने गए लेकिन निराशा ही हाथ लगी. उनके एक मित्र ने सुझाव दिया कि उनका यह असाध्य रोग मन से सम्बंधित है और उन्हें मानसिक शांति के लिए विपश्यना ध्यान करना चाहिए.

       सयाजी ऊ बा खिन से गोयन्काजी ने विपश्यना विद्या सीखी और १४ वर्षों तक उनके चरणों में बैठकर अभ्यास करने के साथ बुद्धवाणी का भी अध्ययन किया. १९६९ में वो भारत आये और बम्बई (अब मुंबई) में पहला विपश्यना शिविर एक धर्मशाला में आयोजित किया. इसके बाद देश के अनेक स्थानों पर निरंतर शिविर होते रहे. १९७६ में इगतपुरी में पहला निवासीय विपश्यना केंद्र बना. आज सारे विश्व के ९४ देशों में, ३४१ स्थलों पर, जिनमें से २०२ स्थाई विपश्यना केंद्र हैं, १०-दिवसीय विपश्यना शिविर आयोजित किये जाते हैं. सबका संचालन नि:शुल्क होता है. भोजन, निवास आदि का खर्च शिविर से लाभान्वित साधकों के स्वेच्छा से दिए दान से चलता है.

       आचार्य सत्यनारायण गोयन्का ने बुद्ध की ध्यान विधि विपश्यना को शुद्धतम रूप में सारे विश्व में पहुँचाया. आज भी विश्व भर में, १०-दिवसीय विपश्यना शिविर समान रूप से, पूर्ण अनुशासन में, संचालित होते हैं. शिविर में १० दिन तक साधक मौन रहकर एक भिक्षु की तरह शील-सदाचार का पालन करते हैं, ध्यान-समाधि का गहन अभ्यास करते हैं और बुद्ध की वाणी से ज्ञान-प्रज्ञा जागते हैं. इससे बेहतर अध्यात्म की कार्यशाला शायद ही कहीं कोई और हो. १० दिन में मानो पूरा जीवन ही बदल जाता है. उनके इस अमूल्य योगदान के लिए सम्पूर्ण मानवता उनकी हमेशा ऋणी रहेगी. भारत ही नहीं, विश्व भर में विपश्यना साधना निर्बाध रूप से बढती चली जा रही है और करोड़ों मानव-मानवी इससे लाभान्वित हुए हैं. ध्यान की यह विद्या सीखने हर संप्रदाय और हर वर्ग के लाखों लोग प्रतिवर्ष आते हैं.

       आचार्यजी का व्यक्तित्व अत्यंत मोहक था. एक साधारण मानवी की वेशभूषा, कोई आडम्बर नहीं. चेहरे पर हमेशा मंद-मंद मुस्कान, साधकों के लिए ह्रदय में गहन करुणा भाव लेकिन बाह्य रूप से पूर्णतः अनुशासन-प्रिय. आवाज़ बहुत बुलंद और गहरा प्रभाव डालने वाली. शिविर के दौरान सायंकालीन प्रवचन रोचक प्रसंगों से भरपूर लेकिन कुलमिलाकर धीर-गंभीर और बुद्ध वाणी का सरल भाषा में निचोड़. वैसे भी वे बहुमुखी प्रतिभा के धनी थे – साहित्यकार, हिंदी-सेवी, समाज सेवक और उद्योगपति.

       विपश्यना द्वारा धर्म-सेवा करने के लिए आचार्य सत्यनारायण गोयन्का को अनेकों विशिष्ट अलंकरणों से सम्मानित किया गया. भारत सरकार ने भारत तथा विश्व में सामाजिक सेवाओं के लिए वर्ष २०११ में गोयन्काजी को पद्मभूषण राष्ट्रीय पुरुस्कार से सम्मानित किया. २९ सितम्बर २०१३ को मुंबई में उनका देहावसान हुआ. हमें लगता है कि आज भी कहीं दूर से, अपनी चिर-परिचित मुस्कान और करुणा-भाव से, हम सबको देखते हुए, वो वही आशीर्वचन कहते होंगे जो प्रत्येक संबोधन के उपरांत अपनी असरदार, जादुई वाणी में गायन कर कहते थे – भवतु सब्ब मंगलम! सबका कल्याण हो! सबका मंगल हो!

-    प्रस्तुति: जगत सिंह बिष्ट

      

My Experiments with Happiness

MEDITATION, YOGA, LAUGHTER YOGA, 

THE SCIENCE OF HAPPINESS, SPIRITUALITY

Can we be happy on a continuous basis? 

How can we attain and sustain a tranquil mind? 

Is it possible for us to develop a simple routine that can keep us charged throughout the day? 

Can we prevent stress from arising in our daily life? 

Is there a way to be child-like once again in body, mind and spirit?

These are some of the questions I have been pondering over for more than two decades now. Not just pondering but researching and experimenting. I feel happy and fulfilled that years of hard work has borne fruit and I can now share something worthwhile which will be of great benefit to many.

I began my journey as a behavioural science trainer facilitating people to discover their real self. Sometimes I was with them for long hours and felt satisfied that I was able to help them. But when I went back home, I found it difficult to share the experience I had had during the day with my wife. It felt sad as some of them were valuable experiences indeed.

We, therefore, decided to take up an activity that we could do together. It proved to be our wisest decision ever.

Laughing together

We went to learn laughter yoga and thereafter conducted sessions to bring smiles on the faces around. It was our way of giving back. We had never imagined that we would go so deep into it and engage with participants coming from almost the whole world.

Laughter yoga is one of the happiest activities that one can imagine of. It generates a lot of positivity. It is good for health and generates instant joy. 

Unconditional laughter many a times leads you to a deep meditative state freeing you of all stress and worries of life. It is also a sweet spiritual experience when you can make the depressed ones laugh and the tough ones crack like kids.

Despite numerous positives, we felt that it had its own limitations. It was like a pudding and human beings need wholesome meal for mind and body, heart and soul.

We started exploring yoga nidra – a systematic method for inducing complete physical, mental and emotional relaxation. As we went deeper and deeper, we unearthed hidden treasures. That lead us to the ancient techniques of meditation and subsequently to Buddha’s mindfulness and insight meditation.

The Science of Happiness 

Concurrently, I was following the latest developments in positive psychology. Per its founder, Martin Seligman, the five elements of well-being are positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishment. Being a student of science myself, I have all the reverence for Seligman but, having delved a bit into spirituality, I believe that well-being is not only a construct but is multi-dimensional and much more complex.

Sonja Lyubomirsky, professor of psychology, describes the most effective happiness activities in her book entitled ‘The How of Happiness’. It is interesting that these activities include: practicing religion and spirituality, taking care of your body (meditation), taking care of your body (physical activity), taking care of your body (acting like a happy person).

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, psychologist, finds great similarities between yoga and flow. He considers yoga as a “thoroughly planned flow activity” as both try to achieve a joyous, self-forgetful involvement through concentration, which in turn is made possible by a discipline of the body.

Stephen Covey, Daniel Goleman, Matthieu Ricard and Richard Gere, to name just a few of the luminaries, practice meditation and have deep faith in meditation as a contributing factor for enduring happiness.

Experiments with happiness

Based on our study, we carried out some experiments with happiness. We created and administered four programmes to different sets of participants in different environment.

The first programme is named ‘The Wheel of Happiness and Well-Being’ for participants in a formal set-up like workplace or educational institution. It includes inputs of positive psychology, meditation, yoga, laughter yoga and spirituality. The sessions are well appreciated and the audience find great value in it.

Some people seek peace and serenity. For them we conduct a programme named ‘Meditate like Buddha’ once a week early in the morning. It’s only ingredient is meditation - pure meditation, nothing else. All the participants desire to have the programme daily.

We conduct ‘Happiness boot camp’ on weekends for families in a park. It includes yoga, meditation, laughter yoga and fun activities. The response has been getting better and better.

Then, we also have a longish, multi-dimensional retreat of a week’s duration named ‘East meets West’ which blends the best of modern science with ancient wisdom. Here you learn to make your life happier, meaningful and worthwhile and also train to be a versatile and multi-faceted Happiness and Well-Being Facilitator.

It has plentiful inputs from Positive Psychology, Yoga, Meditation, Laughter Yoga and Spirituality along with special offerings of Yoga Nidra, Surya Namaskara, Anapana Meditation, Sufi Meditation and Happiness Activities.

We have planned one such retreat on the bank of Ganga in the Himalayas at Rishikesh, India from October 1 – 7, 2017. 

Please get in touch with us at lifeskills.happiness@gmail.com in case you are interested.

Having conducted sessions and interacted with thousands of people for years now, we feel that we have the recipe for happiness and well-being with us. Being able to touch lives is the ultimate fulfillment.

Jagat Singh Bisht

Founder: LifeSkills

Email: coolbisht@hotmail.com

Phone: +91 7389938255

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoolBisht

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CoolBisht

Nirvana is an Illusion, Serving for a Cause is Divine

I am penning this piece on the banks of the holy Ganga in the sacred land of Sages and Rishis on the foothills of the Himalayas.

I feel blessed as I am attending an international festival of yoga in Rishikesh. Around me are more than a thousand yoga gurus and yogis from more than a hundred countries. It is but natural to feel high on yoga, meditation and spiritual discourses from 4 am to 10 pm.

Last night was a restless one for me. Thoughts moved as fleeting clouds the whole night in my mind. Is nirvana a necessity or a luxury? Is it for real? Or, is it an illusion, delusion, confusion, or hallucination created by the spiritual guys?

I am an old man now by worldly standards. Even then, I stand on the crossroads like an Arjuna on the battle ground of Kurukshetra, with no Krishna around.

All my life, I tried all the available faiths and doctrines by hit and trial. I did not find much solace anywhere. Finally, I saw a silver lining – the path of the Buddha. Meditation is the quintessence of his teachings. I started practicing it.

I am just a step away from nirvana. Nirvana looks down upon me and gives a wry smile. I feel I am not interested in taking the next step. It seems futile. What will anyone else gain if I am enlightened?

I have seen the glow in the eyes of spiritual persons at the sight and smell of dollars. And feel saddened when they ignore us who have the most valuable currency – authenticity and happiness. It really hurts.

I do have a few vices remaining – ego which erupts from time to time, aversion towards those who play games, and craving for the beautiful ones. I sometimes feel that I am a sexual volcano on a human, spiritual journey.

I tried to attain all the perfections and succeeded to some extent. I admit that I have not been able to develop patience, temperance and humility. Why should I be polite to the hypocrites, scoundrels and rascals?

As I told you, I am almost in the neighborhood of Nirvana but I am not interested now. I feel disillusioned by the very concept of nivana.

Nirvana is non-productive. It makes people idle and alienates them from real world and their duties. To be here and now in the present moment, I feel one should be totally engaged in work, play, love and relationships. That is true happiness!

I feel the best form of spiritual life is serving for a social or humanitarian cause. One should strive to be a Mother Teresa, a Gandhi, a Martin Luther King, an Abraham Lincoln or a Malala or Satyarthi, instead of chasing a mirage called nirvana.

Jagat Singh Bisht

Master Teacher Happiness & Well-Being

coolbisht@hotmail.com

+917389938255

The Wheel of Happiness and Well-Being

Everything You Wanted To Know About The Program

The Wheel of Happiness and Well-Being is an activity based, multi-dimensional program. It blends the best of modern science with the ancient wisdom of the sages.

The Wheel of Happiness and Well-Being endeavours to provide you the essence of Positive Psychology, Yoga, Meditation, Laughter Yoga and Spirituality.

The Wheel of Happiness and Well-Being can be conducted in a home, workplace, school, college, community hall, auditorium, park, hospital, prison – practically anywhere.

The Wheel of Happiness and Well-Being is conducted by two experienced facilitators - Radhika Bisht and Jagat Singh Bisht.

LifeSkills is a pathway to authentic happiness, well-being and a meaningful life. It provides you skills that make life happier, meaningful and worth living.

Our mission is to propagate positive life skills to help people flourish. Our guiding spirit is “bhavatu sabba mangalam” which means – May all beings be happy!

Please feel free to call/whatsapp us at +917389938255 or email lifeskills.happiness@gmail.com if you wish to attend our program or would like to arrange one at your end.

Jagat Singh Bisht

Founder: LifeSkills

coolbisht@hotmail.com

+91 7389938255

Buddha: The Ultimate Happiness Guru

The  Greatest Blessings

Generally, it is believed that the Buddha was a pessimist who preached misery. Nothing can be farther from the truth.

Buddha had great compassion for all beings. He saw their misery, felt deep empathy, explored the causes, and discovered a way out.

Not only that. He gave us a valuable guide for deep and lasting happiness.

The building blocks of an authentically happy life are outlined in the Discourse on Blessings - Maha-mangala Sutta – thus:

·       Not to associate with the foolish, but to associate with the wise; and to honor those who are worthy of honor

·       To reside in a suitable locality, to have done meritorious actions in the past and to set oneself in the right course 

·       To have much learning, to be skillful in handicraft, well-trained in discipline, and to be of good speech 

To support mother and father, to cherish wife and children, and to be engaged in peaceful occupation

To be generous in giving, to be righteous in conduct, to help one's relatives, and to be blameless in action

·       To loathe more evil and abstain from it, to refrain from intoxicants, and to be steadfast in virtue

·       To be respectful, humble, contented and grateful; and to listen to the Dhamma on due occasions 

To be patient and obedient, to associate with monks and to have religious discussions on due occasions

Self-restraint, a holy and chaste life, the perception of the Noble Truths and the realisation of Nibbana

·       A mind unruffled by the vagaries of fortune, from sorrow freed, from defilements cleansed, from fear liberated

These are the greatest Blessings.

Buddha closes the discourse with the words, “Those who thus abide, ever remain invincible, in happiness established. These are the greatest blessings."

There is no doubt whatsoever that the Buddha is the Ultimate Happiness Guru!

Jagat Singh Bisht

Founder: LifeSkills

Happiness Coach & Laughter Yoga Master Trainer

Email: coolbisht@hotmail.com

Phone: +91 7389938255

Anapana Meditation: Mindfulness of Breathing

Anapana meditation is simple, pure, and pristine.

“Prana” means breath. “Ana(prana)” is the breath that comes in and “apana(prana)” is the breath that goes out. Both put together and shortened for convenient usage make “anapana”. Anapanasati is concentration on breath coming in and going out.

It is believed that mindfulness of breathing, cultivated and regularly practiced, is of great fruit and great benefit. Two thousand and five hundred years ago, Buddha outlined the method in Anapanasati Sutta – the discourse on mindfulness of breathing.

He begins elucidating the method, “A monk, gone to the forest or to the root of a tree or to an empty place, sits down, having folded his legs crosswise, set his body erect, established mindfulness in front of him, ever mindful he breathes in, mindful he breathes out.”

The focus is on breath alone. The meditator observes his breath dispassionately. There is no attempt to modulate breathing. Just observation.

While breathing in a long breath, he knows, “I breathe in a long breath”; breathing out a long breath, he knows, “I breathe out a long breath.” Breathing in a short breath, he knows, “I breathe in a short breath”; while breathing out a short breath, he knows, “I breathe out a short breath.” Experiencing the body, he breathes in and out. Calming the bodily function of breathing, he breathes in and out.

 

The meditation takes him on an inner journey encompassing contemplations of the body, feelings, the mind, and mind-objects. During each step, he continues to observe his breath.

Experiencing rapture, or happiness, or the mental functions; he breathes in and out. Calming the mental functions, he breathes in and out. Experiencing, or gladdening, or concentrating, or liberating the mind; he breathes in and out. Contemplating impermanence, or dispassion, or cessation, or relinquishment; he breathes in and out.

The Blessed One recommends, “This concentration through mindfulness of breathing, when developed and practiced much, is both peaceful and sublime, it is an unadulterated blissful abiding, and it banishes at once and stills evil unprofitable thoughts as soon as they arise.”

Jagat Singh Bisht

Founder: LifeSkills

Happiness Coach & Laughter Yoga Master Trainer

Email: coolbisht@hotmail.com

Phone: +91 73899 38255

Vipassana Meditation - Taming Monkey Mind

A Beginner's Guide

“Vipassana means seeing things as they really are. It is the process of self-purification by self-observation.”

S N Goenka

Vipassana is one of India’s most ancient meditation techniques. Long lost to humanity, it was rediscovered by Gautama Buddha more than 2500 years ago…

A golden gateway to vipassana meditation is the 10-day vipassana course taught by S N Goenka in hundreds of centres all over the world. It initiates you to the technique beautifully and launches you successfully into the orbit of self-awareness and self-purification.  

A human mind is often compared to a monkey – jumping all around. Vipassana is not just a technique to calm the mind or enhance concentration. It goes much beyond that. It purifies the mind of all impurities of craving, aversion and ego.

Goenka follows a scientifically structured three-dimensional approach taught to him by his Burmese Teacher Sayagyi U Ba Khin. The technique as practiced by Buddha was preserved and passed on from generation to generation in its pure form in the Dhamma land now known as Myanmar.

The first dimension refers to discipline and moral conduct. Known as ‘Sheela’, this lays a strong foundation for the practice. During the course, the students maintain noble silence which means no verbal or non-verbal communications of any kind, no gestures, no physical touch and eyes downcast. Nutritious and wholesome food is served for breakfast and lunch. There is evening tea and simple snacks. No dinner. Your day starts at 4 a.m. and before 10 p.m. all lights are off. You clean your own room and wash your plates. No intoxicants or smoking for the duration.

On paper, this may look difficult to observe. But I have seen youngsters in their twenties’ and thirties’, the middle-aged and the old, and men and women of different nationalities comply with the code of conduct without any difficulty. In fact, it feels good. You get a first-hand feel of a monk’s life!

The second dimension is about taming the monkey mind. It is called ‘samadhi’ or concentration. Initially, we start with focussing our attention on our natural breath as it is. Yes, it seems difficult in the beginning. The mind simply sets to wander. Instead of meditating, your mind gets lost in fantasies. You find it very difficult to bring it back. After two or three days, the wandering lessens and you are there more and more.

Once you start experiencing a bit of focus, you move on to vipassana – purification of the mind. It begins with simple observation of your sensations. Then, we go deeper and deeper. Depending on how hard and diligently you work during the course, your experiences may be different, at different levels – gross or subtle.

Don’t ever think you will attain Buddhahood in these ten days. You just get introduced to the technique. Thereafter, it’s your hard work. It may take years, even whole life, sometimes many births. Don’t expect to see some Divine light or experience a state of sweet bliss. The process of metamorphosis or purification may be painful indeed. Be ready!

The third dimension is ‘panya’ or wisdom. Through daily discourses in the evening, insights are given into the activities during the day and the philosophy behind it. Nuggets of pure dhamma gradually build-up right understanding. The morning chanting and dohas give you fodder for thought.

On the tenth day, we practice ‘metta’ bhavna meditation. We wish happiness, peace and harmony for all beings. All our cravings, aversion and ego start dissolving by now. We feel lighter, better, transformed – ready to tread on the path of Dhamma, filled with gratitude towards Buddha who understood the misery of mankind and devised a tool to eradicate it.

The ultimate learning and insight we develop: May all beings be happy! Bhavatu sabba mangalam!

Jagat Singh Bisht

Founder: LifeSkills

Happiness Coach & Laughter Yoga Master Trainer

coolbisht@hotmail.com

+91 7389938255