Humanity has discovered two great paths in its search for happiness.

The first, and by far the most popular, is the path of desire. Happiness from this approach depends on the fulfillment of our desires. For instance, I will be happy when I have this job, that car, this level of success, these relationships and these outer circumstances. Unfortunately, it is very common that the more we pursue these things, the more happiness tends to elude us. We find that after fulfilling our desire – a new car/job etc, we quickly discover a new desire for a better car/job. Fulfillment seems always just out of reach.

Of course, this happiness is also quite precarious. All the ingredients for this kind of happiness already mentioned, can disappear in an instant due to unforeseen circumstances. Where is our happiness then?

Then there is the other path which humanity has discovered – the path of aspiration. By learning to go beyond the intellectual mind and enter into the spiritual heart through the practice of meditation, we enter into our true self and the seat of our soul.

Here we will feel an expansion in our consciousness, we will feel inner peace and inner joy.

One of the exceptional things about this kind of happiness is that it does not depend on outer circumstances. This happiness is self-generated and comes from our own Soul’s spontaneous joy. It is unaffected in the face of the changing fortunes of life.

“True inner joy is self-created.
It does not depend on outer circumstances.
A river is flowing in and through you carrying the message of joy.
This divine joy is the sole purpose of life.”

– Sri Chinmoy