The Burning Incense Stick....

The Aroma of Sandalwood slowly glides its way to each corner of the room, leaving a pleasant feeling of happiness and a elation in the room. There is always a feeling of something mystical and spiritual thats connected with an incense stick. To think about it, isn't it amazing how a little thing like an incense stick, can bring joy and peace to an environment.

Like an incense stick, if we just look into our lifes, we will find that the statement:

"its so simple to be happy, but so difficult to be simple"

is so true.

I am no preacher of right and wrong, but i do understand the human mind. And i do understand, like all of you, the basic, inner-most feeling, dominating our mind-body-soul complex is HAPPINESS.

The quintessential search for happiness, is a never-ending human story, that starts with birth and ends up with death. How many attain it? may be all or may be none or maybe some...the answer is inconsequential, but the realisation of it is.

HAPPINESS as seen from a psychological point has following parts :

1. the biological reason for happiness

2. the emotional reason for happiness.

3. the spiritual or mystical reason for happiness.

1. The Biological Reason:

Our brain is the master of the body. So is it the master of our emotions. its a highly complex network of nerves and matter,that communicates within itself thru chemicals called neuro-transmitters. It communicates with the body thru chemicals called hormones. The brain tries its level best to maintain a harmony or homeostatis between these chemicals and neuro-transmitters. Sometimes genetics or the environment trigger a huge demand for a particular chemical, depleating it and leading to negative emotions, attitudes and behaviours.

e.g. depression can be caused by the depletion of neuro-transmitter serotonin, which is triggered by an environmental factor.

2. The emotional Reason:

An individual's psychology is a book, whose pages he starts writing the day he is born.

From the 1st month of life, we start learning certain emotions, attitudes and behaviours. We start learning responses to situations, we start learning to how to cope with situations,overall we start learning how to emotionally move ahead every day in life. All this learning goes into the UNCONCIOUS MIND, and after 5yrs of age, we start acting according to the learnt. When thinks dont happen according to us, we display negative emotions. And when they happen according to us, we display positive emotions. Once we are exposed to too much of an emotion...positive or negative...we develop changes in our personality that later become disorders. e.g too much positive emotions can make you arrogant and angery which can lead to bad decisions in critical time. vis-a-vis too much of negative emotions can make you sad, irritable that can lead to self-harm or self-destruction.

3. The Spiritual Reason:

Spiritually we are all souls in this universe. A soul, is a source of energy. We are dominated by positive and negative energies. The balance should always favor the positive energy and not the negative one. As the bias changes to negative energy, the more dangerous it becomes for our mind and body.

e.g. people telling you constantly that you are bad, surrounds you with negative vibes, that can lead to irritation, sadness, and anger. vis-a-vis keeping a positive approach will lead to victory in any battle coming your way.

Coming back to our little incense stick.... It embodies the meaning of happiness inside of it. It walks thru its life burning the right chemicals, surrounded with positive energy and balances our emotions. so

"is it so difficult to keep it simple?"