Cherishing and protecting one’s joy
Jeroen
Not all those who wander are lostNetherlands Veteran
Over the last ten years I have done a lot of letting go: news, television, novels, computer games. Recently though I was considering many of these things were distractions from the spiritual path, but they also lent my life a joyful quality, and I found I was losing my joy in life. Many things that used to give me joy, were now appearing as merely neutral. Even my morning coffee is no longer the joy it once was.
The process of letting go eventually leads one to live a life that is lean and devoid of the juicier aspects of lay life. For example, for a long time I read The Lord of the Rings every year, and I used to take great pleasure in that book, which Tolkien intended as a mythology for our times. So it now appears to me that being too drastic in letting go is also a danger on the path — we don’t have to live as monastics, even though our tendencies may take us in that direction.
I find it interesting, that when I was focussed on Buddhism all these things disappeared from my life, and now I am finding my life is too lean, and I’m seeing the need to cherish and protect the things that give me joy. That doesn’t mean I will go back to computer games, I think there are too many negatives to that, but I may broaden my reading somewhat, for starters.
Also I thought it useful to pay more attention to what gives me joy. One thing I noticed was that I feel more joyful when I am not thinking, like when I am focussed on my breath, or when I am riding my bicycle and am too engrossed in the feel of my tires on the path. When I’m busy being in the moment.
Comments
From my understanding having joy in our daily life is a good sign and keep doing things that bring joy in balance with hearing, contemplating, meditation.
When interests get obsessive then the joy goes away right? There's still a physical feeling but it's out of harmony I guess.
But daily awareness can have: nature walks, sex (for lay person), reading, movies, performances, etc
For actual monks they give up many of these joys and also give up: harming, lying, stealing, etc. But giving up doesn't lead to an unpleasant life rather it leads to less regret. And less regret leads to good feelings that are more spiritual which leads to concentration in meditation and daily life
Yes, that is so. Generally advanced practitioners are happy people, so if you feel you are losing your joy, you have probably taken a wrong turn somewhere on the path. For me it feels like perhaps I have let go of things that were not meant… I am losing joy in things that I have always felt were joyful, like observing the sunrise.
From what I remember of my time of obsessively playing games, you are correct, the joy turns into a compulsive feeling.
I considered whether to go view more movies, but I think movies are less food for the soul than books. The being who is watching the movie is less involved in the act of inner creation, than someone who is reading the book of the same story. Movies can be more surprising, more awe inspiring, but they are also more passive.
I like that read books are closer to a creative act. Seems true, but also if you do a lot of visual arts I bet you notice some cool things in various things from movies visual creative imagery.
I think it's complex how our awareness reacts to what we do with it and what we appreciate. And I know if I am in my old hobby of painting when I see various skies I wonder how to represent them with paints and mind you I don't have much technical skill with visual art just appreciate doing it
Joy is like a flowing stream: it remains fresh while it moves, but stagnates the moment we try to trap it.
Joy and sorrow come and go; they are part of the natural fluctuation of life’s flow.
Funny that you should mention sorrow, @shoshin1, my mother suggested it might be an after effect of my father’s death. That grief over his passing is blocking my joy.