Quote from: Axélle-Michélle on December 29, 2011, 09:29:04 AM
* It's a belief system that puts the ball entirely in your court, one is fully responsible for ones happiness and ones sadness...With no reliance upon an 'outside' source... *
Interesting to note that some other 'systems' e.g. LGAT (Large Group Awareness Trainings) such as EST (Erhardt Seminars Trainings), and I AM and Joyspring (SA parallels) take most decidedly the same route.
We are responsible for our actions alone, e.g. if you are sad it is YOUR sadness and not someone or something 'done' you in, or such. It thus negates the 'being a victim' position.
Of course you may cry - cleanse your soul - or what ever you want to call it, but DO NOT POINT A FINGER at like: this one made me do this or do that.
It's called as you say: taking responsibility for ALL your actions. Happiness, AND Unhappiness, etc.
Happiness BTW is a by-product of doing the 'right things'.
Just to mention it,
Axélle
Kia Ora Axelle,
You will find that much of the modern Western new age beliefs[and pop psychology] are based upon ancient Eastern philosophical thought[Such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism]...And have been adapted to suit the Western mind set[The Western way of thinking]...
A good example of this is in the essay "Buddhism Meets Western Science", where Gay Watson explains:
" Buddhism has always been concerned with feelings, emotions, sensations, and cognition. The Buddha points both to cognitive and emotional causes of suffering. The emotional cause is desire and its negative opposite, aversion. The cognitive cause is ignorance of the way things truly occur, or of three marks of existence: that all things are unsatisfactory, impermanent, and without essential self.
The noble eightfold path is, from this psychological viewpoint, an attempt to change patterns of thought and behavior. It is for this reason that the first element of the path is right understanding (sammā-diṭṭhi), which is how one's mind views the world. Under the wisdom (paññā) subdivision of the noble eightfold path, this worldview is intimately connected with the second element, right thought (sammā-saṅkappa), which concerns the patterns of thought and intention that controls one's actions. These elements can be seen at work, for example, in the opening verses of the Dhammapada: The noble eightfold path is also the fourth noble truth.
"All experience is preceded by mind/perception,
Led by mind,
Made by mind.
Speak or act with a corrupted mind,
And suffering follows
As the wagon wheel follows the hoof of the ox!
All experience is preceded by mind/perception,
Led by mind,
Made by mind.
Speak or act with a peaceful mind,
And happiness follows
Like a never-departing shadow!"Thus, by altering one's distorted worldview, bringing out "tranquil perception" in the place of "perception polluted", one is able to ease suffering. Watson points this out from a psychological standpoint:
Research has shown that repeated action, learning, and memory can actually change the nervous system physically, altering both synaptic strength and connections. Such changes may be brought about by cultivated change in emotion and action; they will, in turn, change subsequent experience !"
Happiness is just a state of mind!
Happy Mindfulness [which just means "Be mindful of ones thoughts, words and deeds!"]
Metta Zenda
