The secret of happiness lies in forgetting about ourselves and our problems, Easwaran explains in simple language in this week’s essay, pages 73–80 of Climbing the Blue Mountain.* He also illustrates the message with this colorful story:
“When my niece was with us in California some years ago, she had her heart set on being a hopscotch champion. It seemed to me that she was making good progress, but the subtleties of the game escaped me. So finally I asked her, ‘What’s the secret of championship hopscotch?’:
“Her answer was right to the point: ‘Small feet.’
“Even I could appreciate that. If you have constable’s feet, so long and broad that they cut across all the lines, you can’t get anywhere in hopscotch. Life is like that too: if you have a big ego, you can’t go anywhere without fouling on the lines. But there are people who have petite, size five egos, who find it easy to remember the needs of others. They may not have much money or be highly educated, but they are loved wherever they go.”
What is the most important thing that Easwaran said to you in this reading? How can you apply it in your life?
We have experimented with many different putting others first exercises over the past two months. Let’s repeat those exercises and see if we can each find a way to deepen them, for example by practicing more consistently or via a bit of extra effort or preparation. Here’s our putting others first challenge this week:
Is there a situation or person that annoys you or makes you impatient? This week, put special effort into focusing on the positive in that person. Whenever you think a critical thought about the person, correct it by reminding yourself of a positive quality. When interacting, focus on their positive qualities. When you remember the interaction afterward, or when you talk to others about it, purposely focus on the things that you had in common or that went well. You will need your mantram for this exercise! Share your brave experiments.
Our spiritual treat this week is a two-minute video clip titled “The Divine Lamp of Wisdom.” For those of us who struggle sincerely on the spiritual path, Sri Krishna promises in the Gita that he will dispel the darkness of ignorance with the divine lamp of wisdom. Easwaran says we can learn this experientially, through the practice of meditation.
* For those using electronic versions of Climbing the Blue Mountain with different page numbering: this week’s reading is the full chapter “The Secret of Happiness.”