Prioritize, Don’t Pursue

 
In an online course entitled, “A Life of Happiness and Fulfillment”, Week 1 Video 10: Prioritize but d not pursue Happiness, Rajagopal Raghunathan recommends that for greater fulfillment we should prioritize goals, rather than pursue them. He demonstrates what this means by using sleep as an example. To prioritize sleep we should do what brings a restful night—exercise, good diet and no arguing before bedtime! We cannot find good sleep by simply going to bed and willfully pursuing it; that will likely keep us awake! And this principle can be applied to other dilemmas; Overeaters Anonymous, for example advises members not to pursue weight loss but to prioritize abstinence and working their Twelve Step program. All healing platforms affirm: illumination by any name is a reward for doing what enables it.

Happiness also illustrates the point. J. S. Mill wrote “Those only are happy…who have their minds fixed on some object other than their own happiness”. Wealth, for example does not buy happiness, no matter how much we expect it too. But we can use it to enhance what we enjoy. Six Ways to Get More Happiness for your Money, Britt Ekland once quipped that crying in her Mercedes Benz was preferable to crying in a clunker! But we forgo some happiness when, say we accept a job for more money or prestige rather than a more fulfilling occupation. Or we might buy a bargain over something we really prefer.

Similarly, we are in the market for faith, love, joy, peace and other profound experiences that can be gained only by prioritizing what enables them. To do this we can learn from sages, saints and science. Their shared wisdom can be regarded as their common product. And like other products, wisdom comes with user manuals that contain warnings, instructions, a troubleshooting guide and a helpline. In addition, to use a manual effectively we must be willing to learn and open to change. A brief manual for my inner health reads:

Warning; think less of myself and about myself

Instruction; seek quietude; develop honesty, gratitude and forgiveness

Troubleshoot; hold steady; I can change my disposition if not my circumstances

Helpline; share concerns, rely on proven precepts

All guides to insights tell us that quietude strengthens and succors us; but we must each produce our own quietude. Lao Tso advised, “I have just three things to teach; simplicity, patience, compassion”: all quiet attributes. But three tangled obstacles can stop us prioritizing them: concerns from the past, dissatisfaction in the present and fears about the future.

To remove what hinders insight, we can prioritize quietude. Quietude comes from a resting mind. It functions naturally when, for example we pleasantly arouse from or drift into sleep, or become absorbed in pursuits and experiences, zone out voluntarily or simply lose attention and space out. With a quiet mind I feel strong and peacefully at home in my body. Intentionally opting for quietude helps adjust cognition, feelings and behavior to enable greater health and increased happiness. Nurturing quietude encourages wisdom.
But seeking tranquility is not a pursuit; it develops only as we prioritize what causes it. A newly appointed Buddhist abbot’s first instruction to his monks was to destroy all the books! He knew that only personal insight can produce enlightenment. He was pointing out that instructions and teachings cannot express the last word in wisdom, for to prioritize wisdom the ultimate expression lies in silence….

Addendum:

Themes from “Sages, Saints and Science Share the Way”

Sages, saints and science encourage us to enter tranquility, increase honesty, exercise gratitude and extend forgiveness. By following these core principles we are able to reduce the mind-clutter that hinders better health, greater fulfillment and more reliable insight.

1. To start:
* concede that conscious effort alone cannot regulate my disposition
* quieten my mind
* be willing to learn, and open to change

2. Seek to:
* honestly take stock of thoughts, feelings and actions
* admit to impairments that hinder fulfillment

3. Allow myself to:
* be more forgiving toward myself and others and apologize for wrongdoing
* be more helpful
* be more thankful
* reduce comparisons and preferences

4. Increasingly prioritize a quiet mind
* become more honest, willing to learn and open to change

None of this made much sense at the beginning, and no-one fires on all positive pistons all the time! But these wholesome guidelines encourage us to stand back from concerns and develop positive, proactive attributes. Such attributes help us to cope more effectively with situations and decisions.

From earliest legends to the latest new knowledge, sages, saints and science have encouraged us to tap tranquility for healing, fulfillment and insight. Their message endures because for all those who have gone, are here and will come, wisdom does not change.

Read Part 1 Here
Read Part 2 Here
Read Part 3 Here
Read Part 4 Here
Read Part 5 Here