6/06/2010

Not-wanting

 "As long as we associate happiness with getting what we want, we've associated it with exactly the opposite thing that makes us happy. Getting what we want doesn't make us happy, not wanting makes us happy."

 "When there is no desire, all things are at peace."
~Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching chap.37

"Enjoying life is really a matter of choosing to not want something other than what you’ve got. When you stop desiring something more or better, you can begin to enjoy what you have right now."
~Gina Lake, Radical Happiness

4 comments:

tom sullivan said...

One meaning of the word want is lack. David Loy has written in a very relevant way about how the "sense of lack" influences living.

He wrote, "(One) way to describe (the sense of lack) is that we do not feel real enough---which is quite true: the sense of self, being a mental construction, is not real at all."


Of course, such an illusory structure never feels complete, for long.

Colleen Loehr said...

Great quotes! And I like the Loy quote also.

Diane AZ said...

Hi Tom, thanks for the intro to David Loy, his writings look fascinating.

Colleen, I'm glad you stopped by and enjoyed the quotes.

Darla said...

Perfect post - simple, clean, concise, and beautiful.