One Apple A Day #1203

Bliss, or not?

This Mandala illustrates the25 steps required to move from the outside (The Wisdom Circle) to the centre (The Mandala of Great Bliss). Photo by Clint Budd from Flickr - CC BY 2.0

Yesterday evening in the shower, I was thinking about the sweet spot where innovation is the many labels we use to describe extraordinary innovation, such as radical, disruptive, breakthrough, discontinuous and others I can't remember now. And that reflection then crosses with other labels like meaningful, impactful, altruistic, sustainable and regenerative. From this messy swirl of words, the idea of "blissful innovation" emerged.

I quickly jotted down a note and went to bed with a clear plan of exploring and expanding the subject in my morning reflections and writings.

However, nothing came up when I sat down and let my mind ramble. Instead, my thoughts zoomed in on the idea of bliss.

According to the dictionary, bliss means complete and perfect happiness and joy. It is not an emotion but a condition, an inner state of being by itself in which we experience perfect happiness unaffected by the outside world. It does not take anything to do to attain bliss - it's just there.

I imagine constantly living in such a state must be the ultimate experience. A boundless flow of creativity and joy.

Just thinking of it slowed my breath, and my heart warmed up.

But then a thought came up.

What I did and do in my life is mainly driven by restlessness. By my desire to attain that state of bliss that keeps evading me.

As a seeker, I find meaning and energy in searching, not in finding. Sometimes, I feel I need the struggle.

However, the time for this practice is up, so I guess the search continues.