Pamela Michael's The Gift Of Rivers and Dan Millman's mini-series, Way Of The Peaceful Warrior followed by Sacred Journey Of The Peaceful Warrior are three books proving that the doors to complete happiness

AS and A Level Religious Studies & Philosophy

Bliss: Conquered By Few

Happiness: "is a feeling of great contentment or pleasure."

"Wow, look at that BMW! Would I ever be happy if I had one of those!" "I wish money grew on trees!" "I'm so happy; I just won a free trip to Florida!" Do these statements sound familiar? Because of the major economical changes in today's society, people as a whole understand and accept the feeling of happiness as a reward after accomplishing a success. Society's way of thinking leans heavily toward the understanding of happiness being achieved only when a material reward is prominent. This is considered the norm. People in today's western societies live in a 'material world' because of the complicated life human beings have created. The growth of material thoughts over time has caused the collective conscience to believe that material objects bring a sense of happiness. This may be true, but happiness is only the outer surface of true contentment known as BLISS (a state of complete happiness).

The concept that bliss and happiness are related directly but are not equal in meaning is understood by few people. Pamela Michael's The Gift Of Rivers and Dan Millman's mini-series, Way Of The Peaceful Warrior followed by Sacred Journey Of The Peaceful Warrior are three books proving that the doors to complete happiness only open when a person fully understands and accepts the unexplained realities of life's many unanswered questions. Total control over one's inner self leads to the concept of eternal bliss. Understanding the significance of life, the control of the mind, the unity of all things, and the realization of time will release the mind of many puzzling questions that are in a realistic sense, pointless. Complete happiness will not be achieved unless the mind is able to fathom the completeness of life even though many unanswered questions lie in that plane. To prevail against the mind you have to step forth, above and beyond the plane of thinking created by society and into a different realm of thought.

If somebody took your brain, would you still have your mind? It is obvious that without a brain, all that was known would be lost. The mind is controlled entirely by the existence of the brain. "The brain is real, the mind isn't" (Millman, 1984, p.62). The mind is created by the absorption of new information and data. However, the mind isn't created until the brain takes the newly learned concepts and manipulates them into the individual's pattern of thinking. In a logical sense, a person's morals can never really be wrong. Much unnecessary altercation arises when morals conflict. Why argue with somebody who doesn't see things the same way? They obviously don't know any better. Does that mean they are wrong? Of course not, because they are thinking the same thing about you!

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Many thoughts float freely within the simplicity of the brain, which in turn creates complications in the thought processes of the mind. The mind is the most complicated form of thinking. It is here where many problems are created, only because the manipulated fragments of thought can't be put together to form a basis for a solution. Many people solve problems with his/her mind and are never really satisfied with the sensation of 'knowing' for certain, because this sensation can only be found when using the brain. In simpler terms "[y]ou'll have to lose your mind before you can come to your senses" (p.166). When people are young everything is "...sensed directly, without the interference of thought" (p.165). By sensing directly it immediately proves things to be real. It's like a child that views things for the first time, or touches something for the first time. What the child understands to be real is based on the truth in the sensation of knowing exactly what the experience has brought forth. The child has absolutely nothing to worry about because everything is new. If people learn to accept the fact that "[t]here are no ordinary moments" (p.143) in time, they will be better off. Understanding the mind allows a tinge of happiness that drapes itself over a human being's shoulders. To understand the mind is to become closer to bliss without forgetting that time is of the essence.

What does time mean? Time is a basic set of man-made increments that enable people to keep complicated lives in order and on schedule. Because time plays such a significant part in life, people are constantly reminiscing about the past. Many controversial topics are caused by pure memories. What was in the past should be left in the past. "Only time has the power to help us forget" (Millman, 1991, p.85). It is hard to understand the concept of that which happens can't be prevented and that which has happened can't be altered.

The only true time and position is now and here. Many worries will be terminated when this statement is taken seriously. "The first step to change is [to] [accept] where you are right 'now'" (p.140). Theoretically, the earth holds no real position in time, bringing forth the question of human existence. People can't accept the fact that they have no idea where they 'actually' are. How can you pinpoint a position in an infinitely large Universe? The truth is that there isn't any possible way to understand. 'Accept' the fact that the existence of mankind is based entirely on two words: now and here. Living with these standards and understanding "...the texture of time itself" (Michael, 2000, p.133), enables people to become aware of the important or significant obstacles in life: the things that are now, the things that are important. Life is like "...a continuous flow that's immediately gone, yet remains" (p. 243). It won't be until the acceptance of what 'is' and not what 'was' that a person will be able to step to the next level in his/her search to understand his/her own inner temptation of finding bliss. "[People] want forever, [but they] desire eternity" (Millman, 1984, p. 89). The seeker must first understand the constant ticking of time in order to understand the relationship between life and death.

Life is best described in Millman's statement, "You don't have to know everything about the ocean in order to swim in it" (Millman, 1991, p. 186). "Accepting everything, doing what [can be done], and flowing with the rest" (p.208) will allow people to have less worries; that in turn brings a warmer sensation to each new day. People tend to live life in constant thought of where they are, what they are doing, when they are doing it, and for what reasons. What needs to be realized is that they are 'here' doing 'something' at 'this moment' in 'time' for the sake of accomplishing the task at hand. The natural clock, the sun, will rise each and every day until we are gone, so push through every moment in time striving towards goals that will better your feelings of yourself.

When the inner depths of self accomplishment are reached, a person will feel significant in life's creation, allowing for a feeling of overall contentment which leans heavily toward the ultimate goal of bliss. This feeling of self is met by "...push[ing] through [obstacles], [enabling a person to] grow toward the light" (p.71). Every obstacle, even death, is a stepping stone on life's path. Death is a natural thing. People have to accept "...the nature of mortality and death within the great circle of life" (p. 211). The realistic approach to death is that mankind will live until life is lost. When death comes, the best interpretation of its existence is that life returns back to its natural state before birth. By understanding this concept, people can then begin to make a realization that there is a relationship between life, time, and the mind, that helps us understand the unity of creation. "The river flows, I flow" (Michael, 2000, p. 123).

Extending the meaning of water in a spiritual sense allows people to make the connections necessary to understand how the flow of water is directly related to both the living and the non-living. Rivers flow continuously from one spot to another and even back again. Where is the majority of civilization located? While observing a map it is found that many, upon many of the worlds thousands of metropolises have been built near a dominant source of water. Water represents the cycle of life. Everybody is everything at any point in time, "...after all, we are made of the same stuff" (Millman, 1991, p. 119). This statement's meaning is deeper then it sounds. The scientific explanation gives the best understanding and easiest route to a solution.

Every single human being that is living at time 'now' and in place 'here' will eventually lose his/her life. Everybody will end his/her 'own' future at an unknown moment in space and time. This statement is the reality of living until death. When death arrives, the body of a man will undergo the realistic, natural course of breaking down. It will rain, and, eventually, the rain will wash all the tiny minerals, molecules and atoms into the river. This is the understanding of unity. The streams and rivers now carry the parts of a man to all the 'living' in need. The man now becomes grass, trees, and animals. He also becomes rocks, soil, and eventually pebbles. It's now understood that everything, even opposites, are in some way related. "[F]lesh and spirit, are not separate" (p. 9). "[If one is] here, [one is] everywhere" (Millman, 1984, p. 210). By participating in life and enjoying actuality, people are able to step into a state of mind that seems out of the body. This enables them to understand all concepts with striking ease. When the transition from understanding to acceptance occurs, a person will be able to see through the wall of happiness and understand the importance of the giant leap into a state of bliss.

Bliss will not be found until people understand they are "...energy in motion, closely tied to the natural world, completly at home in the body with its feelings and impulses" (Millman, 1991, p. 57). The search for eternal happiness is planted deep in the hearts of everyone, but is often never really found only because of the many misleading definitions of what the sensation of happiness truly is. To conquer a state of true contentment a person has to first understand the true meaning behind the relation of all that 'is' and also accept what will eventually 'be'. Only when the mind has been controlled and conquered, the essence of time has been accepted, the significance of lives and the relation that unity poses to all life's creations, both the living and the dead, has been understood, will a feeling of complete and utter bliss enter into the spirit of the body and soul. Total understanding of these concepts gives peace, happiness and love, a truth of feeling, and, when united into one, they give true contentment, known as everlasting bliss (a complete understanding of everything, including self). "There is no way to PEACE; PEACE is the way. There is no way to HAPPINESS; HAPPINESS is the way. There is no way to LOVE; LOVE is the way" (p. 221). Happiness is conquered by many, BLISS is conquered by few!

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