The Bliss Point
Do you know about the "Bliss Point"? It is a combination of sugar, fat and salt that food scientists have found to be totally satisfying to the human tongue. Every fantastic meal you've ever had in your life, from the Salmon en Papillote at that five-star restaurant to your grandmother's Thanksgiving stuffing, was crafted on that special Bliss Point balance. If feels good to be fed in this combination!
There is another kind of Bliss Point in this life. Yes, you know the kind I mean- Spiritual Bliss. Just as you are wired to crave sugar, salt and fat, you also have a deep longing for that ultimate sense of well-being, that feeling of being totally at HOME in the Universe: Bliss.
As a term, Bliss has been used so casually it may be thought of as something trite. Phrases like "Follow your Bliss," or, "Blissed out," make the experience sound like something you can find while flipping through a magazine. Let's get clear on what Bliss really is.
Bliss is a well-defined State of Consciousness (See Power vs. Force by David Hawkins). Described classically in spiritual literature, Bliss is physical-mental-emotional- spiritual experience of Peace, Love, Clarity, and Vastness. Beautiful, isn't it?
The achievement of Bliss is possible but it is, in fact, a relatively rare in human experience. True Bliss isn't as easy as the food chemist would have you believe. You can't just grab a snickers and call it a day!
Spiritual disciplines provide methods to achieving bliss and we have all felt the clues leading us there. The hard work part is to remove all obstacles to Bliss. Many spiritual disciplines ask you to develop self-awareness and self-control. No matter how you chose to get there, you will definitely need to deal with things like:
Fear and Insecurity
Guilt and Low-Self-esteem
Anger, Depression and Grief.
Which is what we do in Senses of the Soul. Most real Bliss methods take time and the short-term experience may be more uncomfortable than pleasant.
If all of this sounds like a big project, it is! But taking on the "project" to achieve bliss has a huge payoff. And as Rumi said, "Take on a huge, foolish project. It makes absolutely no difference what others think!"
So start a spiritual practice, deal with unresolved issues, work with your emotions, heal relationships, practice self-love, serve others, get your finances in order, clean your clutter. All self-improvement are steps on this path toward the real bliss. This requires discipline and commitment over time but it will give you the experience you seek.
When, through deep commitment, you can go beyond the focus on the self to transcend the limitations of personality, the experience of unlimited Vastness and Freedom become very available.
Your mind becomes quiet. You listen deeply. You gain clarity. You become neutral. And as these elements become stable and deeply grounded as your predominant and unshakeable experience, they mature into Bliss.
That alluring blend of Peace, Love, Clarity, and Vastness: Bliss!
