On one occasion, one of the Buddha’s cousins asked the Buddha how his disciples occupied their minds during the ordinary course of the day. Good question, right?The Buddha’s answer was simple and direct.  “Cousin,” he said (I’m paraphrasing), “When my disciples aren’t meditating, they reflect on their good fortune and their own acts of generosity, kindness, and moral goodness.”  In other words, the Buddha’s disciples occupied their minds with reflections on positive qualities and mental states.  They were nourishing happiness and joy.

Devoted to What’s Positive

Too often, peer pressure, the news, and our own evolutionary inheritance prevent us from noticing, celebrating, or intentionally reflecting on the good stuff in our lives.  However, if we devote some of our time each day to reflect on the joyful and positive things we feel, see, and hear, this very act of reflection will increase our sense of calm and relaxation and create a sense of ease, openness, and joy in our hearts.  These positive states of mind are mental factors conducive to fruitful meditation (Anguttara Nikaya 6:10).

If you’d like to nourish more joy and happiness in your life, here are a few tips.  Mindfully and joyfully notice and savor the good things you’re already doing, for example, bring all your senses to your first cup of coffee or tea in the morning.  Smile and fully experience each sip.  You can quietly rejoice in, or noisily celebrate the refreshing and invigorating blessedness of every hot shower you take. You get the idea. Notice the good that’s already around you.

Growing in Gratitude

Or notice and be grateful for the acts of generosity and kindness  you see on the road while you’re driving.  When you see goodness or beauty, take a few seconds more than you normally would to let the goodness sink down to your toes! Imaginatively bathe in it. Steep in it! Breathe it in!  We do this practice so we can better nourish our meditation, ourselves and everyone around us.

You might wonder if the Buddha himself did practices like this. The Zen teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, thought, yes indeed. He wrote, “When I was a young monk, I wondered why the Buddha kept practicing mindfulness and meditation even after he had already become a buddha.” On reflection, Thich Nhat Hanh realized that the Buddha continued to practice because, “In order for happiness to be extended and renewed, you have to learn how to feed your happiness… your happiness can die if you don’t know how to nourish it.”  So, the very good news is, the Buddha continued to feed and nourish his happiness.  Even after he became a buddha, and with practice, we can nourish our happiness and joy, too!

Here’s the link: https://www.lionsroar.com/5-practices-for-nurturing-happiness/