Joy is not restricted to our thoughts and emotions. It is like an invisible current that permeates every aspect of life. It has the power to bind us together. However, our lives are not uniformly joyful. In some aspects, there may be an oversupply of happiness. In other areas, there may be a scarcity. We spend considerable time and energy in increasing the level of happiness in areas of our lives where it is missing.
Wealth is a proxy for happiness, and it can transform the external aspects of life and fill gaps in the fabric of joy. However, this type of happiness is limited in scope. Wealth primarily works on thoughts and emotions, uplifting them. However, wealth can lose meaning when there is no contrast, either with past circumstances or with the lives of others. It is also dependent on factors that may be out of our control.
Unless joy originates within and grows organically independent of external props or influences, it won’t last. The happiness that we associate with objects and experiences of everyday life is manufactured happiness. It has a finite shelf life, as this form of happiness is a product of thoughts, which we know are very transient phenomena.
The joy that emerges from within our being is valuable. Such joy quickly saturates all our thoughts and emotions. When the mind overflows, joy then spills into the physical body. A byproduct of a happy mind is better physical health. Once happiness saturates the body and the mind, it freely spreads outwards into the world and positively influences others. Then there is scope for both inner and outer transformation.
In contrast, happiness that comes via outer experiences is fleeting and transient. Such happiness depends on thoughts. We cannot rely on thoughts to stay in one place, and they don’t easily yield to our command. This is not a downside or a weakness of thought-forms. On the contrary, their ephemeral nature can be a great blessing.