Seeking.Having had a good dose of cleansing and had a good look at how I can clean up my act, it possibly comes as no surprise that contentment is the mental state I'm seeking... but how do we stay contented?
Not such a straight forward answer I think...
Boiling down some possible crieteria, there's contentment with:
What we have,
what we don't have,
what we need, and meeting those needs.
Our preferences and our attachment/detachement to preferences. I'm reminded of the much repeated stoic quote: "Comparison is the thief of joy" Which gives us a little clue as to how we can develop contentment... It is no secret that religions and philosophies out there have many things in common, but one of them is a practice called Mudita. A Sanscrit word roughly meaning "Sympathetic joy". This free meditation gives us a chance to get out of our own way in order to see the skills and wonder of life beyond our self administered walls. Mudita
Mudita as a practice has many connotations, however my understanding from the Indian Mahayana (middle path) Buddhist translations is that Mudita is the mental state developed from witnessing the skills that others have developed and rejoicing in those skilful actions and qualities, and the joy that brings. Witness
Here we have a new challenge, to witness is not an easy task, as it asks us to hold judgement at bay, and be an observer, as well as developing a genuine warmth towards those skilful means people develop in their own spiritual lives/ways.
I feel the need to share a longer quote than usual for this context, I have found it very useful...
In Yoga we talk of the Self, the undying "Self" as the witness; "Imagine you are sitting on top of a hill surrounded by rolling green hills on all sides. Down below you see a road, the road is empty. Far off in the distance, to the right of your vision, you see a car coming into your vision, and then into the centre of your vision and then off into the horizon, the car disappears from view. Can you see that if you are the one seeing the car- it cannot be you?
You were there before car. You where there while the car was there and you were there after the car was gone. This is the nature of the eternal Self. It is always there. Consider that if you can see the body change it can't be you. You are the one watching the body change, in fact you're watching the body change in the same way you watch everybody else change. There has to be an identifier witnessing these changes. That means the body cannot be the totality of you... we could call it consciousness".
K.Desai Yoga Nidra Ch2. Expectations & assumptions
Can kill romance! Seriously, if someone thinks they know whats coming and are disappointed, they will shut right down. If they assumed that you feel the same way as them, they also have an expectation. I cant help thinking about my Aunt on my wedding day saying " just keep communicating, then it'll work" My god she was right, and it did kill the romance to not keep updating ourselves with each other. Pretty sure this is universal.Stress
The Nidra book I mentioned earlier talks about how stress is inherent in us. We are supposed to have a bit. it doesn't feel like "contentment", however it can be a motivator to let go of what is holding us back. (aparigraha) To cleanse (Saucha) & clarify our minds, bodies, environment and relationships. Im just loving how these Yamas and Niyamas lean on each other! Advertising One of my teachers who writes regular newsletters to his students, mentioned in his latest that Holland has banned advertising that leads to a high carbon lifestyle, this includes cars, flights, even eating meat. This is because they want freedom of choice to be actually what it suggests, not being constantly manipulated to make poor choices because of the feeling of lack that advertising does so well. The U.S banned advertising for cigarettes in 1971, perhaps they could consider taking on Holland's idea too? I cant help think that the UK could too... in fact, Worldwide? and are kind of catching..?! These suggestions are more like a sense of Mudita, an insight into the skilfulness of thoughtful living that brings joy. They are contentment itself.
But, contentment still eludes me! and many a poet artist, creative, because of its ungraspableness! (Yes computer underline that word with your ungrateful red scribble!) As time moves on and changes distort our minds and actions, there is an inner request to keep striving, keep developing good skills which enable us and others to live well and contentment will surely follow. "[V] I rejoice with delight
in the good done by all beings,
Through which they obtain rest
with the end of suffering.
May those who have suffered be happy".
Rejoicing in merit.[VII] "May the merit gained by my acting thus go to the alleviation of the suffering of all beings"
Transference of merit and self surrender.Mahayana Buddhism Sevenfold Puja | 
