Macrobiotics Today, July/August 1994, Vol. 34, No. 4
"The Eight-Fold Path to Happiness" Herman Aihara
Recently in a class at the Vega Study Center called "The Art of Happy Living," I said that one of the most important attitudes for being happy is endurance. Why?
1. Endurance
According to George Ohsawa, we have seven stages of judgment or thinking ability. The first stage is the subconscious mind. This is the consciousness of the autonomic nervous system, the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
The second stage of thinking is sensorial, that is, judgments made using the sense organs that distinguish color, shape, distance, sound, smell, taste, and touch. This stage of nerve function is instantaneous. This stage does not require the consciousness of higher brain function. At this stage, there is no time for thinking; reactions are like reflexes, they operate instantly. Therefore, this stage of thinking exists in even the simplest creatures such as insects, fish, and snails. However, this stage of judgment also exists in more complex creatures such as mammals, including humans. In humans, however, those sensorial reflections are slower and less sharp than those of simpler creatures since humans with their higher brain functions are always thinking why? How? What? Where?
However, some humans do not use their higher brain functions to think, but use them only for sensorial reflection. They behave with emotion, but not with reason. Their life is like that of a fish or insect. Their goals in life focus on nice clothes, better cars, better houses, tasty foods, better sex, and other conveniences and comforts.
Often, at the end of these pleasures are financial difficulties, sicknesses, arguments, anger, resentment, and jealousy. Since those people live according to reflex senses, they cannot overcome or change difficulties in their life. In order to change difficulties to happiness, we need endurance, which requires more than the sensorial level or stage of consciousness.
One who lives according to the senses does not use the higher brain functions which require endurance. Therefore, when they encounter difficulties, they are desperate, disappointed, and unhappy. So, the first condition of character to be able to live a happy life is endurance.
People who live at the sensorial level are those who dream of instant wealth by winning the lottery. However, even such instant wealth turns to unhappiness sooner or later. Without endurance they are not able to transform unhappiness to happiness. Unable to overcome their unhappiness, they will give up in despair.
Someone who has no endurance cannot overcome difficulties. To overcome difficulties one has to try hard, especially after failing a few times, and never give up, to be able to transform unhappiness to happiness.
Then how can we cultivate endurance?
2. How To Develop Endurance
Good diet is very important in gaining endurance and certain food and preparation styles will promote endurance, both physically and emotionally. Basically, whole foods and long preparation styles are best for supporting endurance. Whole grains, especially pounded foods such as mochi will help give you endurance. Pickles are also good, and the longer the fermentation period the stronger the pickle will be and the greater endurance it will promote. Miso and soy sauce are also good foods for endurance because they are fermented a long time (one to three years). Generally speaking, foods that are produced over a longer time or require a longer preparation time are all good for endurance.
On the contrary, foods produced in a short time, or refined foods may actually decrease endurance. Therefore, I suggest that refined foods, sugary foods, fruits, fruit juices, fast foods, pre-cooked foods, chemicalized foods, and foods prepared by microwave be avoided if you want to increase endurance.
3. Don't Try To Be Perfect
If you want to be happy, don't try to be perfect or always first. This desire, taken to an extreme, can create enormous stress in your life and can lead to arrogance. This stress and arrogance can create an emotional sink hole that will rob you of good quality energy and will sap your endurance.
4. Understand Your Limitations
Get to know and understand your personal limitations for eating and drinking. Do not be afraid to eat and drink whatever you want, but try to understand your limitations. Once you find your limitations, don't exceed those limitations in one day, or in two or three consecutive days. Foods will never make you sick unless you eat more than your personal limits. Therefore, once you understand your limitations, your fear of foods will disappear. If you can resist the sensorial attraction to exceed your limits you will be rewarded by a deeper, long-lasting sense of happiness with your good health and clear mind.
5. Follow Your Heart
Do only what you really want to do. Quit your job if you don't like it and find something else to do. If your family is making you miserable, it is better to leave your family. Don't stay in an unhappy place or family. However, you can stay in a job that's not quite right or in a family situation that is unsatisfactory if you try to improve your endurance. Don't be a slave to money or fame or so-called success or reputation. Life goals pursued for these reasons will likely make you unhappy.
Doing only what you want to do does not include eating and drinking. There you must follow the order of the universe and not your every desire. You can do anything you want, as long as you respect your limitations of eating and drinking.
6. Create Meaning
Find your purpose and create meaning in your life. Creating meaning in life means you want to leave something to the coming generations of human beings. This creates biological and social happiness and gives you a guide for your activities.
7. Accept Difficulties
Accept difficulties and/or bad luck as a challenge in life and try to change those difficulties to joy and happiness. For this you need good diet, health, and endurance.
8. Understand the Big Self
Try to understand your 'real self' or 'big self' so that you can laugh at the mistakes or difficulties made by your small self called 'ego'. The big self easily understands the mistakes of the ego, because the big self knows that the ego is limited in thinking and awkward in action. Ego's tendency is to act without much thinking and all too often to act from sensorial reflections. This is a cause of unhappiness. Ego will feel ashamed and guilty of such mistakes, but those mistakes will be accepted and forgiven by the big self. When the big self can accept and forgive and guide the ego, this is the most powerful happiness. When you reach this state, the other seven conditions of happiness will be attained naturally.
H. G. Wells, the British biologist, historian, and Nobel Prize winning author, had similar thoughts in the self. He was born September 21, 1866 in the outskirts of London. He started writing fiction in 1909. His science fiction works such as The Time Machine are famous and his Encyclopedia on World History is his most important work.
He explained his views on life in "My Life View," edited by Yoshino Gensaburo, published by the Iwanami Publishing Company. He said, "There are two H. G. Wells. One is a small self who is dying every second and the other is a big self. The small self eats, drinks, sleeps, and is always doing something. The big self is the one who is thinking.
"Or I could say, the big self is an ocean and the small self is a boat floating on the ocean. The big self is the so-called eternal spirit or soul. However, I don't understand the relationship of the big self and small self. Lao Tsu, Confucius, Buddha, Christ all studied the big self. I tried studying this problem with modern science, especially with biology, but I didn't find the relationship."
According to George Ohsawa, the relationship of the big self and small self is very simple. The small self is part of the big self. The big self is invisible and its manifestation is individualized and becomes the small self. Therefore the small self is the limited and individualized manifestation of the big self. The small self, being limited, makes mistakes. These mistakes are nothing to be ashamed of or feel guilty about. All mistakes can be forgiven by the big self.
The big self can be considered as the writer of the story or drama of your life. The small self or ego is the player who is playing the role on the stage called earth. For 50 to 80 years the small self will play his role, thinking that he cannot change his role, even if he is unhappy. The writer is the big self so if you can become your big self, you can change your role and write the play as you like. This is the freedom that brings us joy and happiness. Unless you reach the big self, you may keep complaining about your role or fate and you will be unhappy. In order to change your role in the play of life, you must understand and become the big self. You can change your fate if you understand the big self. In this world, the big self manifests through the small self and the small self is created and nourished primarily by the food created by the big self. Therefore, one of the key elements in creating happiness in this world is choosing, preparing, and eating food according to principles of the big self.
End of Article
Author bio-statement: Herman Aihara is senior teacher at the Vega Study Center in Oroville, California.
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