Using Lectio Divina to Enhance Your Happiness
Lectio Divina is an ancient Christian (Benedictine) meditation; it is a form of meditative prayer called “sacred seeing.” We will use a modified version of the process here. 
Follow the steps noted below.
- Sit quietly in meditative form, calmly abiding yourself here now. After a few minutes ask this question: Do I want to be a happier person? Listen to what arises from your true self.
- Remain in meditative relaxation. Now after a few minutes come to fully awake state, and write a brief paragraph on how you can become a happier person. Happiness it relative, so even if you are somewhat satisfied now, you could be happier in the future. So please write that brief paragraph.
- Now relax your mind and body; take a few long, deep slow breaths. Relax your jaw, neck, and shoulders. Now simply slowly read your statement five times. See if more becomes clear to you.
- Now relax yourself a bit deeper, and use free association to establish more details about how you could become a happier person. Add any significant new information to your earlier statement.
- Now with full conscious awareness and keen cognitive clarity, answer each of the following questions. Write a response for each question below. Read it after you write it.
- What is the WHAT of your happier state?
- WHO is the what of your happier state?
- What is the WHERE of your happier state?
- What is the HOW of your happier state?
- WHEN will you take initial steps to become happier?
- WHAT is your first step?
- Now relax again, yes once again. Slowly read everything you have written up to this point. Read it five times, and go a little deeper in your concentration each time.
- Finally, write a brief story in a brief paragraph on how you will become a happier person. Read it.
Anthony R. Quintiliani, PhD., LADC
From the Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton, Vermont and the Home of The Monkton Sangha
Author of Mindful Happiness
end suffering. It will not! Make space for them rather than treating them as your enemy. Befriending via wise mind skills and calm abiding may lead to reduced impact on your emotions. You may even make these conditions your allies, all trying to teach you something that will help you do better, be better. Use self-compassion often.
compassion, gratitude, beauty, and witnessing nature’s wonders. Another more powerful form of joy arises by being generous in many ways with others – even the most basic humane gestures. To experience joy we need to be mindful; we need to pay attention, attention, attention. This cannot happen when we are negatively aroused about something that makes us unhappy. At these troubling times our attention is negatively focused on the person, place, or thing “causing” our suffering. In reality we cause this suffering by our ego-based attitudes. The very old Taoist idea of tzu-jan; to be able to enjoy joy we must be mindfully aware in the present moment and not preoccupied with past or future. In this way we may be swept up in the natural flow of joyous experiences no matter how small. Like the Lotus Sutra notes, pursuing enlightenment and awakening with full joyous awareness allows us to both experience and spread joy. Chinese Zen Master Dongshan reminded us to practice only with joy in our hearts. Be as close as possible to the sources of passing and lasting joy. When you can, become the joy. Use all of your senses to do this.
spiritual experience? Do you know what I mean? The outcome of full mind-body-heart-soul consequences of being happy is a deep, personal spiritual realization. Again, use all of your senses, remain present, and stop worrying about past regrets and future challenges. “Be Here Now.” Be the happiness.
Here I will continue my posts about the common characteristics of happiness. Here is the list.
suggested that life’s purpose is not happiness but being compassionate, useful, and honorable. Leonardo Da Vinci equated work with purpose and purpose with work. The Buddha advised that ultimate purpose is to work toward ultimate truth.
Here I will continue the discussion on common characteristics of personal happiness. As you read these posts, please do your best to experiment with these characteristics. See if you can experience more happiness without a frantic search for it. Ultimately it is about a special form of human love. Here is the list.
us to give thanks every single morning at first awakening. The Buddha and Friederich Schiller noted that happiness happens in gratitude – when we deal with what we cannot change. Abraham Lincoln noted that we should not worry, but we should pursue simple healthy living.
acts of kindness as your norm. Xenophon told us to praise others, often. Richard Carlson advised us to let others know what you appreciate about them. Samual Taylor Coleridge emphasized that kindness can