Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.

Thich Nhat Hanh

I discovered Thich Nhat Hanh a couple years ago while visiting someone I know.  Several of his books lined the book shelves.  Being that i was in this paradigm at the time I took one down and leafed through it.  I knew this person whose books there were wanted to move in this direction.  They were stuck.  Oh they wanted people to believe they were enlightened.

I knew different.

After leafing through the book I took down from the shelf, I asked if I could borrow the books by Hanh.  What an amazing person he is.  Anyone wanting to understand, joy, peace, love should check him out.  After discovering him, I went into research mode.

Typically, upon finding a subject that fascinates me I dig deep into said topic.  Did you know that Martin Luther King nominated Hanh for the Nobel Peace Prize?  Much of Hanh’s writing reminds me of Buddhism.  That’s because he founded a Buddhist Church.  As you may know from previous entries at Wisdom and Life, I identify very closely with Buddhist thought.  It’s where I feel most aligned.  It’s what brings me joy.  So much of what Buddhism stands for is where I stand; with one glaring exception.  That being that Buddhists don’t have a Divinity the pray to, they don’t believe there is a higher power.  They don’t pray to God.

That’s the one thing I simply cannot comprehend.
Not that anyone doesn’t have a right to their opinion.

I’ve seen too much.
I know too much.

I see God in everything.  My Faith is simply too strong.

So, let’s see if we can swing this post back to the topic at hand.  When I began writing this I wanted to know what Joy means to you.  I searched around for quotes on Joy and settled on the one above by Thich Nhat Hanh.

What brings you joy?
What does Joy mean to you?

Would love to hear from you in the comments below.

Be Happy!  Be Well!  Be Positive!
Blessings to you.
—
Chris