Citat from SN GOENKA the famous one

[villkorkarma]

IN a book of willuiam hart he interwies and goneka speaks self to he says in the book this:

meditators dont try to reach a special hapinessstate or extaczystate and then he speaks about right koncentration.

Hw can this be?
All meditarors try to reach a hapineesstate so what is he meaning?

[Fede]

No.
If you are "trying" to reach a happy state, you are meditation with the incorrect intention, and incorrect view, or objective.
Meditation is not about reaching a state of happiness.
Meditation is about abiding in the moment, and letting things arise, drift and pass without attaching any importance or significance to them.
You observe the thoughts that come to your mind, but you do not hold on to them, or focus on them.
Let things be, do not participate in anything that arises, but notice them... and let them go.
Observe your body as you breathe, in and then out.
Rest in calm abiding and simply sit.

serenity, happiness, inner peace, joy.... these develop within meditation and outside of it.
But they are not the objective.

I hope you understand my English, and that I have put forward my own opinion, clearly enough for you.

[altar]

Actually what is wrong with having such intention?

[Fede]

happiness is a bi-product. it is not the goal.

[Ben]

Hi villkorkarma
If you quote exactly what is written, in context, it will aid discussion.
kind regards

Ben

[villkorkarma]

Do you mean that to be objective isnt good at all?

[villkorkarma]

im not englishtalking but google translated it to be neutral can i say (objektiv)

[Ben]

I understand that you are speaking another language and you are using google to translate to English.
It must make discussion or raising issues difficult.
But in order to get to the truth with regards to what Mr Goenka or William Hart said, we need to examine the text.
I no longer have copies of Art of Living, despite returning from India with a box of Hart's book in 1990.
In answer to your question, being objective is excellent.
kind regards

Ben

[villkorkarma]

But we must agree on this point i think: meditators try to reach a happiness state
but they do it on different ways, thank you all

warmly
john

[bodom]

But we must agree on this point i think: meditators try to reach a happiness state
but they do it on different ways, thank you all

warmly
john

"You are only as happy as you make your mind up to be." -- Abraham lincoln

[Sobeh]

Happiness = Equanimity + Mindfulness, per the third jhana:

"Further, with the fading away of rapture, remaining imperturbable, mindful, and clearly aware, he enters the third jhana and experiences within himself the joy of which the Noble Ones declare, "Happy is he who dwells with equanimity and mindfulness." He drenches, steeps, saturates, and suffuses his body with this happiness free from rapture so that there is no part of his entire body not suffused with happiness."