Happy NY 2019 - Laughter

Yes, I want to be this laughing buddha in 2019, ok maybe not the belly but I am seeking the belly laughs. My dear friend Debbie introduced me to the idea of a word of the year as a way to set an intention for the year. I have had big words in the past like Believe, Surrender, Purpose, this year it is Laughter. I have a tendency to be a bit serious so I am going to focus on adding more humor to my life. I plan to do this through entertainment, noticing, and a lot of laughing at myself.

The Dali Lama calls himself a professional laugher, so I think I need to at least be an amateur at it. There are scientists that have proven joyful laughter produces the same brain wave frequency experienced by people in a meditative state. When we laugh we are wholly present in the moment. Plus there are the physical benefits as well. Laughter decreases stress hormones, while increasing immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies and it triggers the release of endorphins! So I guess we should all be laughing just for the health of it.

Every language and culture share the universal sounds of laughter as ‘ha-ha’, ‘ho-ho’, ‘hee-hee.’ It is one of the commonalities we share as human. Laughter is a universal way we all connect and it can be contagious!

So cheers to 2019 and some big belly laughs daily! Are you with me? I promise to share good comedy and humor as I find it.

Follows is my version of the story of the laughing buddha based on different written accounts I have read if you are interested.

Actually he was named Hotei or Pu-Tai and is best known as the jolly Laughing Buddha. In China, he is known as the Loving or Friendly One. He is based on an eccentric Chinese Ch'an (Zen) monk who lived over 1,000 years ago. His large protruding belly and jolly smile have given him the common designation "Laughing Buddha."

He was known to go from one place to the other. He was always smiling. People would  gather around him. He would then distribute sweets and small toys to all the children. Then he would set his bag down, look to the sky and just start laughing. He used to just laugh and laugh and he was not interested in whether others laughed or not. Often his laughter would become contagious and all who had gathered would start to laugh. The whole town used to laugh and laugh with him. After sometime he would pick his bag up, smile to all, and go to the next town. All his life he did only this action and it was said that many people attained enlightenment just through this process. Hence he was called the laughing Buddha because Buddha is someone who is enlightened and laughter was his unique method. Never before him or never after him has such a simple aspect been used to achieve what all humans strive for- enlightenment. 

He would rarely speak. Once when he was asked to describe his method he shared, that he gave sweets to children to show that the more you give, the more you receive. Thereby he unveiled the secret of "Giving with joy". Children are said to be GOD because they represent the GOD Nature, which is always, to be in present time, to be smiling and joyful, ego-less, and most important is without a judgmental mind.

The bag represented problems that all humans encounter. We are mistaken that when we have problems, that GOD only gave the problem to us individually and everyone else is happy. The problems appear big because we are associated with it - calling it "My Problem.” Consider for a moment, if someone comes to you with a problem of theirs and asks for advice. We are quick to offer help with kindness and compassion. We easily come up with many solutions for them. But when we consider our own problems we can easily be harsh and critical and have trouble finding any solutions. 

This happens because of our attachment and association with the problem. So laughing Buddha said, simply keep your problem down (symbolically setting the bag down) which means "Disassociate with your Problem", "Separate from it" and yes just Laugh. What else can one do? Whether you laugh or cry the problem is going to be there. So why not laugh at it. Therein is the magic and mind you no small magic, it is huge, apply it and realize the power of laughter.

When laughing your whole internal chemistry changes. The problem can then look smaller and then when you pick it up you have found a solution to your problem (symbolically he picks up the bag before going to the next place). Each time we see the Laughing Buddha let it reminds us to laugh.

Let us all learn from the great zen master, Laughing Buddha, that - 

"It is our birth right to laugh" and "No matter what happens we should come back to laughter.”

This made me smile, not a belly laugh but it’s a start! I welcome suggestions for good comedy!!! 😂😂😂