Fear is rooted in the perception that we can somehow be hurt or diminished.  While this may be true from a temporary or superficial level, it is false from an essential or spiritual level.  We are infinite, indestructible beings that cannot be diminised even in the slightest way.   Knowing this is the same as knowing our sufficiency.  This knowing can pull us out of our fears and bring sanity, calm and peace to our daily lives.  Get in touch with your sufficiency on a regular basis and watch your fears subside and your joy expand.

Knowing that we are sufficient can help us deal with change.  It give us confidence to cope with whatever comes our way, knowing that our essence cannot be diminished.  With this perspective in mind we don’t have to fear change.  Indeed, we can see change as a means to expanding our perspective of existence.  Change is therefore a doorway to expansion.  Embrace it and explore it the way you would, a wonderful present.

Happiness is a state of mind or feeling characterized by contentment, love, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy.  And it is perhaps the primary goal that most of us seek in this life. We all want to be happy. But what is it that makes us happy? Researchers have suggested a number of things, including (in no particular order):

1. Personal safety and security
2. Good health
3. Freedom to direct one’s life
4. Close and harmonious relationships
5. A spiritual practice
6. Financial stability
7. Low unemployment
8. Access to education
9. Leisure time
10. Low Income Equality
11. Living according to certain principles (open-mindedness, courage, kindness, love, fairness, forgiveness, humour, and appreciation)

Others in the positive psychology discipline and in buddhism have talked about how happiness is a learned behaviour. It is an attitude we can create and maintain with practice.

I would tend to agree with all of these ideas but add that a sense of sufficiency is at the root of lasting happiness. If we feel complete or sufficient inside, we will tend to feel happy, no matter what the external circumstances, including wealth, family, education, security etc..  If we feel sufficient, we will tend to be happy no matter what principles we live by.

Happiness is a choice, which tends to derive from a sense of sufficiency and the more we are in touch with our sufficiency, the more we tend to choose happiness.

So which definition is correct?  I believe that both have merit but that they describe different aspects of human nature.  Enoughness is correct in the sense that it implies that human nature needs more than simply a material fix; indeed, because it is mostly spiritual, it needs less materialism and more spirituality.

At the same time “enoughness” doesn’t seem to be enough.  If sufficiency is to reflect our spiritual nature, surely it must reflect the limitlessness or abundance of that nature.  If this is the case, sufficiency might be defined as “more than enough”.

We really have no power over others unless they choose to give it to us.  We only have the power to direct our own lives through our own choices.  Modest as this sounds, this is an extremely powerful tool, since choice drives action and action drives achievement.

In terms of a social goal, we have said in the past that if you want to build sufficiency, you need to invest in people’s talents and abilities.  This is still the case because it gets us to choice.  Investing in people’s talents and abilities helps people realize their ability to help themselves and at the same time makes people aware that they have a multitude of choices to choose from.  So sufficiency development is ultimately about investing in the capacity of people to choose for themselves what their destiny will be.  What could be a more appropriate goal?

Judgements of the self and others usually result from feelings of being lesser or greater than and these feelings are inconsistent with feelings of sufficiency.  Sufficiency is a state of being wherein there is a feeling of completeness.  In this state there is no greater or lesser than, only that which is.  Therefore, to reach a sense of sufficiency requires that we observe without judgement or better simply appreciate what is in front of us.

This topic interests me deeply and I beleive the awareness of this state of being promises great happiness and abundance.   Please join me in discussing the relevance and scope of this subject and in expanding the awareness for all.

The term sufficiency describes a state of being, in which there is an awareness of completeness.  It is an awareness of the self as fully whole, conscious that nothing or nobody can add or take that away from you.  It is the foundation for happiness and indeed for all states of mind and it is also the foundation for free choice.  As such, it is an important concept that has implications for all that we do.  Unfortunately, it is rarely talked about by metaphysicians, philosophers or psychologists.

The reason I became interested in the concept is that I believe the exploration and development sufficiency may be integral to human happiness, to sustainable development and perhaps even to our survival.

If sufficiency is indeed a fundamental type of awareness, the development of which is important to our well-being, it is worth exploring.

My thoughts on sufficiency  are by no means complete or perhaps even coherent but your thoughts may be, so join in and submit your input and  I will respond as best I can.

I would like to start off the discussion of this first post with my own question:

How would you define sufficiency?