Laughter and enlightenment
November 16, 2010 by Marguerite Orane
Filed under Be Present, Featured Posts, Free and Laughing
Says the Dalai Lama: “I have been confronted with many difficulties throughout the course of my life…but I laugh often, and my laughter is contagious. When people ask me how I find the strength to laugh now, I reply that I am a professional laugher. And my religion is kindness”.
We typically think of spiritual beings as serious, contemplative – even mournful and dour. I grew up in the Christian tradition and I have never seen a depiction of, or reference to Jesus smiling much less laughing. Yet he is one of the most enlightened beings ever to walk this planet. The hymns “celebrating” His Glory are like funeral dirges – no joy and laughter there! We view matters of the spirit so seriously – “Shush” the little children are told in church as they try to express their natural inclination to laugh and play.
Yet, have you noticed how many highly enlightened souls, like the Dalai Lama are laughers? They always seem to have this twinkle in their eyes and a chuckle beneath their every breath. The corners of their lips are in a perpetual upward swoop and every now and then, there is a delicious laugh emanating from deep inside their body. (check the photo of the Dalai Lama with another famous enlightened laugher – Archbishop Desmond Tutu)
I firmly believe that laughter and enlightenment go hand in hand – or more like soul in soul! Why is this? Because when you laugh you are totally present in the moment. You can think of nothing else as the energy of laughter takes you over. You forget the worries of the past and the anticipations of the future. You are fully present. In our Laughter Yoga training we are told that you CANNOT pull the trigger of a gun when you are laughing! Laughter makes you weak to the negative and strong in the positive.
Enlightened souls spend all or most of their time in the present moment. This is the place where laughter is. So if enlightened souls laugh a lot, then perhaps if we turn it around, we could laugh our way to enlightenment? Worth a try! Ho ho ha ha ha
Marguerite, you are so right, laughter and enlightenment go hand in hand. I find one of my best ways for raising my vibration or energy level is to laugh. To laugh for no reason, to laugh uproariously and just listen to myself as I laugh.
Hope our laughter infects the world.