I was invited out to dinner with 3 couples last week and during the conversation, someone mentioned the term \u201cwedded bliss.\u201d I hadn\u2019t heard that for a long time. Well, of course, that got me to thinking \u2014 what the heck is bliss anyway? I checked the dictionary and it defined bliss as (1) complete happiness; (2) Paradise, Heaven. It also indicated that the first known use of bliss was before the 12th century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, as is often the case, dictionary definitions don\u2019t really shed much light on a subject. I think when most people think of happiness, they think of everyday happiness, or things that make them happy in their day-to-day experiences. But bliss seems to be more \u2014 like some kind of happiness on a different plane. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, in my quest, I turned to someone that I\u2019ve always had mixed thoughts about \u2014 Buddha. Well, as I expected, Buddhist texts didn\u2019t let me down. If you\u2019re interested, check out the writings of Buddha Amitabha (the Buddha of Infinite Light.) He talks about the Buddhist concept of an ideal world \u2014 the \u201cLand of Bliss.\u201d If I read it correctly, it breaks down to something like:
Bliss is an innate state of inner joy, a state of unity, transcendence, completeness, knowingness, wholeness and uplifted consciousness \u2014 a feeling of oneness and connection with all of creation. Bliss is where happiness, meaning, and truth converge.
It\u2019s interesting that the writings indicate that bliss is found in every religion but does not require a specific religion in order to know it.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I guess bliss is something we should all strive for.\u00a0 That actually sounds pretty good \u2014 if we didn\u2019t read about others\u2019 actions or national or global events it might shield us from todays\u2019 stress and turmoil. But then again, would choosing to remain unaware of our world, or turning a blind eye to everything equate to bliss? I was invited out to dinner with 3 couples last week and during the conversation, someone mentioned the term \u201cwedded bliss.\u201d I hadn\u2019t heard that for a long time. Well, of course, that got me to thinking \u2014 what the … Continue reading
But it seems to me that although I\u2019ve heard the term \u201cwedded bliss,\u201d I\u2019ve probably heard the phrase \u201cignorance is bliss\u201d more often. It used to be a fairly common saying meaning\u00a0 that happiness can be found in unawareness or lack of knowledge. If you think about it, \u201cignorance is bliss\u201d is kind of like \u201cwhat you don\u2019t know can\u2019t hurt you.\u201d So to satisfy myself, and as a public service, I did a little extensive research:
Ignorance is bliss seems to have originated in a passage from a poem by Thomas Gray in 1742 \u2014 Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College<\/em>. The actual wording is \u201cWhere ignorance is bliss, \u2019tis folly to be wise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Is ignorance really bliss ? Probably not\u2026..
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