The Shortest Path to Happiness Is Inward
- arionahram
- Jan 16, 2023
- 5 min read
Updated: 10 hours ago
There is an old Persian expression, now largely forgotten: “To find oneself is equal to becoming a god.”
In Persian, the word for God is "Khoda". The word "khod" means “self,” and the suffix "-a can be understood as “to get." Thus, "Khoda" may also be interpreted symbolically as “to get oneself” or “to find the self.”
With this introduction, the deeper title of this article could be expressed as:
“Get yourself, so that you become *paarsaa* (greater than life), so that you become a god.”
Freedom From Inner and Outer Manipulation
A human being should not be manipulated by every provocation. These provocations may arise internally — from the subconscious — or externally — from other people’s indoctrinations or alternatively from intrinsic natural laws' indoctrinations.
True freedom lies in mastering one’s mentality, kind of freedom in our own centrality. This inner freedom rests on two foundations:
Monitoring thoughts and facing emotions firmly then choosing the constructive ones according to conscience.
Neutralizing destructive ones by the means of concentration.
Monitoring Thoughts
If one carefully observes own thoughts, will notice that many of them do not truly correspond to one’s personality or way of thinking. Such thoughts should be regarded as foreign. They should not be embraced automatically.
Instead should neutralize foreign thoughts, by concentration — directing attention, into the eyes — while at the same time “zeroing” the thought, meaning consciously do not paying attention to it (let it go).
It is crucial to distinguish between thinking and illusion. Thinking is rational and grounded. Illusion is unfounded and distorted. Experience suggests that a very large portion of ordinary human thoughts are not clear reasoning but wandering fantasies, projections, or distortions.
Stability Toward Emotions
Emotions also require examination. Many emotions are foreign because they arise from foreign or distorted thoughts. They may feel intense, yet they are often temporary biochemical reactions — passing through the blood.
Again, concentration helps. By directing attention into the eyes and releasing the triggering thought, the emotional disturbance gradually dissolves.
To remain "paarsaa" — greater than life — means not to be overwhelmed by thoughs and emotions — passing fluctuations.
What Is Good and Evil?
Human beings possess physical organs — hands, legs, eyes, ears, mouth — and also wisdom.
Within wisdom lies what may be called the mental capacity — a meeting place of thoughts and emotions. This can be symbolically imagined as a ring because thought stimulates emotion and emotion inspires thought.
In Mithraic symbolism, the ring represents covenant or commitment. A covenant is a mental commitment. Thus, the human mental center is the place where commitments are formed.
One of the tools of this mental capacity is conscience — inner wisdom.
Even animals sometimes demonstrate a primitive form of conscience. In humans, when the mind is not manipulated, conscience naturally guides judgment. Even when weakened by manipulation, it continues to function.
What conscience confirms is good (constructive).
What conscience condemns is evil (destructive).
However, conscience can only function clearly when one consciously monitors thoughts and emotions instead of surrendering blindly to intrigue of habits.
Avoiding Blind Automatism
The correct approach is to examine thoughts and emotions:
Are they logical?
Are they fair?
Are they rooted in reality?
Instead of following them automatically like a blind flock.
If one honestly observes what one truly feels — rather than imagining or exaggerating feelings — one becomes resistant to foreign emotions.
Accepting Oneself — Without Illusion
One should accept oneself. But one must ensure that what one believes oneself to be is not an illusion.
The mind must learn to become “zero” — quiet — instead of passively sighing for dreams, memories, or fantasies.
The principle is simple: "Do it — or forget it."
Passive longing distances one from oneself. To be oneself is like walking on a rope — maintaining balance through constant awareness.
Acicular Indoctrinations
Foreign thoughts and feelings can enter the mind like needles — subtle, penetrating influences. They may appear as one’s own thoughts, yet they are induced.
This is oneself who pursuit them and makes them alive. If one believes these indoctrinations, one gives life to illusions. Through words and actions, one can make these illusions appear real.
Such intrusions are often accompanied by anxiety or pain — warning signals that the mind has been disturbed.
The solution is not panic but awareness:
Face the thought or feeling
Concentrate — direct attention to the eyes.
Release the thought and feeling — do not pay attention to them — if concentration done properly, will stay empty and free.
Stay Zero.
This restores balance.
Two Types of Thinking
There are two modes of thought:
"Conscious thinking" — where awareness dominates the mind. One is focused and alert.
"Half-conscious drifting" — where awareness is parked, and subconscious impulses or foreign influences take control.
In the second state, the mind becomes vulnerable. Anxiety and frustration are often the first signals. If illusions born in this state are expressed through words and actions, they may create real consequences.
A person lost in illusion becomes estranged from themselves — governed by impulses rather than wisdom.
The Spiral of Anxiety
When pending in subconscious, anxiety and frustration arise. These emotions feed further instability, creating a vicious circle:
More illusion → more imbalance → more anxiety.
The remedy is always the same:
Concentrate.
Release the thought.
Restore mental balance.
Balance is the first priority.
Loneliness and Self-Abandonment
Loneliness is not the absence of others. One is truly alone only when one has abandoned oneself.
When engaged in activity, travel, company, or nature, attention is focused outward. This concentration temporarily silences anxiety.
But when the attraction fades, and attention is no longer captured, one feels unrest. What is interpreted as loneliness is often simply the absence of inner concentration.
Thus, the essential practice is to remain consciously attentive — not dependent on external distractions.
Concentration: The Simple Technique
Concentration is not mystical. It requires no ritual. It is simply attention. As Bruce Lee once said, it is like a finger pointing away to the moon.
It is to direct attention — for example, to the eyes — and stop continuing the thought that was active. Sit, walk, lie down — it does not matter. What matters is attention — the concentration of the attention in the eyes.
Feel only what is truly present. Do not imagine feelings. This simple awareness is the shortest path to happiness.
On Love, Pride, and Balance
An adult does not need love or pride as psychological crutches. One just needs to be in balance. Love or any other emotions produce biochemical substances in the blood. However when it comes to love, it produces pleasure, enthusiasm, and hope — similar to a drug but in this case produced by one’s own brain. While dependency on such emotional highs creates imbalance. Generally one should keep the mentality empty as soon as possible. Settlement of emotions in the mentality results into a shifted mentality and shifted unerstanding — out of balance.
When mentally balanced, a person does not require external justification to exist. Balance itself is sufficient.
Mastery of the Mental Capacity
The first step is monitoring the mental capacity through consciousness — not surrendering control to subconscious habit. One must become king of the mind, not its slave.
The second step is neutralizing unwanted thoughts and emotions through concentration and zeroing. By taking this inward step — the shortest step possible — one becomes free from domination by thoughts and emotions — from own mentality. Thus grief and anxiety lose their power.
Becoming "Paarsaa"
Awareness and concentration are the shortest path toward:
Happiness
Mental balance
Getting oneself
Becoming greater than life (paarsaa)
Becoming a “khoda” — a god, in the symbolic Persian sense of grasping the self
However, knowing the technique is not enough. To practice it is one level. To master it requires discipline, repetition, and time.
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