The vibrations of our inner happiness and love act like a balm on the wounds of the world.

By: Eric Le Reste   
Source: The Daily Guardian https://epaper.thedailyguardian.com/2026/06/26/e-paper-today-delhi-27-june-2026/   
Dated: June 27th, 2026

My inner world is like a garden. I need to cultivate beauty in the garden of my mind. I can plant seeds of benevolence, and I can tend the flowers of virtues already growing there, but very often I neglect the one thing that is the queen of all the flowers in the garden – the flower of inner happiness.

On a spiritual path we spend a lot of time and energy transforming character flaws, making sure others are well, pleasing others, and fulfilling responsibilities. On a recent self-generated silence retreat, it came to me that I was not paying enough attention to my own inner happiness. Happiness is a virtue. It is part of the DNA of the soul, as are peace, love, and wisdom. Over time, when the soul forgets it is a soul and takes temporary pleasure from the five senses, we end up being confused about what is feeling, what is emotion, and what is a deeper contentment. We chase after momentary feelings of ‘happiness’, but those feelings are really of excitement. For example, eating something special makes the taste buds happy, but the moment passes quickly and the feeling of happiness diminishes, unless we go and buy some more. The other road is to nurture my inner happiness.

This other path is very different. Where would my happiness come from if not from those temporary sensations? I decided to work out a way to pay more attention to the deep contentment, true happiness, as a foundation for all other virtues I wish to cultivate. It began with the realisation that I had a great deal to be grateful for. I began to live in an attitude of gratitude. Gratitude awakens other virtues like humility, kindness, and gentleness. I looked for the beautiful, the good, and what is great in my life.

Nurturing that kind of happiness takes us deeper into doing that which is beautiful, good, and great; not just observing but expressing it through action. This kind of happiness is real. It is connected with purity. That which is authentic and real, not artificial. The other ways of finding happiness are artificial. This kind of happiness is of the soul. When I sit alone, with myself in my true reality, that of being a soul, and see that I am a naturally beautiful being of light – this is purity. This connects me with The Divine, the One who is constantly good and great, and beautiful. If I nurture this awareness, I am paying attention to true happiness. The manifestation of this kind of happiness is not that I walk around laughing and joking all the time. Happiness experienced on this level is inner, quiet, powerful, and benevolent. I give happiness and take happiness. I can shine that happiness as a mirror so that others can see who they are, what they are. They can see something good, beautiful, and great within themselves. When we are in that depth of happiness, we can really see the value of others. We can see it and more than that we can express it in appreciation of their qualities. This is like watering their own special flower in their own garden. They may not feel pleasure, but they will remember, and the next time they are called upon to use that virtue or quality, they will use it with greater power and purpose.

Sometimes we think that there is so much unhappiness around that it may feel selfish to nurture it in the self, or we may let the sorrow of the world impinge upon our own inner contentment. It is not selfish to make the inner self strong, nor is it selfish to stand a little detached from the suffering of the world. It is the only way to lessen the heaviness, because the vibration of love and happiness, unseen though it is, is like a salve on the wounds of the world. It is worth going deeply into what causes our own unhappiness, even if it is a little painful. Whatever it is, lack of self-esteem or a lack of love, that is what we need to pay attention to.

There is only one true source of nurture for happiness, and that is God. The Divine is the ocean of goodness, greatness, and beauty. Connecting with this Supreme Soul will nurture my own happiness. I have seen souls with this real inner happiness and with a real, deep love for humanity. I know it is possible, and it starts with my own inner world.

Eric Le Reste was a producer for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for more than 35 years. He coordinates the Brahma Kumaris centres in Canada and is based in Montreal.