Find Your Bubble of Joy!

Paramhansa Yogananda concludes his mystical poem “Samadhi” with this beautiful image: “A tiny bubble of laughter, I am become the Sea of Mirth Itself.” In those words lies the truth of who and what we really are—not these fragile, seemingly separate bodies, but the boundless ocean of eternal joy.

Earlier in that poem, he writes, “From joy I came, for joy I live, in sacred joy I melt.” Deep within, each of us has a memory of that blissful consciousness from which we’ve come, and with it an innate longing to return to that sacred state.

Yet caught in the net of maya, or cosmic delusion, we often seek that boundless, unending joy in all the wrong places: in possessions and sense pleasures instead of within.

When something “good” happens, such as a promotion at work, a kindness from others, or finally buying a long-sought-after possession, we feel a surge of happiness. But when something “bad” happens, such as losing a job, friction with a loved one, or a health challenge, our joy seems to fade.

And so we ride a roller coaster of ups and downs, pleasure and pain, happiness and sorrow. To step off this unsettling ride and find lasting joy, we must look within, to the very depths of soul-consciousness.

“Lasting, ever-new joy is God. Finding this Joy within, you will find it in everything without. In God you will tap the Reservoir of perennial, unending bliss.”—Paramhansa Yogananda

Yogacharya Oliver Black, a highly advanced disciple of Yogananda, often said, “I’ve surrounded myself in a bubble of joy and I never let anything or anyone burst that bubble.”

He was tested on this once, when a fire destroyed his organization’s temple. After fighting bravely but unsuccessfully to save it, he withdrew to his small home for a time. When he later emerged to dine with family and friends, he had regained his usual cheerfulness. “For a few hours I lost my bubble of joy,” he said, “but now I’ve got it back again.”

Swami Kriyananda also lived in that bubble of joy. After buying land in the Sierra Nevada foothills for a new retreat, he and a group of students worked tirelessly to build its first structure, a geodesic dome.

Such a dome is sturdy once all its pieces are locked together, but fragile until the final piece is in place. After two days of hard work, just as they were preparing to install the final pentagon—the piece that would have held it all together—the structure collapsed.

The next day, Jyotish Novak, a friend and student who had been helping with the project, noticed that Swami Kriyananda was keeping to himself. Jyotish initially assumed he wanted to be alone to brood over the failed construction project. But as Jyotish drew closer, he heard Kriyananda murmuring again and again, “Ah, joy! Ah, joy!”

In that moment, Jyotish understood that Kriyananda had a kind of joy that was not dependent on outward circumstances.

A few years later, in 1974, the first temple at that same retreat burned to the ground. The next day, Kriyananda visited a nearby shop. Hearing him sing, the shopkeeper exclaimed, “You’re singing! When my house burned down, I cried for three months.”

Kriyananda cheerfully replied, “I lost the temple, not my voice!”

Near the end of his life, he would sometimes softly say, “I feel so blissful I can hardly contain it.” He lived always in the joy of God’s presence, and his life was an expression of that joy.

We too, can learn to live in a bubble of joy! Here are a few thoughts that have been helpful in my own search for this perennial happiness of the soul:

Affirm daily that joy comes from within. It never comes from possessions, sense pleasures, or worldly achievements—these belong to the realm of duality, where every gain is matched by a loss and every happy moment by its counterpart in sorrow. But the soul’s joy lies beyond all opposites, beyond creation itself. It is who we are.

Here are an affirmation and prayer from Swami Kriyananda’s book Affirmations for Self-Healing:

Affirmation
I am even-minded and cheerful at all times. I know that joy is not outside me, but within.

Prayer
In the calmness of meditation, at the heart of my inner peace, help me to feel Thy thrilling, joyful presence.

Daily meditation opens the door to bliss. By calming our emotional attachments to the outer world and withdrawing our energy from the senses, we will begin to perceive our true inner reality.

Nayaswami Jyotish, the spiritual director of Ananda Worldwide, offers this simple technique for awakening inner joy:

Toward the end of your morning meditation, after practicing whatever techniques you know, set aside at least five minutes to tune into the joy your practice has awakened. Gently lift your inner gaze to the spiritual eye, the point between the eyebrows, and notice whatever light and joy you find there. Then let that feeling grow, expanding and washing over you in body, mind, and soul. 

In Jyotish’s own words from A Touch of Joy:

“Then, as often as you remember, but at least five times during each day, reawaken the consciousness of light and joy with this technique: Stop, close your eyes, and bring your energy to the spiritual eye, at the point between the eyebrows. You may find it helpful to place your fingertip there to help you focus. Now become aware of light and joy at that point. Do this for at least fifteen seconds. This simple practice will reconnect you with the presence of God as light and joy.”

As Swami Kriyananda often said, “Joy is the solution, not the reward.” Let us learn to live in joy under all conditions, rather than waiting for the circumstances of our lives to line up perfectly. Instead of seeking joy in meditation, we can meditate with joy. Instead of seeking joy through our relationships, let us offer our love and friendship joyfully to all. Whatever we do can be done with ever-greater joy.

The more we learn to dwell continuously in that tiny bubble of laughter, the sooner we will merge—as Yogananda did—with the Sea of Mirth Itself, to live forever in our true nature of bliss. As we make that sacred journey, may we find joy in every step, and may we share that joy with all the world.

OM Shanti Shanti,

Suryadas

If you feel to share a reflection from your own journey, we’d love to hear from you—please leave a reply below.