This meaning behind this Zen quote is similar to the meaning of a quote often attributed to Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau said, “Happiness is like a butterfly. The more you chase it, the more it will elude you. But if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder…”
The same idea is stated in, “The bird of paradise lands only on the hand that does not grasp.” It means don’t focus all your time effort and energy on chasing happiness. Instead, focus on living a full life where you experience and appreciate the world around you. Fall in love with life. And when you do this, happiness will land gently in your hand. It will find you, rather than you having to go out and chase it.
This quote reminds me of the Law of Attraction. I’ve written about the science behind it in previous posts. You can find it one of them here. But let’s go over it briefly and talk about how to manifest happiness.
What is the Law of Attraction?
The law of attraction suggests you attract what you think about. If you’re feeling positive thoughts, you’ll attract positive results. If you’re full of negative thoughts, you’re more likely to attract negative situations. Basically, like attracts like.
To practice this, you have to replace negative thoughts with positive ones and realize that this philosophy is based on the principle that thoughts are energy. And if you put positive or negative energy out into the universe, it will respond in kind.
So, if you’re pining for that raise, or wanting to start your own business, etc., start thinking about it in positive ways. Leave all the “what if’, and ‘I can’t’ talk behind.
What Is Manifestation?
Manifestation is an extension of the law of attraction. It’s the practice of thinking positive thoughts or saying aloud affirmations and bringing them to life. Since it’s recently become popular, there’s information about it everywhere. And there are many ways to start manifesting.
How Do I Manifest?
Like I said, there’s a lot of information on this subject, and some people say there are particular ways to manifest things. But others say that the method doesn’t really matter. However, the following steps are an excellent way to start this journey.
1. Make your goals extremely clear.
What do you want? Is it a new house, or a better job? If either of those things is what you want, state it plainly and get detailed. For example, ‘I want a new house that is two stories, blue on the outside, and has a white picket fence in the South part of my town. I want grey, marble countertops,” etc. Picture the perfect house in your head – every detail counts.
2. Write it down and ask for it.
Once you have every detail lined out, write it down. You can pray, meditate, use a vision board or say it aloud. You can even write a letter. Whatever you choose, make sure that you ask for what you want in every detail.
3. Express gratitude.
Be sure to express gratitude for the things you’ve already received. No matter how small or big, this is a significant step. If you express gratitude, you’re letting the universe know that you are thankful for everything that has crossed your path.
When you’ve done all of these steps, start actively working towards what you want. When you feel negativity trying to push its way through your thinking, remind yourself of all that you are already grateful for and what you are working towards.
There are many ways you can attract and manifest, but the one common aspect is positivity.
Remember, attraction and manifestation require active steps towards your goals. You can’t just think positively about them, ask for things, express gratitude, and then expect it to happen the next day. You must create a plan and then take massive action.
By doing these things, you will find that you won’t have to chase and grasp the bird of paradise. He’ll be attracted to your positive vibe and land on your hand when the moment is right. Just have patience! Patience, my love! (<- said in my best Gollum voice)
