Question: Which is better: explosive joy where happiness overflows, or a moderate, stable sense of calm? I once read that such pendulum swings are unhealthy and that it is better to maintain a steady balance. What is your perspective on this?
Lee’s Response: This topic isn’t really about which state is “better.” If a person reacts explosively to external factors, they are always trapped within a cycle of dependency on the outside world.
It is much like the donkey with the carrot. It makes little difference how intensely the donkey reacts to the carrot if he never actually gets it, but instead just keeps running further and further.
In other words, you can never obtain enough from the external world to truly satisfy the ego. Furthermore, if you are caught in a cycle of polarity, every ecstatic reaction will be followed by an equally powerful downward blow. A simple, classic example of this is how the intensity of joy at a birth matches the depth of emotion felt at a funeral.
"Joy from sensations in the Heart" is a completely different matter, occurring when you directly receive the Flow. This can be expressed through physical phenomena, or it can exist without any external manifestation at all.
It is direct reception without the ego as a middleman, which would not only distort the sensation but likely replace it entirely. It is the wrapper instead of the candy. The joy from a wrapper might be vivid, but because there is no candy inside, everything will eventually change.
Or consider the example of a game—if winning brings you to a state of wild euphoria, you will likely fall into deep negativity after a loss. We regularly observe this, by the way, among fanatical supporters in sports stadiums.
Consequently, the meaning is not found in balancing the poles, as that would simply be a suppression of emotions until they erupt as a burst of rage or a panic attack. The point is to allow the entire spectrum of frequencies to pass through you exactly as they are right now—to experience the world directly without judgment or comparison.
