January 1, 2026
I wish you all a Happy New Year. The beginning of a new year is a time to reflect on what goals we have achieved in the past and those we want to focus on in the future. No matter who we are, where we live, or what stage of life we are in, most people share a common desire, which is to be happy.
While we consider happiness important, life also includes moments of sadness or sorrow. We wonder whether happiness is truly achievable in this world. It seems that there are many ups and downs in life that prevent us from attaining true happiness. In reflecting on a slogan for the coming year, I felt there is a goal that is far more enduring. This year’s slogan is: Meditate for bliss In 2026.
Although people often use the words “happiness” and “bliss” interchangeably, there is an important difference between them. Understanding their true meanings can help us decide which goal we truly want to achieve for ourselves in the coming year.
Happiness, in English, or “khushi,” in Hindi, refers mostly to joy or pleasure. Happiness is considered an emotion that is dependent upon how we feel based on situations in our lives. We use the word “happy” to describe how we feel, for example, when we receive a promotion, when our team wins a competition, or when we enjoy pastimes such as entertainment, socializing, or eating a tasty meal. The challenge with happiness is that it has an opposite—sadness—which arises when we do not get what we want or when we lose what we have. When we reflect on our lives, we find it swings back and forth between happiness and sorrow. Happiness is not a lasting state.
On the other hand, the English word “bliss” and the Hindi word “anand” do not refer to an emotion. Bliss is a state inherent in our soul. In fact, bliss is used to describe God, or the Divine, the Power that created all. The term “sat-chit-ananda” is used for the Creator as being all Truth or Reality, all conscious, and all bliss. Our soul, being a drop of God, also consists of these qualities, one of which is bliss. Bliss is a state of permanent ecstasy, which has no opposite. It is an eternal spiritual condition that is not subject to change. It does not depend on external circumstances or the ups and downs of life. Being in bliss does not rely on our achieving our desires, and we do not lose bliss by not having what we want. It is a state we merge into that remains with us no matter what is happening in our outer life. It is the true state of who we are as souls, our spiritual essence.
Bliss lives within us at all times. We are not aware of it because our attention is focused on seeking happiness at the level of our thoughts and emotions. Bliss, on the other hand, is experienced at the level of our soul. We can experience bliss through meditation on the inner Light and Sound. When we focus our attention within through meditation, we connect with a current of Light and Sound. This current is a river that connects our soul, a drop of bliss, back to its Source, the Ocean of Bliss.
When we connect with the bliss within, we no longer need to rely on external achievements that are subject to life’s changing circumstances of happiness and sorrow. We begin to live in a state that lasts forever.
Each moment in the coming year, we have a choice. We can strive to be happy, even if we do not get what we want from the external world. Or we can strive to attain spiritual bliss, which causes our soul to dance in lasting ecstasy, regardless of the outer conditions of our life. My prayer for each one of you is that you “meditate for bliss in 2026.”
Yours affectionately,
(RAJINDER SINGH)
