I think it depends how much pain you're in as to how seriously you can take cute aphorisms tho. For years I was up the Buddhas ass - then I had a few bad times in life and found everything I'd ever learned from the east was useless. That's when I discovered mushrooms. Mushrooms are beyond sober, rational thinking.
This is very indicative of black and white thinking. Black and white thinking usually affects the experience a person has in life negatively. It is very prevalent in depression and addiction. I do not look at these concept as eastern because its amazing how so many ancient people, who are world famous, came to the same simple conclusions. Its also amazing how difficult these simple realizations can be for people to have. Before I wrapped my head around the way I know think I would read quotes from people who had figured this out, but I never really got what they were saying.
You can feel as euphoric as you do on mushrooms or Ecstasy when you're sober?
I enjoy euphoria for around 90% of my day everyday. I am not euphoric for about an hour when I wake up, infact I am quite the opposite as anyone who has ever waken me up will tell you. When i initially wake up i feal awful. But after an hour and a little cafine, nicotine, and food i feal great. Im pretty much at peace and euphoric the rest of the day. Like everyone I will get hit with some emotions both good and bad throughout the day, but I can think through or just choose to release them.
I have a brain that does not react well to ecstasy and the handful of times I have taken it I felt awful. It has the effect of throwing me into a manic like state and thats a very uncomfortable place to be. I reach states of euphoria equal to or greater than mushrooms after a strong workout. I do not reach states of euphoria equal to mushrooms, but as I enjoy so much euphoria daily, the boost in euphoria produced by the mushrooms does not seem very significant to me anymore.
Not all the time but euphoria is good for you on pretty much every level. There's a book just out called "Sapiens" a history of homo sapiens and it says the only reliable measure of happiness is "pleasurable sensations in your body".
The unconscious uses emotion to work us likes its puppet bitch. It uses a carrot and stick approach. It makes us do its bidding by makeing us feal uncomfortable to garner our attention and motivate us to do what it wants. When we accomplish what it wants it allows us to feal good, it hits us with a little reward this provides motivation to accomplish the task next time and distracts us as it takes control back.
When people are able to obtain a degree of enlightenment through whatever way they are able to they shrug off these puppet strings. There is a change that happens in the striatum and the conscious mind transforms from a tool of the unconscious to its equal or superior. Since the conscious mind is no just a puppet to the unconscious it is no longer bombarded with emotion or blanketed in mood and this produces peace. With this peace the conscious can wield the emotion by directing its thinking and can promote lasting euphoria.
