Tapping into the Micro-Sukhas: A Quiet Rebellion in the Dharma of Pleasure

I’ve started a course called The Dharma of Pleasure with Bernat Font. And honestly, it’s showing me something that’s not new but is new, in the gentlest, most lovely way.

Most of my practice over the years has focused on working skilfully with suffering. Learning how to stay present with discomfort, getting ‘deep man’. Developing wisdom. Living a healthy life. Building healthy relationships. Showing up for what matters. All beautiful, worthwhile things of course. But you know what often gets missed? Happiness. Joy. Ease. Not as a by-product, not as a reward but as intentions in and of themselves.

And in a world that thrives on negativity bias that literally profits from our sense of inadequacy leaning into pleasure is a radical act. A quiet rebellion.

So I thought, fuck it I’m doing this course as a rebellion. Not a shouty, dramatic one (those were more my style in younger years), but a steady, wise, slightly cheeky one.

Enter Sukha (and Samatha)

Two Pali words landed in: Sukha and Samatha. How did I not know about sukha?!

Fifteen years of practice, mainly in Western mindfulness-based approaches, with the odd dive into Buddhist psychology… and I’d somehow missed this word.

• Dukkha = suffering, stress, unsatisfactoriness (yep, familiar with that one)

• Sukha = ease, contentment, pleasure, happiness

Sukha isn’t craving. It’s not indulgence. It’s the soft, joy of being alive. The feeling of “this is good” in the body, the mind, the heart. A kind of wholesome knowing.

And samatha? It means calm, serenity, tranquillity. It’s the wisdom of the pleasant. A kind of knowing that comes from settling not striving. From resting in what’s good, not endlessly fixing what’s wrong (totally my style).

Some Notes from the Course (aka things that made me stop and smile):

• Cultivate pleasure, fun and beauty in your practice. Not later. Now.

• Do pleasure dharmically. With awareness. With care.

• The best way to learn is to enjoy. The best way to keep showing up? Enjoy it.

• Hijack your natural tendencies, love, peace, beauty and use them to wake up.

• Sukha can come from sensory experiences, generosity, love and meditation to name a few.

• Meaningfulness brings lasting satisfaction. Sensory pleasure alone doesn’t. Find what’s meaningful for you.

• Wisdom is effective and hedonic. There’s such a thing as the wisdom of the pleasant.

• Letting go becomes easier when you find a better joy.

• The awakened ones smile for no reason.

Just… pause on that one. Imagine just smiling for no reason.

The Art of Tapping into the Micro-Sukhas

My practice this week is to look out for pleasant vedana, the feeling tone of “pleasant” in each moment. Not in a grasping way, but in a scanning, noticing, oh-look-at-that kind of way. Not all joys are loud. Actually, most whisper. And because they’re so quiet, we often ignore them. But when we pay attention in a particular way, with interest, curiosity and open awareness, they amplify. Just like suffering amplifies when we fixate on it, so too does joy when we tend to it.

These are what I’m calling micro-sukhas, tiny, everyday hits of ease and loveliness. I wonder if it’s possible to get addicted to those!

• A warm mug in your hand

• A stretch that feels just right

• A breeze, a smile, a kind word, a laugh with your husband

• The pause between tasks when your body settles

The more I notice them, the more they show up. The more they show up, the less I feel driven by what’s missing. This isn’t about ignoring difficulty. It’s about expanding our range.

It’s remembering that joy and beauty are already part of this human life, not something to earn, but something to notice. And in times of difficulty this is all the more important!