shed a self-centered conception of self Those who are in harmony with the Dao experience a profound sense of metaphysical, or spiritual, comfort They feel secure and at peace, and they experience certain powers that are much greater than anything one can gain otherwise This idea of metaphysical comfort is like William James’ notion of religious happiness or intimacy (Slater, 2009) The accumulation of these powers opens new and unique sources of satisfaction and a unique sense of joy that connects an adherent to the heavenly world Confucius and Daoists both claimed a sense of self and the cognitive faculties that were developed by following the “Way” were intimately connected to the common aspects and welfare of the world (Ivanhoe, 2013) According to Confucius, the joy that one finds by following the “Way,” Dao, is nothing like the pleasures or material well-being that defines happiness, a normative dimension of happiness (Ivanhoe, 2013) Confucius’ sense of joy is a specific emotional state that surfaces when an individual unites with something beyond self Confucius emphasized being in harmony with Dao as a necessary and sufficient condition for a happy life He also pointed out that wealth and honor are important, but only when wealth comes after being fully grounded in the Dao Confucius’ emphasis on external goods for a happy life is more in line with the ideas of Aristotle In the same vein as Aristotle, Confucianism places a high value on social relationships, especially family relationships (Joshanloo, 2014), because harmony is an important goal of personal and social life in Chinese tradition Self-cultivation develops harmony, a process that dissolves the boundaries of an individual self to include others, starting with those who are closest, including family members 50