Happiness 

By

Achala Bhakthan 

We are all constantly striving for getting Happiness.  Can we define Happiness?  What is its nature?  Where is it coming from?  How to achieve it? etc. questions arise.  First of all we should know the nature or characteristics of Happiness. 

Anything that gives us pleasure, a feeling of satisfaction, contentment or peace of mind is referred to as Happiness by all of us. Isn’t it?  Let us consider an example.  I wish to have a certain amount of money to defray my immediate expenses.  When I get it unexpectedly, I get a feeling of awe and a sort of contentment - may be temporary.  I wish to have a sumptuous feast and I am able to get one.  I have a feeling of satisfaction.  These feelings create a state of peace in our mind, when mind’s disturbances are put to rest for some time.  This is called “pleasure”, which is nothing but a feeling like all other feelings. How long does it last?  Till we get another disturbance in the mind, OK?  That means this is impermanent.  Suppose, I do not get the above wishes fulfilled.  What happens?  I get worried, I get sorrow, I am distressed etc. etc.  This feeling is called “sorrow”.  Thus, sorrow is the opposite of pleasure.  If achieved pleasure, if not sorrow.  Thus, pleasure and sorrow are two sides of a coin and they are relative terms.  If there is one the other has to be there.  The origin of Pleasure or pain is the mind, because the seat of feelings is the Mind.  It is a mental status.  Anything associated with the Mind is impermanent and is subject to change as the feelings change.  And the feelings change as the stimuli coming from outside of us change.

Let me elaborate it with some living example.  When I eat a Jangri, I get satiation and a feeling of pleasure.  I long to have more and I go on eating one after the other.  Notice, the more you eat the satisfaction that you derive diminishes gradually and at the last one (depending on your capacity to consume) gives me the minimum pleasure, beyond which the next one will turn to give me “sorrow”.  Is this satisfaction or pleasure or sorrow coming from the object?  No, because the object is same and its charecteristic does not change.  It is the feeling that comes from within us that is getting changed.  Why?  Because when I am unable to digest it, my physical system rejects it.  My desire to have more is put to rest.  I have no desire to eat more.  And not only that, I have a desire not to have it any more.  So, when there is no desire, if I force anything into me, I get sorrow instead of satisfaction . According to Economics theory, as you go on adding, the need gets reduced and anything added beyond the satiation point gives dissatisfaction.  This is called diminishing utility.

Pleasure and sorrow bring about metabolic changes in our body, since it affects the blood flow.and hence the change in the attitude, feelings, experience etc.  All these are relative to the input (stimuli) – quality, quantity etc..  They are the result of Cause and Effect theory.   They are impermanent and are subject to constant change.  They relate to the state of mind at a given situiation due to certain given cause. 

On the contrary, Happiness is not a feeling nor is it dependent on Mind.  It is an absolute term. Happiness refers to a state of Being, ever permanent, i.e. “ANANDA”. It has neither change nor any opposites, since it is not a mental status, it is beyond the Mind, if there is Happiness there is no Mind.  It is not subject to changes nor related to the feelings, which arise in the Mind. Will we be able to get it in our mundane life?   As we are all victims of our Mind and as the Mind is always unstable, we will not achieve Happiness unless Mind is fully settled without any disturbances. When will the Mind get settled?  The Mind is dependent on the stimuli coming from outside through the sense organs.  Therefore, unless the sense organs are made to rest, Mind cannot settle down.  But this is not possible as we have to live in this world of objects.  Objects always flow from outside.  If sense organs cannot be made to rest, then we can at least remove our dependence on them.  How?  That is possible only if we change our Attitude.  The attention we are giving to the sense organs and our desire to have more and more pleasure should be put an end to.  Achieve a desire less state and entertain ‘contentment’ with whatever you get.  No complaints.  No desires.  No expectations. Then there will beno feelings. Look at everything in the world as the expressions of the SELF, including you. Change your attitude, practice Samabhavana/equanimity.  This will keep the mind at rest without disturbances and you experience a permanent state of Happiness.

Where is it coming from?  Happiness, not being a feeling, is not a relative term nor is it dependent on the Mindset but it is independent.  Our very nature is Happiness – “ANANDA”.  It ever exists.  It is the substratum of our Being.  It has no beginning nor end.  Then why are we not experiencing it?  Ignorance or Maya.  If I say Gulob Jam is sweet and tasty and if you have not tasted it yet, can you understand what I say?  You will have to taste it yourself to agree with what I say.  Nor can you disagree, because you do not know about it and I have experienced it.  Therefore, if you want to know something you have to get it, experience it yourself.  No amount of explanation is going to give you a taste of it.   Now the question is “How to get it?”  You mean Gulob Jam?  Go to the sweet meat shop, get it, eat it and experience it/  So simple.  But if you want to experience Happiness to know what it is, sorry it is not available so easily nor for money’s worth.  It is available everywhere, within you and without.  Only problem is your vision and pre-conceived notions, which cover the sight of it.  You need not make any great effort but just remove all your ignorance, pre-conceived notions and change your vision with faith in our Vedic sayings and follow the path prescribed therein, which is SELF ENQUIRY.  You may go to this through Karma Yoga, Bhakthi Yoga (Love towards the Supreme), Gnaana Yoga (Dhyaanam or meditation), or Hata Yoga (Control of Body). 

Through any of the above method, you must reach a stage where you have no Mind, No thoughts, Intellectual activity, no perception, no stimuli, no reaction, no desire, no craving, no pleasure, no sorrow, no anger, no envy, no passion and so on but full attention on SELF, AATMAN, GOD, by whatever name you call.  One can only lead a horse to the water, but one cannot make it drink, it has to drink by itself.  Hope you get what I mean.

To get real knowledge of Happiness one has to unlearn all that one has learnt since Happiness cannot be learnt as it is not an object of knowledge but the Knowledge itself.  How can Knowledge learn about Knowledge?    Can the Sun see the Sun?  Can the Rain get drenched?  Can the Fire burn itself?  Because the Knower and the Known or  the Experienced and the Experience are same. To conclude, Happiness is the very base of Existence Supreme and it is unique.

             Hari Om TAT SAT