The Hindu : Miscellaneous / Religion : Man seeks happiness

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Friday, Feb 25, 2005

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous - Religion

Man seeks happiness

CHENNAI, FEB.25 . Every individual seeks happiness in life. The moment a person steps out of his house he knows his destination. Life is also a travel but it is a peculiar one, as human beings do not seem to have a choice. We find ourselves in the world without choice. When one travels in space he has a choice to stop where he wants to. Another kind of travel can be in time but we cannot travel in time. So we do not have a choice. Whether one likes it or not the body will die as it is subject to time. Both the body and the senses do not have a destination, whereas the "I" has a destination. What is its destination?

In his discourse, Swami Suddhananda said innumerable relative destinations (like family life, career) were set for human beings in life and the majority strive to reach these ends. Many who do not travel towards these destinations suffer in life; for instance, one who does not pursue education does not have a good career as a consequence of which he struggles in poverty. Suffering is not a myth nor is the death of the body. The body undergoes six-fold modifications — potential state after conception, birth, growth, puberty, old age and death. The body does not strive after anything and, hence it is an instrument and does not resist time. Time consumes it continuously. When it reaches old age, the "I" becomes worried because it has not yet reached the destination.

So it is important to understand that the human body is the most important instrument man is endowed with and he has to utilise it to reach certain goals in life. But the body per se does not have any destination. Hunger is a state of the body asking for food for its nourishment but the menu is not the demand of the body. It is the "I" which demands variety because the hunger pangs of the body will be satisfied with whatever food it is fed. What then is the destination of the "I"? Many goals have been given to lead a good life but ultimately it is happiness that the "I" seeks. Everyone without exception wants happiness. If the destination is known for example when one wants to be educated, then he can decide to go to school or college. In life, the end man seeks — happiness — is intangible and so it is essential to know how to realise it.

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