The Hindu : Miscellaneous / Religion : State of happiness

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 26, 2005

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous - Religion

State of happiness

CHENNAI, FEB.26 . Man seeks happiness in life. He pursues various goals through which he derives comforts. But, there is also a subtle hunger for happiness inside each individual, which cannot be fulfilled by any gross object or achievement. This is the reason why even in the case of an emperor there is an emptiness within in spite of the power and pelf he commands. There is an anecdote about a spiritual teacher who taught this truth in a telling manner to his disciples. He drew bucketfuls of water from a well and kept pouring into a pot which did not have a bottom and when a student exasperated at his attempts exclaimed that he could never fill it, he explained so could man not satisfy his inner yearning for happiness by material acquisitions and achievements.

In his discourse, Swami Suddhananda said it was essential for everyone to know where to find happiness. Money can give man comforts and he can use it to lead a secure life in the world but he should not become dependent on it. Generally man equates sensation with happiness, like enjoying good music, eating tasty food and so on. Then he wants to repeat these experiences again and again to the extent that it slowly becomes an obsession, which leads to unhappiness when they are denied. Thus what initially gives happiness becomes a source of misery when it becomes a fixation.

It must be seen that comfort and misery at the level of the body is not a myth. But the unhappiness created by the thought of the object is a myth. Whereas, the state of happiness that man seeks is not a myth. So it becomes obvious that when thought is suspended unhappiness disappears. When there is suspension of thought, the "I" (the Self) remains and this state is happiness. It becomes apparent then that the object does not give happiness or unhappiness; it is the thought, which gives unhappiness. This truth must be seen.

Banishing the thought, which gives unhappiness is one way out but this is another fix, which leads to fanaticism. If a person concludes that absence of thought is happiness then he ends up becoming a non-thinking imbecile and thus negating thought will not lead to happiness. The only difference is: in the earlier situation the person was agitated while later without thought he seems calm. In the presence of the object thought gets suspended and what remains is the Self and hence happiness is experienced. In moments of happiness man is in tune with his Self and this is not a myth.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Miscellaneous

News Update

Stories in this Section

Solution to puzzle No. 8226

The Hindu Crossword No. 8227

State of happiness

dated February 26, 1955: Bangkok to be SEATO Hq.

dated February 26, 1955: Nandikonda project

dated February 26, 1955: Indian films for Pakistan

Weather