Happiness

"Everyone is looking for happiness. But what is meant by happiness?" This was one of the questions a wise boy, Sveta-ketu, put to his father many centuries ago.

"One of the signs of happiness, son, is that a person who has it becomes active. A person who does not find happiness does not feel like being active. His mind is cramped, his will is weak. What is vast and infinite brings happiness. There is no true joy in what is small or finite. I can tell you that the Infinite alone is happiness; but you must desire to understand this Infinite, my son."

"I want to understand it, Pita Shree," said Sveta-ketu.

"Good," said his father. "Then you must listen carefully to what I say and think deeply about it:

"When a person sees that nothing and no one is separate from him, that he is one with all the people, animals, and objects in the universe, when a person sees and hears and knows nothing else -- that is the Infinite.

"But, if one sees or feels some other thing, obstructing him, separating him, then that is the finite. He has not yet found the Infinite.

"The Infinite never passes away; it lasts forever; but what is finite will pass away."

The spiritual guides are like the clouds, which bear the evaporated water from the sea, and empty it elsewhere on the standee crops. These types of people will spread essence of love. Associating with their spiritual guides should be considered a privilege.

These are the spiritual thoughts.

God has created human beings to experience both happiness and grief, enjoy pleasures, and also face obstacles. Invariably, they meet with more number of problems than prosperous situations. The adversities are mainly due to the fact that people have swerved from the path of duty and have failed to carry out their religious obligations with faith and sincerity. Spiritual exercises ought not to be neglected and scriptural texts tell us how to combat evil and derive the moral strength by upholding the rules of righteousness.

In the past wise people who witnessed similar discontent earlier were able to offer the solution to make the world a place to live. Thinkers of today are also in the same position. The need is that the individual should adjust him to the surroundings. This can be achieved not anatomically or structurally but mentally.

If a man changes, the environment will change. But this should come from within, inside the hearts and not through legislation or other methods. The mental / attitude should undergo a transformation. So long as men’s attitude remains selfish, the world will sink lower and lower and the poor will remain poor. Men should rise to a higher level, giving up selfishness and desires. What God means has been presented in our Scriptures?

Sukha or happiness means different things to different people. This is especially so in the context of varying lifestyles prevalent today and the issues that a lot of us are living with and identifying ourselves with. Is happiness really the excitement of IPL Cricket Match of the last ball or watching the run between the Wickets?

Sukha in Indian philosophical system is a heavily loaded term. To understand the quality of true Sukha or happiness also means that we need to define Dukha or suffering. Bhagwan Buddha was very clear in his definition of suffering and about what constitutes true happiness. He propounded as the cornerstone of his teachings the four noble truths. These truths according to him were intrinsic as well as peculiar to samsara, and pervaded all samsaric activity. These four noble truths or arya-satya were the truth of suffering, its cause, the cessation or end of suffering by realising true happiness and the method or path leading to cessation of suffering and of attaining to a state of true happiness. Sukha has experienced by the wise sages and yogis. Is something that is peaceful, serene, harmonious, and happy?

An elucidation of this point is the example of a mirror, which will reflect an object in its Front as it is, if there is an image not charming, the defect is not of the mirror but that of the person. Any number changes of the mirror will be of no avail. Likewise people show changes.

Though man has been broadly classified as extraordinary, the average and the dull, there is a superior class who fall in the category of the distinguished and the wise. They generally lead a life of simplicity and austerity and the only goal is to serve humanity and render them assistance to get rid of their problems and if necessary guide them properly. They may out speak but will never be offensive.

Going to the ocean, a fisherman will be happy with a big catch, with which he can obtain money. Some other may go in for pearls and someone may dive deep to get more precious items. Some may try to strike oil and become rich. All of them seek only wealth.

Happiness is the state of One’s mind- how a man should ‘turn’ himself to the environment of the present world is of vital importance to day. The happenings around us are not satisfactory and no individual is happy. The problem arises because each one is self-centred and possesses ego.

If Happiness is defined as a state of pleasure and contentment. It is now evident that external factors like wealth, status or beauty can’t ensure happiness. And interestingly, according to research about 50 % of happiness is genetic and about 10% is dependent on circumstances. That leaves 40 % unexplained. “There is no medical or psychiatric definition of happiness. Happiness is usually defined as a state of satisfaction. It involves satisfaction with one’s state of physical’ mental and emotional health and has a lot to do with their social, spiritual and financial side of life too.

But do we truly experience Happiness / pleasure? While there are many good moments in the lives of most of us, the overall picture is less than rosy. The increasing rates of drug abuse, extreme violence, terrorism, depression and other ills of our affluent society testify that something very basic is missing in our lives. None of these problems is the cause; instead, they are symptoms of a much deeper problem—our inability to fulfil our desire to feel pleasure.

To understand why we are dissatisfied, we need to remember that the Creator is a force of love and wishes to give us pleasure. Since the greatest possible pleasure is being in "His shoes"—omniscient and omnipotent—this is what He wants to give us, His power and His mind, Himself.

In other words, His goal in creating us is to make us similar to Him. And by consequence, the only state in which we will ever be happy is when we are like Him, when we discover and share His qualities. When we obtain these qualities, we will be infinitely, completely happy.

All the above is very nice, but if we take a look around and honestly ask ourselves if this is the world of a Creator who loves His creatures and wants to benefit them, we will probably think that something went very wrong, either with the Creator, or with us.

The first option that something went wrong with the Creator has been our stance since the dawn of history. This is why we keep trying to change the world He created and "improve" it. We constantly invent new foods, technologies, means of transportation, social rules, and the list is endless. We have been pursuing the "better," "stronger," and "faster" for millennia; but has this pursuit resulted in happiness, or even contentment? Probably not. Otherwise we wouldn't keep replacing and changing what we have. Indeed, why are we never satisfied?

Now as on today many people would begin to think that, perhaps, the stance that something was wrong with the world had not been the right answer. They would begin to feel that the problem wasn't with the world and its Creator, but with us! This new concept is gaining momentum, and more people than ever are aware that the problem is not with the world, but with humanity.

This is a critical shift: it means that we acknowledge that the problem is with human nature, and not with anything else. In consequence, just as we turn to the program vendor when software we install doesn't work, when human nature fails us, we must ask the "nature vendor" to provide us with a different nature, one that works properly.

Happiness / Pleasure of the world are always attractive in the beginning, but their consequences are terrible and hard to endure, like the temporary pleasure derived by scratching an itch but the sensation turning painful and intolerable a little later. The mind of the man even as the horse with blinkers takes its route straight, should be restrained and made to develop an aversion to worldly objects and not stray into evil paths.

Emperors have left this world but their pious deeds in the form of tanks, roads, shelter, homes, and temples. Even man who upholds religious traditions cannot easily get rid of the powerful forces of desire and attachment.

It is a well known fact that happiness is vital for good health. Corroborating this theory, a study conducted proves that adults who are happy, but are suffering from a heart disease, have a 20% more chance of living longer. Thoughts and emotions are controlled by hormones in the brain. Just as electricity moves from pole to pole, in the brain, impulses have to jump from cell to cell. The intervening space between nerve cells is controlled by neurons chemicals or neuron hormones. Any alteration in this will produce change in behaviour, thought and emotions. Genetically, people have a certain concentration of neuron-hormones and depending on that; people will be happy or sad. The experience is further modified by external circumstances.

The study revealed that though a constant state of happiness isn’t necessary, avoiding emotional lows is vital for a long life. This is because happy people are less likely to suffer from psychomatic problems like diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

Different states of mind are associated with the release of different chemicals and hormones in various parts of the body. Happiness and pleasure are associated with the release of dopamine in the brain. Sadness is associated with the release of steroid hormones, which are circulated through the bloodstream to different parts of the body. This is why states of mind can affect the health and physiology of the entire body. However, happiness is also associated with other positive chemical and hormonal changes and same holds good for sadness.

The ever-expanding field of positive psychology emphasises human strengths rather than weaknesses as a way of life. People who are positive and happy have a higher immunological cell count and can combat diseases better. The new IT culture and changing life styles are creating great stress, which in turn affect happiness.

One needs to remember that happiness does not mean an absence of difficulties, and not a continuous state either as it has been noticed that people go through mood changes. Anti depressants can reduce unhappiness but cannot artificially keep you happy all the time. Use of substances like alcohal and drugs usually work on the prevailing mood of the person and amplifies it. To be really happy, a person needs to accept that good things and bad things are a part of life. They must not be too reactive whenever something bad happens.

These drugs are usually addictive and can have damaging short-and long-term consequences on a person’s physical and mental health, and on his social and occupational performance.