Spiritual teachings advise us to look deeply into the nature of happiness. Happiness, pleasure, joy, bliss—there are so many ways that we experience the sweetness of life. These experiences of happiness can tell us great deal about life when we examine them. One of the things we discover right away is that the desire to be happy, or to avoid suffering, motivates everything we do. All of our drives, from the basic instinctual ones like hunger, sleep, or sex, to the higher ones such as quest for knowledge or success, are rooted in a deeper desire to experience fulfillment or happiness.
When we desire something and then attain it, we experience happiness or pleasure. But, with a little discernment we can also see that the same thing that brought us pleasure may later bring pain. A mundane example is desiring a certain food we enjoy, let’s say, chocolate. If you enjoy chocolate, experience a desire to have it, and then get some, the natural result is happiness. But, after the chocolate is gone, sooner or later, you may find that the desire arises again. Ah! That happiness was pretty short lived. If you go after more in order to feel that satisfaction and happiness again, it is possible that instead of happiness, you will encounter a digestive upset or a headache from having too much of a sweet thing. Pain comes instead of pleasure.
The Buddha said, “There is pleasure and there is bliss. Forgo the first to know the second.” I don’t think that this is so much an admonition to never experience pleasure if you want to know spiritual bliss. Life is, fortunately, permeated with pleasure. Pleasure is unavoidable. When we are thirsty and we have a drink of water, voila! Pleasure! What is helpful for us is to understand the difference between pleasure and bliss. Fortunately, it is simple to make that distinction. Pleasure comes to us as the result of satisfying desires. And, the satisfaction of desires is always limited, and potentially treacherous. The satisfaction of desire generally leads to more desire and then we find ourselves bound. Bliss, however, is innate. It is unconditional, not the result of anything. No desire needs to be satisfied in order to experience it. It is a divine quality of the soul that is revealed to us when the mental field is calm and we are aware.
The most transitory happiness we experience is physical. When a desire related to the senses is fulfilled, we experience relief and happiness but soon find that particular form of pleasure to be short-lived. No sooner are our bellies filled than we are hungry again. The happiness we experience when we set goals and reach them, or succeed in life, stays with us longer. Even more enduring than that is the happiness we experience when we serve life by selflessly helping others. Being of service to others brings a deep, and long-lasting, sense of inner peace and happiness. Beyond all of those, however, is the highest happiness. The highest happiness is the bliss we experience through Self-knowing, through realizing our true nature. When we experience our essential nature, we discover our innate wholeness. That experience is free from desire. Nothing needs to be added on or attained in order for us to be happy. We are inherently blissful.
We are not required to give up pleasure to know bliss. We are advised, however, to know which is which and not lose the joy we already have while we look everywhere for happiness.
Think About It: A review of more than 160 studies of human and animal subjects has found “clear and compelling evidence” that—all else being equal—happy people tend to live longer and experience better health than their unhappy peers. The study, in the journal Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, is the most comprehensive review so far of the evidence linking happiness to health outcomes.
Scientist and research study author, Professor Ed Diener said, “We reviewed eight different types of studies and the general conclusion from each type of study is that your subjective well-being—that is, feeling positive about your life, not stressed out, not depressed—contributes to both longevity and better health among healthy populations.”
—National Science Foundation, reported in usnews.com
Be Inspired: Unsurpassed happiness is gained by contentment.
—Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, 2.42
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