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Although men have their aims
very differently in their ways of life, in general they have only one aim,
which is happiness. You can see people around you. They are busy with their
daily activities. They are struggling all the times for good and successful
lives because they desire to be happy. In spite of their day-to-day struggle
for establishing a happy, their happiness is still far away from them as well
as from you as the world contains a lot of things you don’t like. It is
unavoidable for you to face the unhappiness. However, according to the saying
" when there is will, there is way" it is possible to find the way
out of it. The sufficient attempt has to be made if you have a liking for a
happy life.
The ordinary individual
seeks his happiness in material things such wealth, rank, wife, children,
friends and the like which are subject to be changeable. When these things are
lost, or when he becomes disappointed at them, the happiness he places in them
will disappear as well. It is unquestionable to acknowledge that these material
objects can render one’s happiness within the limitation of their
impermanent nature. They are only temporary, not everlasting. They in due
course lead to the state of unhappiness.
In that case, how should we
be of opinion towards this changing world? Sobbing is futile. That will make
the situation change for the worse. Lets us try to have sufficient knowledge of
understanding the world in its real nature by facing life with our head held
high. Following the advice given by the Buddha to Nakulapita, was in his old
age broken down and sick. When Nakulapita visited the Buddha, he was told by
the latter "though sick of body, my mind shall be healthy. Thus should you
train yourself."
Happiness is the emotional
state. It is not something determining our degree if happiness or unhappiness.
Circumstances are capable of disturbing our peace of mind only as they are
allowed to. Events and happenings are of the outside world. Only our reactions
to them matter.
The top secrecy of
happiness and the life of success are within present actions, which are
required to be done now, not pondering over the past and worrying about the
future. There is no moment but now that is the best time we can control.
This universal accuracy has
been accepted not only by the Buddha but also by all the great philosophers of
the world. They say that it is futile to live in memories of the past and in
dreams of the future, neglecting the present moment and its opportunities.
Times move on. Let us not stand idly by, and see our hopes, for success turn
into memories of failure.
It lies in our power to
build today, something that will endure through many tomorrow, something more
solid than castles in the air. The Buddha has shown us the way. The time is now
and the choice is ours.
Many people just worry by
thinking about their future but if they have learned to adjust themselves
according to the circumstances of their daily life, there is no reason for them
to be worried. Whatever castles they may build in the air, whatever dreams they
may have in their mind, they must always remember that they are living in this
world of constant changes.
In spite of the emphasis on
suffering by His teaching, the Buddha dose not deny happiness in life. On the
contrary He admits various kinds of happiness both material and spiritual, for
laymen as well as for monks. In the Anguttara-nikaya, there is a list of
happiness (sukha) such as the happiness of family life and the happiness of the
life of recluse, the happiness of sense pleasures and the happiness of
renunciation, the happiness of attachment and the happiness of detachment,
physical happiness and mental happiness and the like.
In His discourse on various
types of happiness in relation to wealth, the Buddha gave four practical
classifications of happiness as follows;
Happiness in
the possession of wealth through righteous and legitimate means;
Happiness through the proper
and correct usage of accumulated wealth;
Happiness in being free from
indebtedness to anyone;
Happiness in the knowledge
that no illicit or illegitimate means had been employed in the course of
accumulating wealth and that no one had been harmed or injured in so doing.
The Buddha says that
happiness of renunciation is higher than that of the household life and it
finally leads one to Supreme Bliss or Nibbana. The Buddha deals in detail about
the material progress of householders, for it is on material development that
their happiness depends on. Hence He says that the great misery a householder
has to face is poverty. That is why he encourages householders to work hard and
make a righteous accumulation of wealth. But all these kinds of happiness are
subject to impermanence and all included in suffering.
Therefore, this precious
quality of happiness does not come without being developed and cultivated.
There are certain outstanding techniques the heart and mind, which are crucial
for happiness. They are confidence, charity, contentment, compassion, courage,
calm and clarity.
If these noble qualities
are applied practically to our lives, happiness and peaceful mind will not lie
far away from us. The cultivation of even some of these virtues will go a long
way in making our lives happy, contented and cheerful.
But be contented with
one’s life, confidence is very essential in Buddhism and it also is the
forerunner of all the other virtues. Without confidence and faith in oneself
there is no possibility for one to achieve anything valuable in his life. In
the highest sense of confidence denotes faith in moral and spiritual values and
the ability and capacity to achieve ideals and goals that one aspires to.
According to Buddhist
philosophy, it is a purifying mental factor in the mind and has a deeper
philosophical meaning than that of merely confidence. First of all, it is
confidence born out of understanding or conviction of the Four Noble Truths.
Secondly, it is feeling of reverence or admiration, which a follower accords to
a personality, or a set of doctrines. Thirdly, it implies an earnest hope of
execution and realizes ethical principles of developing one innate morality.
This quality of confidence
is described in the Buddhist doctrines as "Saddha" which the great
philosopher Asanga has pointed out three aspects of meaning. In fact the three
meanings given to this term contain the ingredients of happy living. The three
meanings are;
(1) Full and firm
conviction that a thing is
(2) serene joy at good
qualities and
(3) aspiration or wish to
achieve an object in view
Charity is also precious
high caliber, which conduces to happiness, joy and contentment in our lives.
When it is practiced, it gives the peace of mind not only to the giver but also
liberal disposition to the receiver.
Buddhism which pays
emphasis on self-restraint and denies the idea of selfishness regards
contentment as a happy life. A discontented person will never find contentment
spending his time by running after wealth. Nothing is more miserable than a
wealthy person who is discontented.
A dissatisfied man will
find dissatisfaction even in the midst of riches. No less miserable is the
condition of a rich man who pines for riches after riches without any
satisfaction even if he does neither want to use for himself nor for others.
The more we seek our
happiness by just only collecting material gains, the further we are far away
from happiness. Real happiness does not lie in material things. We cannot find
real happiness by seeking worldly materials that are in the limitation of their
being subjected to the mobility. It is proved from our day-to-day experience.
What belongs to us cannot give any grantee to us. Sooner or later, it will come
to its nature. It is not quite possible to expect all things we wish to have in
the world. Therefore, it is very important to bear in mind that we are not in a
position to obtain everything we want.
In order to gain happiness
in our lives, we should follow the way expounded by the Lord Buddha.
Compassion is a sterling
quality that contributes in no mean measure to happiness. Buddhism teaches us
not only to abstain from killing beings, but also to love and protect them. If
every person in our society is benevolent and grateful or ready to help in a
small way, and reciprocate the kind feelings shown to him, then, our society
will be very pleasant to lives mutual love prevails, then, there will be no
hostility whatsoever among us.
Very often we insensitively
and sometimes intentionally add to the anxiety and sufferings of others. If we
do not wish to be harmed by others, we should avoid giving any harmful action
to others. "Treat others in the same way as you like to be treated"
is a secure law, advocated by the Buddha. The technique that we should adopt to
achieve happiness must be harmless one. It is nonsense in experiencing
happiness by creating pain to another living beings. The Buddha says "
Blessed are those who earn their living without giving any harm to
others".
Wisdom and compassion are
the two virtues by which can attain supremeness and by which everlasting peace
and happiness on earth can prevail. "Happiness is a perfume you cannot
pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself".
Audacity is also a vital
aspect for the achievement of happiness and peace of mind. The Buddha’s
Dhamma is a pragmatic teaching. The Buddha says that we must be spiritual
warriors, so that we could wage war against the inveterate enemies of the mind
- greed, hatred and ignorance. We must valiantly use the powerful weapons of
dana-generosity, sila-virtue and bhavana-meditation, to conquer the enemies,
which harass and torment us so frequently in our lives. Then only will we
emerge triumphant and victorious.
Composure or tranquility of
mind is an indispensable factor for happiness. The mind of man in the modern
world is in a state of confusion, anxiety and bewilderment as he is
continuously and harshly attacked by sense motivation through the mass media.
Peace of mind, contentment
and happiness are rare commodities these days. On the other hand modern man is
subjugated and trounced by unconstructive thoughts of apprehension, nervousness
and worry. Thus the modern times is pertinently stated as an times of
nervousness and depression. The progress and promotion of peace, tranquility
and serenity occupy a very dominant place if we are to lead blissful, serene
and significant lives. A necessary precondition for the accomplishment of calm
and tranquility is to reduce one’s desires and wants. It is a fact of
common experience that our desires are insatiable and can never be satisfied
and as a result dissatisfaction, disenchantment and worry prevent our minds
from being close the state of calmness and tranquility.
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