It is an agreed fact that all the creatures want happiness and are afraid of pain and grief. The question, however, is 'what is real happiness?' What really is called happiness? The desire for happiness has no meaning without understanding the real nature of happiness.
Generally, ordinary beings consider sensual pleasures as happiness and their attempts are also directed towards these. According to them search for happiness means search for pleasures of the senses. The question 'what is happiness' does not arise in their hearts, because in their hearts they treat life full of sensory joys as a happy life.
It is on account of this that whenever we think of happiness and welfare, it is considered desirable to lead a life of attachments, work hard, grow more food and develop industries and science. The country will prosper by all these and all will be happy. Ideals are talked of and it is said that a day will come when everyone will have nutritious food to eat, clothes to put on according to variations of seasons and modern residences would be built with all scientific facilities and then all will be happy.
We do not want to discuss whether such conditions will prevail or not. Our question is, if after having all these comforts, life will be happy. If yes, people having all these comforts, should be happy even now. The countries touching the limitations of all these comforts must, then, have all happy and quiet people. We, however, find that all on this earth are disturbed, impatient, unhappy, afraid and worried. It is, therefore necessary to consider seriously what happiness really is. We cannot make true efforts in this direction and achieve happiness without once for all deciding what real happiness is.
Generally, ordinary beings consider sensual pleasures as happiness and their attempts are also directed towards these. According to them search for happiness means search for pleasures of the senses. The question 'what is happiness' does not arise in their hearts, because in their hearts they treat life full of sensory joys as a happy life.
It is on account of this that whenever we think of happiness and welfare, it is considered desirable to lead a life of attachments, work hard, grow more food and develop industries and science. The country will prosper by all these and all will be happy. Ideals are talked of and it is said that a day will come when everyone will have nutritious food to eat, clothes to put on according to variations of seasons and modern residences would be built with all scientific facilities and then all will be happy.
We do not want to discuss whether such conditions will prevail or not. Our question is, if after having all these comforts, life will be happy. If yes, people having all these comforts, should be happy even now. The countries touching the limitations of all these comforts must, then, have all happy and quiet people. We, however, find that all on this earth are disturbed, impatient, unhappy, afraid and worried. It is, therefore necessary to consider seriously what happiness really is. We cannot make true efforts in this direction and achieve happiness without once for all deciding what real happiness is.
Some thinkers go ahead and say "Happiness does not lie in objects of enjoyment; happiness or unhappiness lies in imagination". To prove their belief they give examples like the one following : A man has a two-storey house; on the right is a five storey building and on the left a cottage.
When he sees right, he feels unhappy and when he sees left he feels happy. As such happiness does not lie in possession of sensory objects, but in imagination. They advise people to look towards those, who have fewer possessions and be happy. If you look towards people having more wealth and possessions, you will always be unhappy.
It is unreasonable to hold that happiness lies in imagination. "If you want to be happy look towards the poor". Those poor people cannot satisfy even their needs. Seeing such poverty-stricken people even worldly-minded people develop pity. It is unkind to regard one happy by imagining that one is better than the poor and the unhappy. This attitude also satisfies the sense of pride of possessions. This can never be called happiness.
Some ask people to do this and do that and say, "This way your desires would be satisfied. You would get the desired objects and become happy". People holding these views regard happiness as satisfaction of desires and unhappiness as denial thereof.
It is unreasonable to hold that happiness lies in imagination. "If you want to be happy look towards the poor". Those poor people cannot satisfy even their needs. Seeing such poverty-stricken people even worldly-minded people develop pity. It is unkind to regard one happy by imagining that one is better than the poor and the unhappy. This attitude also satisfies the sense of pride of possessions. This can never be called happiness.
Some ask people to do this and do that and say, "This way your desires would be satisfied. You would get the desired objects and become happy". People holding these views regard happiness as satisfaction of desires and unhappiness as denial thereof.
Author and Credits: Edited by Dr. H.C. Bharill