For most of you, life is a pursuit of happiness, but what kind of happiness? One that makes you forget the unhappiness, chaos & suffering, or the one which removes them forever?
There is nothing wrong with chasing happiness!
Although the one that you are chasing will not last forever. The one that you are chasing will not end the suffering of body, mind & emotions. The one that you are chasing is temporary and will slip away like sand in your fist.
Let's see in what all ways you are trying to chase happiness. All you have in your perception is your Body, Mind and Emotions. Three faculties through which you experience life, and happiness.
BODY - In how many ways you chase happiness for the body?- Chasing good physical health, or getting rid of existing diseases/wounds/fat- Good looking #body, body shape, curvature, cleanliness, good clothes, accessories- Good/better/sound sleep
MIND - Mind has 4 faculties. In how many ways you chase happiness for #mind?
MANAS - 5 Senses - In how many ways you chase happiness for these #senses?- Touch - Sex, Hug, physical touch- Smell - Perfumes, Aromas, Smudge, clean surroundings- Hear - Favorite music, less noise, silence- Taste - Eatables, Drinkables- See - Loved ones, Beauty (definition may vary for different people)
AHAM - Ego/I-Maker - All your Identities/Roles - How you chase happiness for them?Your roles/#Identities as an Employee, Businessperson, Officer, Parent, Sibling, Child, Friend, Lover, Spouse, Indian/American/Australian (Citizen), Man/Woman/Other, Beautiful/Ugly/Sexy, and 99 others play two games:- Game of Achievement - On the name of #achievement/gain you chase happiness.- Game of Expectations - On the name of fulfilling other's #expectations or expecting other's to fulfil yours, you chase happiness.
BUDDHI - IntellectLet's see how you chase happiness for #Intellect:- Intellectual Entertainment - Reading/Watching/Discussing/Arguing about anything, Knowledge Gathering- Creating/Developing your Ideas/Dreams
CHITTA - Subconscious & Unconscious space of mindThese are not in your direct perception unless you are a serious spiritual seeker and you become #conscious about these.
EMOTIONS - Energy in Motion - E-MotionThis is what "your scale of happiness" is. Its all about how you feel. Any action, intention/thought of "chasing #happiness" when results into the pleasant emotions you feel happy, means "mission of chasing happiness accomplished", otherwise not (sad, angry, anxious, worrisome, insecure, fearful).
Some people feel happy with negative emotions too. Some people love their sadness too. For some love is bondage, limitation. In this world, people can enjoy any and every emotion. So, your definition of happiness is "personal" to you. It's not everyone's definition of happiness, everyone's scale is not the same. If it is somewhat the same then it may not timely align with yours. Never confuse that what makes you happy at a particular Time is what makes others happy too. You can never make anyone else happy unless you "know & accept" their definition of happiness, and you are On-Time. Also understand that this definition changes with time, Morning till Evening, changes with Weather, changes with Sun and Moon, Age, Coffee, Tea, company, changes with everything else in the world that is changing. So by the time you come to know what makes the other person happy, their definition might have changed, so even if you do what makes them happy, they may not be happy with it.
Whatever you do or think it impacts your emotions in one way or other. That's why you fix your actions and thinking to change your emotional state. Or you want to fix other's actions and thinking to fix your emotional state. That's what you think. That's what your understanding is.
WRONG!
Emotions/Emotional States "do not follow" actions, events, thoughts, or your world.
Emotions Lead & Drive your actions, events, thoughts, people and the world that you live in.
You think the problems of your life are making you painful and giving you suffering. NO! The pain within, emotions within are creating a problematic life, trouble after trouble in every area of your life. Emotions within project the reality.
When anger as an emotion arises within you, you manifest a reason to be angry with someone or something, When insecurity/fear arises within you, you manifest a reason to be fearful for. When love arises within you, you manifest a reason to be loving. When compassion arises within you, you can manifest a reason to be kind and compassionate. When these emotions arises within you, they are very subtle, can't be felt, recognized in a tangible way, until a physical reality is manifested for you to experience them. That's why it is said that your outer world is the reflection of your inner-world. This also means that by fixing actions (yours or others), thoughts/thinking (yours or others), events (yours alone or involving others) your emotional state cannot be changed. In other words, you need to change your emotional state "first" then your actions, thoughts and events in your life will be accordingly.
Now, that's a challenge. Because you are a misery manufacturing machine. Only if you could manufacture Love within then everything in your life, your world would be, rosy in and out, lovely all around. But why is it so hard to stay in the emotional state of love or peace always? Why can't anyone do that? Let's talk about your #MiseryManufacturingMachine.
As I explained above "Emotions means Energy in Motion". Fixation in Love & Peace means 100% motionlessness. Now energy cannot be dead or made motionless. Stability, Balance of Emotions is a "Myth" just like Wave-less Ocean. This energy cannot be killed or stopped, as waves in the Ocean cannot be controlled, stopped. Then should one stop feeling anything or ignore, deny all feelings, or become indifferent towards them? No, No, No. Never do that. That is what we call "suppression".
All anti-depressant pills do the same too. It doesn't help. Then what?
Did you ever use this water level scale while mounting shelves or levelling anything in your house? If you have used one that doesn't have a ruler around it, then you know how difficult it is to bring it to "balance", that bubble in the water moves even at the hint of motion. This scale is good but is quite problematic to use.
So how about changing the scale? And shutting down that misery manufacturing machine?Change the Scale of Happiness. As of now your Scale of Happiness is Energy in Motion (Emotion). In the motion, means moving, changing. The moment you put it in Love & Peace state it starts moving to the other side. Your scale in is Motion and you are trying to use it for Permanence, Stability. How is that possible?
Another forever moving energy/scale is "Time", and you want to hold onto everything, your kid's childhood, your ignorance, lover's smile, relationship and what not. Time is also an eternally moving energy, shifting, changing energy. And you get stuck in past, Time that is gone. You get stuck in sweet emotion that is gone or suffer the one that is yet to come.
Why use such a moving, unstable, fast-changing scale. Transcend these ever-changing scales. Have a scale that doesn't move at all when put in the state of Love, Peace, Bliss. If you really want to attain an everlasting happiness you will have to pursue the change of scale and that will shut down the misery manufacturing machine. In other words, pursuing the change of scale is like chasing the everlasting, permanent happiness (Love, Peace, Bliss - Sat-Chit-Ananda).
This everlasting, permanent happiness also means "end of all suffering, sorrow, grief, pain within", shutting down misery manufacturing machine forever.
Sattvik Happiness
The happiness that "removes/ends all suffering, sorrow, pain, grief" is called as Sattvik Happiness.
Means misery manufacturing machine shuts-down for forever. Once you attain this happiness, you will not go for any temporary, mind, body, emotions numbing experiences and happiness.
Rajasik Happiness
The happiness that makes you "forget suffering, sorrow, pain, grief for some time" is called as Rajasik Happiness. Means miserly manufacturing machine is down for some time (perhaps downloading & installing new updates). All your pursuits for happiness for Body, Mind (Manas, Aham, Buddhi, Chitta), Emotions are the pursuits for Rajasik happiness. They make you forget your suffering, pain, grief for some time then it comes back. Then you make changes to it, chase again, you get it, again you forget for some time then you are back. You get a job, money, car, mobile, house that you always wanted, you feel happy for some time, it makes you forget your suffering for some time, but then you sulk again in your misery. You go for a blasting sex, or binge drinking, drugs, crazy rides, binge-watching TV, sports match, exotic vacation, mystical experiences and what not, all that makes you forget your miserable life, agony within for some time and then you are drowned in it again. Then many of you accept that's how life is, happy today, unhappy tomorrow and it goes on. You think of it as Truth as Reality. That's when you make a mistake. That's what Maya is. Mistaking the Untrue for ultimate Truth and unreal for ultimate Reality. Neither it is the truth, nor it is the reality. Life is permanent Love, Peace, Joy, Happiness, Bliss. Anyone can attain that.
Tamsik Happiness The happiness that makes one "forget the suffering, sorrow, pain, grief only during sleep or laziness or through forgetfulness" is Tamsik Happiness. In other words, such people are suffering during their waking hours with one thing or the other. Means misery manufacturing machine is on all the time and only way to not know misery is by sleeping, laziness or forgetfulness. Such people either sleep a lot or sleep at odd times, are forgetful, are lazy and when this machine goes crazy as hell, then they suffer from insomnia. Such people may also suffer from short-term memory-loss type problems as they age.
Now, which one will you seek? Sattvik or Rajasik? Tamsik is not in your hand, it's a situation in the hands of your Karma. Though seeking the Sattvik can be your Conscious Choice! Start your spiritual practices, change your perception and attain permanent happiness.
Note: During the battle of Kurukshetra, Arjuna asks questions about Karma Yoga, types of happiness (sukha) & suffering (dukha) which can take one towards True Dharma. Krishna explains to him in few shlokas which are consolidated in Bhagwad Gita. This article explains those shlokas as well as provides information for Spiritual Seekers.
Jay Shivay!
Prakriti
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