what is Happiness? Where is it? – In You or Outside?

Want to be Blissful? Being in the State of Continuous Happiness, is it possible? Actually, what is Happiness? Where is it? – In You or Outside?

Want to get Happiness or want to Be Happy? What is the difference – you might wonder, right?

I get happiness when I eat a gulab jamun, what about you? Most of you feel happy when eating a gulab jamun(a few may be with a rasagulla!), am I right?

I feel happy when I listen to my favourite music, when I watch nice scenery – the beautiful sunrise, the mountain full of snow, etc. Like this, you might feel happy, say when you watch a movie starring your favourite hero, watch the night sky with stars and moon, read a novel of your taste. The touch and smell of your favourite flower can make you feel happy, isn’t it? I love that Champa flower, I would become so happy if I got a few of them. Hmm, the yummy biryani from your choice of restaurant will make you happy for sure, right?

If you notice all these instances when you are becoming happy, you can see that you are getting happiness from your sensations, the form we see, smell, taste, sound we hear and the touch we feel. 

Yesterday, Niranjana called after reading my previous blog “Continuing Our Daily Workout – Yet Another Interesting Way! Why Don’t We Replace the Boring Exercises and Other Workouts with Our Traditional Classical Dances or Martial Arts? (https://pavaiarun.blogspot.com/2024/07/continueing-our-daily-workout-yet.html). She appreciated the efforts taken in giving the facts about Bharatanatyam. That message ‘Wohoo’ in response to the blog and appreciation from Niranjana and Devesh made me very happy, you know.

Yes, you also might get happy in some instances like when you get appreciated for something you have done, or someone says you look pretty in that attire when chatting with your close friend, etc. When someone is enquiring about your health when you are not well, that care shown by them makes you feel happy, right?

In these cases, we get the happiness from the right feeling from the other. Affection from a friend, care shown by our loved ones, appreciation from others… 

Of course, I will be in the state of happiness if I have the Right Understanding and the Right Feelings in me.

So, we can see

The sources of happiness are:

1. Right understanding, right feeling and right thought in our self
2. Right feeling from others
3. Sensation we get through our sensory organs

Firstly, Happiness and its continuity are ensured by Right Understanding, Right Feeling, and Right Thought in myself – Can you see this? 

I called my sister for some help, but she did not pick up the call. If I have the Right Understanding that no one will purposely do that, the intention of every human being is pure, then I will not become unhappy about that. I trust her, definitely, she will not miss my call, might be engaged in some other important work, or might not have noticed my call. Since I had this Right understanding in myself, having trust on the intention, my happiness did not get affected. Continuity of my happiness is ensured by my right understanding and right feeling! 

Will I make a mistake intentionally? No. In the same way, the other person also will not make the mistake intentionally. Doubting the intention is the root cause of all the problems.

By developing the Right Understanding and right Feeling in myself, and having the Right Thoughts I can Be Happy Continuously.

Next, getting happiness from the right feeling from the other. Affection from a friend, care shown by our loved ones, appreciation from others…  Do you think that happiness is continuous? One will say I look pretty in that saree, I will become happy. But after a few minutes, someone will come and say in this saree you are looking a little old or short or this colour does not suit you… That’s all, where did my happiness go?

If I am deriving happiness from others’ feelings, will it be continuous? 

Finally, can I depend on sensation for my continuous happiness? Physical object when it comes to contact with the body leads to some sensation in the body. If the sensation is favourable to me, if I like the sensation, I feel happy. If the sensation is unfavourable, if I do not like the sensation, I become unhappy. 

Happiness drawn out of sensation is temporary. Sensation can be a source of temporary happiness, i.e., excitement only. It can not be a source of continuous happiness, which is our aspiration! 

I feel happy if I eat an ice cream. If I am deriving happiness from eating an ice cream for continuous happiness can I eat the ice cream continuously? Will I get the same happiness while eating the third one or the fourth one ? Actually, it is a punishment to make someone eat more and more icecreams, do you know that? Check for yourself. 

If I depend on the sensation for my happiness it’s not continuous, can you see that? But, we aspire for continuous happiness, isn’t it?