“What is happiness?” When M. Sivaprakasam Pillai put this question to Ramana Maharshi, he came up with the following answer.
Happiness is the very nature of the Self; happiness and the Self are not different. There is no happiness in any object of the world. We imagine through our ignorance that we derive happiness from objects. When the mind goes out, it experiences misery. In truth, when its desires are fulfilled, it returns to its own place and enjoys the happiness that is the Self. Similarly, in the states of sleep, samadhi and fainting, and when the object desired is obtained or the object disliked is removed, the mind becomes inward-turned, and enjoys pure Self-Happiness. Thus the mind moves without rest alternately going out of the Self and returning to it. Under the tree the shade is pleasant; out in the open the heat is scorching. A person who has been going about in the sun feels cool when he reaches the shade. Someone who keeps on going from the shade into the sun and then back into the shade is a fool. A wise man stays permanently in the shade. Similarly, the mind of the one who knows the truth does not leave Brahman. The mind of the ignorant, on the contrary, revolves in the world, feeling miserable, and for a little time returns to Brahman to experience happiness. In fact, what is called the world is only thought. When the world disappears, i.e. when there is no thought, the mind experiences happiness; and when the world appears, it goes through misery.
More such questions and wonderful answers in the book Who am I?. Great reading if you have an inclination for Self-enquiry and the path of Jnana.
kk says:
this is sooooo stupid, you should do more writing!!!!!
1 November 2007, 4:21 amJudith is feeling pain and suffering... says:
What is happiness?
Happiness is emotion in which one experiences feelings ranging from contentment and satisfaction to bliss and intense joy. This definition is, however, a synonymous one. A more clarified one is almost impossible to conceive due to the capacity by which a human can allocate the correct words into an appropriate and meritable sentence that would describe happiness.
16 March 2008, 9:26 amRoy Sencio says:
Happiness is a choice, and an attitude you can choose. It is not determined by possessions or dependent on conditions, and by no means is it triggered by material or situational prerequisites.
Read more on my article, What Is Happiness?
17 March 2008, 8:24 pmWhat is ego? « srinig.com says:
[...] What is happiness? Tags: awareness, conflict, ego, future, God, harmony, intelligence, past, present, spirituality, time and space Leave a response | Trackback URL | Comments RSS [...]
20 June 2008, 1:51 pmSelf Improvement Advice says:
Happiness is a decision to make although there are a lot of factors that can influence it but in the end it is you that can only determine if you are satisfied and happy.
-Jan
24 June 2008, 7:45 amHappy Quotes 11-20 says:
[...] What is happiness? - “What is happiness?” When M. Sivaprakasam Pillai put this question to Ramana Maharshi, he came up with the following answer. Happiness is the very nature of the Self; happiness and the Self are not different. … [...]
21 September 2008, 7:17 amHappy Quotes says:
A very interesting perspective of what happiness really is. Sometimes we tend to analyze everything hoping to understand the true of meaning of happiness when it in fact just right around us.
21 September 2008, 7:23 am