Who doesn’t want to be Happy?
The whole world is seeking happiness,
We all want to be glad.
But in this chase for pleasure,
Most of us go mad.
Everybody wants to be happy, but not everybody is. We live life like a merry-go-round as we pass happiness and sorrow in cycles. Just like there is loss and gain, there is pleasure and pain.
Man hasn't understood the meaning of true happiness. Therefore, he constantly desires pleasure. Happiness is not a product that we can acquire. It is not a person that we can live with, nor is it a place we can go to. Happiness is a state of being. Therefore, the moment we say, 'I want happiness', we fail to be happy. Desire ultimately leads to disappointment. As we fulfil our need, our greed takes over and thus we are never happy.
Is there a way to happiness? Is there a recipe to be happy? Yes! If we take an exit from the highway of achievement, there is a possibility for us to be happy. As long as we believe that it is only achievement that will give us joy, we will live and die with this illusion, without being truly happy. Those who stop climbing this illusory peak of achievement that is based on pleasure, attain a state of peace.
Peace is the foundation of happiness. Pleasures are a paradox. They may make us happy for a while, but soon, we are thirsty again. Once we start to live a life of contentment and fulfillment, we will experience far more bliss and joy.
Most people are looking for happiness. They shuttle between yesterday and tomorrow and live with regret and fear. They don't realize that happiness is in the NOW. You can't be happy in the 'yesterday' that is gone nor can you be happy in the 'tomorrow' not yet born. Instead of being blissful and peaceful in the present moment, NOW, we lose this moment by either living in the past or the future, and then once again, we start chasing happiness.
Happiness is like a shadow. The more you chase it, the further it goes away. But if you stop, you will find happiness is with you wherever you are. As we go through the Life Manual, analyzing who we are and understanding life, we will discover a way to live a happier, healthier and wealthier life. But we must read the Manual and follow its operating instructions. Otherwise, like some of our gadgets with which we experiment without following the complete procedure, our life too shall experience a short circuit.
There is nothing wrong in seeking happiness. But there is a way to be happy. Most of us don't realize that we have happiness within us, but we are searching for it outside. We live and die like that musk deer who is searching for the fragrance of the musk that is inside its own navel all along. Ultimately, it falls off the cliff and dies. Unfortunately, many of us in the pursuit of happiness live and die without truly experiencing Ananda or bliss.
We all experience suffering and this interferes with our happiness. We experience physical pain of the body, misery of the mind, and agony of the ego. Those who go in quest of the ultimate peak of happiness are enlightened with the truth. They experience Divine bliss that is far beyond happiness that comes from pleasure and peace. They discover the true meaning of life and with that, live a life of eternal peace and everlasting bliss as they escape from the triple suffering of body, mind and ego.
It seems like the whole world just has one goal – to be happy. While different people dream of different goals to be achieved, nobody wants any achievement that will make them miserable. The ultimate purpose of all achievement is happiness. But no sooner do we achieve one goal than we jump into chasing another. We keep happiness for a later date. Before we realize it, our life is over. First, we want wealth and we run behind it. Once we achieve wealth, we spend the rest of our life and our wealth to take care of our health. We forget to discover true happiness and to live.
Do you want to live a life of bliss, peace, and joy? Then stop and understand the meaning of life. Realize who you truly are and what your purpose on earth is. Don't just jump into life as if it were a swimming pool and you keep swimming till you hear the whistle blow. We are 'human beings', not 'human doings' and unless we realize this, we will keep on doing without being happy. There is a way to enjoy pleasure, to live with peace, and to find purpose in life. Once we do, we will arrive at a state of Satchitananda, a state of eternal bliss that knows no sorrow. We will become conscious of happiness every moment that we live.
But this is not for everybody. It is only for those who realize the truth about life. They are the blessed few who stop seeking happiness. They are the ones who live in an ocean of joy, conscious of their Divine self. They seek nothing, but they are the happiest people in the world. You too can be one amongst them.
IN A NUTSHELL