The Quest
Who? What? Where?
Is there really a third peak of happiness? Why is it that not many people talk of it? Can there be a life beyond pleasure and peace? Is it true that one can live without pain, misery, and sorrow? How is it possible to transcend the maladies of life? Not just life, is it faintly possible to overcome old age, disease, and death?
As I said goodbye to the second peak of happiness and started contemplating on the third, I wasn't sure that such a peak even existed. But my quest took me onward and forward.
Would finding the purpose of life lead me to the third peak of happiness? I wasn't sure, but I had started the journey.
It was an exotic destination, rare and unknown to most of humanity. Most people did not even know about the second peak. Where was the question of the world acknowledging the third?
But there were a few who claimed to have realized the third peak. They too went on a quest to find out the ultimate truth. What made it possible for these fortunate few who trekked this unknown peak?
If I ask you whether you trust that you have a nose on your face, you would laugh. You would say, “I don't need to trust that I have a nose on my face. I know it, I can touch it, and I can feel it”. But just because you can't touch and feel something, it doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. For example, space – we know it exists, but we can't touch, feel, or see it. There may be something that we only hear about, some whose pictures we see and even some that we logically or intuitively experience.
The third peak calls for us to take charge of our intellect – the special part of our mind that can discriminate between what is right and wrong and what is real and unreal. Unless we take charge of our intellect, we can never realize the Third Peak of Happiness.
So what is the Third Peak of Happiness? We know the first peak is ACHIEVEMENT. People on this peak are both happy and unhappy and the cycle goes on. Some of us know that the second peak of happiness is FULFILLMENT. Not all of us are fortunate, but at least 1 out of 5 lives a life of contentment and Fulfillment.
I am grateful that I am one of the very few who went on a quest, a search to find the true meaning of life. I was living an amazing life – fulfilled and content. I was so happy that most people were jealous and they wished to have a life like mine. Still I risked losing that happiness to search for a peak beyond. I knew that there would be a peak beyond pleasure and peace. I had the gut feeling that if I found my true purpose of life, it would also be the Third Peak of Happiness. So I started my search.
I must admit that when I started the quest, I was not looking for the Third Peak of Happiness. I was just looking for purpose and meaning in life. I was already happy – very happy! I thought of myself as the happiest man in the world. I didn't even think that there was a Third Peak of Happiness. I just felt that there was a third peak of life that I need to conquer and that conquest and struggle would be phenomenal.
However, after my search, what I realized was that it was not just the third peak, but also the ultimate peak of happiness. It is a state of living with everlasting joy, eternal happiness, absolute peace, and unimaginable tranquillity. It was a peak that promised a life without problems, without difficulties, and without pain. It was a state of living fearlessly, without worry and anger, stress and greed, and jealousy and revenge. It was a magical state – a state of ultimate happiness that I call Ananda.
“The reason why we all seek happiness is because our original source is PURE BLISS – unconditional, unlimited joy. We have lost that state due to our gross ignorance and we are seeking to get back there.” – AiR
What is this third peak all about? It is about acknowledging the several prisons of misery that we face as we live. It is about knowing the cause of this misery and understanding the truth of who and what we are. Finally, it is about achieving freedom from these prisons of misery.
Look around you. What do you see? Don't you see majority of humanity bouncing up and down like a ball – happy and unhappy in cycles. Maybe you see a few people who are blissful and peaceful. Now you will know they are the ones on the second peak of
Fulfillment. But do you see people free from misery and sorrow, from pain and worry? Do you see people who have overcome the fear of death, the fear of the future, the fear of insecurity, the fear of the loss of loved ones, and the fear of the loss of life and everything that is theirs? People live insecure lives, worrying about absolutely anything and everything that is happening to them and around them. It may not be obvious, but the joy we had as children seems to be descending from the happiness peak till death finally happens.
Don't you see that most of humanity are prisoners who are imprisoned by misery and sorrow? 80% of us live through cycles of happiness and unhappiness, while 20% of us live cheerful and peaceful lives. But 100% of us are driving towards our final destination – death. We will all pass misery and pain on the highway to death. Old age, decay, and disease would be common milestones. As we drive, whether we are fulfilled or not, we are imprisoned by fear and worry, and we continue the journey till we are no more.
Do you see people dancing to death, celebrating old age, smiling in physical pain, and being joyous rather than being worried on this final highway of life? Isn't this very rare? Less than 1% of humanity are on a quest for the Third Peak of Happiness – a peak beyond Fulfillment, a peak on which one understands the true meaning and purpose of life, and a peak that frees one from all the misery and pain that exist on planet Earth.
It is so rare to find people on this journey to the third peak also because they quietly tip-toe on this voyage. They make no noise. But if you are a seeker who is looking for such travellers, you will find them. You will find a very few people in life who are free from all the prisons of misery and pain and who are not just happy, joyous, peaceful, and fulfilled, but live a fearless life. This rare breed of humanity live as if they are free from the maladies of old age, disease, decay, and death. They have no worry about the future. Their face seems to glow and grow younger by the year. They don't seem to seek happiness. Instead happiness seems to flow from their very existence. These are the signs and the symptoms of those rare few who are on this journey to the third and ultimate peak.
Is it easy to climb this peak? Of course not! Is it possible? Sure! Anybody can, but now you know why only less than 1% of humanity try to discover the third peak.
Not everyone can climb Mt. Everest, can they? Does everybody try? I haven't and don't even dream of it. Just as a very tiny fraction of humanity has put up their flag on the summit, there are a select few who have realized the Third Peak of Happiness. What is this peak?
Let's explore….
The Third and Ultimate Peak of Happiness is LIBERATION – Liberation from the prisons that cause misery and sorrow – freedom from stress, worry, anger, greed, and revenge; freedom from duty and shame; and liberation from old age, disease, death, and rebirth. The Third Peak of Happiness or Liberation is the realization of the truth by the removal of the darkness of ignorance that exists in humanity, thereby leaving us with contentment and fulfillment, joy and bliss, and peace and tranquillity that are not interrupted by any kind of misery, pain and sorrow.
How does one understand this peak? Achievement is easy to understand. Happiness on this peak is derived from success and fulfillment of goals and dreams. Fulfillment is not so difficult. It is being fully content, satisfied, and peaceful. But how does one get liberation? It looks like a fantasy – an illusion that doesn't exist. How can one get freedom and liberation from all the negativity of the world? Yes, we all live in tiny prisons of misery and sorrow. How do we achieve freedom from these prisons? Is it possible for one to escape from all the problems and pain that exist in the world?
On the second peak, one tastes liberation, but it is just a sample. When one is liberated from greed and desire, one moves towards contentment and fulfillment. This is the Second Peak of Happiness. But to be on the third peak, one has to be completely liberated – liberated from all kinds of misery, pain, and sorrow as if these do not exist at all. How is this possible?
What Imprisons Us?
To understand Liberation, one has to understand the tiny little prisons that imprison us - prisons of misery! There are many such prisons. What are they?
Fear: We human beings are imprisoned by fear– What is Fear? It is False Expectations Appearing Real - FEAR. Why do we fear? Because we anticipate problems, difficulties, pain, and worry, and our mind starts rotating around that fearful thought. Fear is a common ailment around the world. How can one be liberated from fear?
Pain: We all experience pain. It may be physical pain or mental and emotional pain. Wouldn't life be beautiful if there was no pain? What causes pain? Physical pain is caused when our body is injured and the nerves carry the pain message to the brain. Everybody experiences pain, but not many experience liberation from pain. How does one get liberated from pain?
Anger: Can we be liberated from anger? Impossible, isn't it? How can a human being not get angry? When we have some expectations, and these are badly dealt with or mishandled, our unfulfilled expectations flare up as anger. Anger can burn both the receiver and the giver; such is its uniqueness, but there is a mystical way of escaping from anger.
Unfulfilled desires: Desires are the most common prison of human beings on planet Earth. Desires even stop one from the second peak. We crave for many things, but not all desires are fulfilled. Unfulfilled desires create so much misery, and we get imprisoned in sorrow.
Problems: We all face problems, don't we? A problem-
free life is an illusion; it is like a mirage in the desert. It doesn't exist. Then, how can one be liberated from problems? Problems are the key source of unhappiness, stress, and worry. It is very common to hear somebody say, “I have a big problem”. This is a source of misery.
Lust: Lust is a jail. It can take over a man and turn him into a beast, and then it becomes an addiction that lasts till death. What is the craving that causes lust? A deep passion primarily for sex and sometimes for other pleasures causes human beings to become blind to everything else. The passion is so unstoppable that history shows us how several kings and princes have even let go of their empires for the lust of a woman. How can we escape from this prison? How can we transcend lust and live in peace.
Worry: We all worry, but why do we worry? Our mind is designed in such a way that it can do one of two things. It can think or it can worry. If our mind is like a monkey that is jumping all the time, we will shuttle between bad memories of the past and fear of the future and live in worry. How does one understand the uselessness of worry? Is there a way to stop worrying and start living? Can the prison bars of worry be broken?
Mythology, rituals, and superstitions: A traditional prison that fences humanity has triple bars of mythology, rituals, and superstitions that create a strong prison. How does one escape from these bars? We have grown up with mythology, we have been taught to believe in superstitions, and we have practised rituals for years. We are imprisoned by this trio, and we cause ourselves so much pain and misery.
Habit: Another prison is habit. We have become creatures of habit and we are unable to break free from this prison. Our conditioning has caused us to live as cavemen or frogs in a well that know nothing else. We keep on repeating our habits, though it causes misery. How can we break free from this prison?
Nightmares: Sometimes we are imprisoned by our nightmares and dreams. We know it was only a dream, but still the nightmares haunt us. Why? Are we so ignorant that we believe in something that we know is untrue? What is the use of experiencing misery that arises from us replaying a nightmare again and again? Can't we break the walls of this prison?
Ignorance: If we reflect upon the prisons, we will realize that it is our sheer ignorance that causes most of this unhappiness. This ignorance itself becomes another prison that needs liberation. How can we liberate ourselves from ignorance?
All the above prisons are simple and common joy stealers that steal our happiness. But there are some that are more complicated. We believe in the concept of karma – the law of cause and effect. This karma causes us pain because of the belief of cycles of death and rebirth. Everybody who is born has to die. How can we be liberated from death, rebirth, and karma? All these prevent us from enjoying a state of eternal everlasting bliss and happiness.
Isn't it true that all these little prisons jail us into a life of misery and sorrow? Fear, worry, stress, anger, problems, desire, lust, superstitions, rituals, mythology, disease, death, rebirth, karma, ignorance, and nightmares – all these and many more cause unhappiness to us. The third and ultimate peak of happiness is about being liberated from all these prisons of misery and sorrow. Wouldn't this be an amazing peak of happiness where none of these prisons of misery exist?
We are all seeking happiness in this journey called life, and if we could, we would love to be on the third peak and be free from all the prisons of misery and sorrow. But how can we be liberated from all these joy stealers? These are a part and parcel of life, and everybody who is alive must experience the pain and misery that arise from these. We can only be liberated from these prisons if we believe that it is possible. We can find a way out if we go on a quest to find a way to be liberated, and if we truly work hard to understand the methods used by those rare few to achieve this, then we can sincerely work our way towards being liberated. We must be aware that this is not everybody's cup of tea, but there are people who have done it and people who are doing it, though it is very rare and a path that is difficult to tread.
If one wants to be liberated from these prisons of misery, one has to go within, introspect, and contemplate on what are the causes of these miseries. What is it that causes a human being to become sad?
The human being believes that we are a complex of the body, mind, heart, and soul. Different people believe in different constitutions of the above with variations. We know we are physical beings, emotional beings, and spiritual beings. It is this constitution of the human being that is susceptible to pain, suffering, and misery, but there is a way to escape from it! There is a key that opens the door to Liberation from the prisons of misery and sorrow.
“Don't crave till your grave, Oh slave! Be Brave, Renounce and Realize the Truth.” – AiR
If one wants to scale the Third Peak of Happiness – Liberation, one needs REALIZATION, that is, the realization of the truth and realization of the self – Who am I? What am I? On realization, one will be liberated, but it is not easy. This is because our ego, mind, and body oppose realization because of the fear that on realization they would become extinct.
What is this realization about? It is becoming aware that we have a body, a mind and an ego, but we are not the body, mind and ego.
You may have a car, and you drive the car. You are the driver of the car, but you are not the car. Similarly, you have a body and you have a mind, but you are not the body and mind. You are the energy that gives life to the body and mind. But due to our ego, our intellect is not able to discriminate and makes us believe that we are the body and the mind. Because we are not able to differentiate between what we are and what we seem to be, we get imprisoned in the body–mind complex.
Look at the image below. What do you see? You see a colourful parrot perched on a tree.
Take a closer look at the insert. It reveals the face of a woman and we realize what the picture actually is.
Realization is the ability to know the truth – to realize who we are and what we are not. Sometimes we are shown an optical illusion. It seems to be a colourful parrot. On deep introspection and focus, we see the image of a woman instead of a parrot. Initially, we do not realize that it is a woman, but as we look deeper, we realize the truth in the picture. Just like this optical illusion holds us back from the real picture, we also experience an illusion in life. The first picture we see is that we are the body, mind, and ego. After deep introspection, one may be fortunate to realize that we are not the ego, the body, and the mind. We are the energy, the power, and the soul that gives life to the body.
How does one get to realize the truth – the truth that liberates us from the sorrows and pain of life? How do we achieve a realization that will elevate us to the third and ultimate peak of happiness?
The final realization is about knowing that we are not this body, and not this mind. What are we? We are something else – some energy or some power that gives life to the body and mind. We may refer to this power as soul, shakti, prana, or spirit. It doesn't matter what we call it, but the complete understanding, belief, and realization that we are the “ENERGY” is the essence of realization and liberation from all the prisons of misery and sorrow.
There are various methods of realization! All those who realize the truth and are liberated need not use the same method. Realization is enlightening. It is like being in a dark room where nothing can be seen, but by switching on a bulb, suddenly the entire darkness vanishes. So also on realization, the entire ignorance vanishes instantly and one is liberated. As long as one is deeply covered with ignorance, one doesn't realize the truth.
For instance, in the dark, one sees a snake. One doesn't realize one's ignorance until one finally sees that it was not a snake but just a rope that appeared to be a snake. Two things happen to cause this ignorance: first, the false projection of a snake by one's mind; and second, one's inability to observe the rope. The realization of the fact that it is just a rope simultaneously eradicates one's ignorance that it is a snake.
All methods of realization similarly lead to the realization of the truth about life with the removal of ignorance that we presumed to be the truth.
Questioning is a simple method of realization that can liberate us. One can get into a mode of asking questions by looking around at the universe. The sun, the moon, the stars, the birds, the animals, and the flowers – how did all of these come about? How was I created? Biologically, I was conceived through the fusion of the male and female cells. I was born as a little baby, but how did this happen? How were the first male and female created? This is a question beyond human
comprehension. Consider a simpler question. Some of us eat chicken and others love eggs, but the question is what came first – the chicken or the egg? Of course, the egg would say, “I came first! Without me, how could the chicken come?” But the chicken screams out, “Nonsense, it was the chicken that came first. Without the chicken, there could be no egg”.
Such a debate has remained unresolved for centuries and will continue to remain so until one realizes the truth. Neither the chicken came first nor the egg! Both are simultaneous manifestations of the Creative Power. So is everything else in the universe an appearance or a form that arises out of the universal energy that we are. Seekers of the third peak need a lot of patience and perseverance to realize the truth through this method. They ask questions where did all this come from – me, the world and everything! They keep asking questions till they find answers.
The questioning method leads to realization. The mind will refute to accept that “I am not the body, the mind, and the ego”. But through effective use of our intellect and elimination of our ignorance, we can realize the truth.