Real happiness is self-sufficient. Real happiness does not depend upon an object or an event.
But look at our happiness, look at the kind of happiness that we have. We say that we are happy because of something.
Real happiness has no ‘because’.
We say that our happiness is dependent on the presence of such and such person, or the happening of such and such event. We say that we will be happy when we get a certain result. So our happiness is a dependent happiness. It is dependent on a specific result. When that result comes, then we will be happy! Otherwise we cannot be happy and till the time that result does not come, how will we be? Sad. Because if happiness is there in the result, then till the time the result is not there, we cannot be happy.
Our happiness is a very, very dependent happiness. It is not self-sufficient.
Real happiness, on the other hand, does not depend. It is totally internal to you. It is your own, it is intrinsic, nobody can take it away, and nobody can give it to you. But then look at the kind of happiness that we have, we say, “He gives me happiness, or a particular activity gives me happiness.”
We say, “Playing gives me happiness”. This happiness is necessarily dependent on something else, and this happiness cannot be there till you are not sad. You have to be sad to be happy. If your happiness is dependent on something, you have to be sad to be happy.
Let’s say, the result is about to be declared. You are greatly afraid that you may fail in a particular subject. And you are nervous and shivering. Now the result is declared, and you find that you have passed. So you are very happy. The intensity of your happiness is directly proportional to the intensity of your fear. The more afraid you are, the happier you will be. So to be happy you first have to be sad.
When your happiness is dependent upon the result, then to be happy you first have to be sad.
What kind of happiness is this?
(–1 + 1 = 0)
First be sad, then be happy. What stupidity! You are sitting in your office and your shoe is hurting, and you are greatly stressed out. And then you take-off your shoes, and you feel a great relief. You feel that relief because you were feeling hurt for some time. Had you not felt hurt, could you have felt the relief?
That is the type of happiness we have. Because we live in sadness all the time, when that sadness is reduced, we call it ‘happiness’. And if that sadness goes away, our ‘happiness’ will also go away. This is what dependent happiness is.
On the other hand, there is something called self-sufficient happiness, the name for that is ‘Joy’. It does not depend upon something. – “When I will be rich, I will be happy. When I get a girlfriend, then I will be happy. If my marks are this much, then I will be happy.” No, it does not depend on anything. It is there. It is your intrinsic nature. And that Joy is nothing but watchfulness, a silent awareness. It is a very subtle thing.
For us happiness is an excitement. For us happiness is about laughter and fun and your face must look in a particular way.
Joy is not that. Joy is something very subtle. Joy is always there. Even if you are sitting in your office, there can be Joy inside. If you are attentive, you will be Joyful. Joy is not about dancing around and hopping. You can walk Joyfully. You can sit Joyfully. You can listen Joyfully. You can pray Joyfully. You can even be sad Joyfully. If sadness is coming and you can see that it is coming, that seeing is Joy; that intelligence is the Joy of existence.
Please do not make your happiness dependent upon other things. Please do not do that. Whenever it comes to the mind, “I will be happy when a certain thing happens.” Reject that statement. It is false.
Submitted August 31, 2018 at 01:30AM by acharya-prashant https://ift.tt/2wyyhwB
