What Is Happiness? How Could We Work Towards It?

[Key Elements]

From my understanding, it's inner peace. You are whole. You don't need anything else to complete you no matter what the situation because you are able to handle the situation no matter what. 

Here's someone explaining it further:

 

This is another one of my favourite clips that I posted already:

Looks very peaceful. I feel like going there for a visit to see how they live now. I wonder if they have built a good hospital nearby or have good security now.

 

What is your take on happiness?

[Prabhaker]

8 minutes ago, Key Elements said:

What is your take on happiness?

What you call happiness is a kind of excitement - and what you call unhappiness is also an excitement. You call the excitement that is pleasurable to you as happiness, excitement that is unpleasant to you as unhappiness.

Happiness is worthless; it depends on unhappiness. Bliss is transcendence: one moves beyond the duality of being happy and unhappy. One watches both; happiness comes, one watches and does not become identified with it. One does not say, ‘I am happy. Peace, it is wonderful.’ One simply watches, one says, ‘Yes, a white cloud passing.’

And then comes unhappiness, and one does not become unhappy either. One says, ‘A black cloud passing. I am the witness, the watcher.’

This is what meditation is all about, just becoming a watcher. Failure comes, success comes, you are praised, you are condemned, you are respected, you are insulted – all kinds of things come, they are all dualities. And you go on watching. Watching the duality, a third force arises in you; a third dimension arises in you. 

The duality means two dimensions: one dimension is happiness; another is unhappiness. Watching both, a depth arises in you: the third dimension, witnessing.

And that third dimension brings bliss. Bliss is without any opposite to it. It is serene, tranquil, cool. It is ecstasy without any excitement.

[Key Elements]

@Prabhaker How will you communicate what you said in a practical sense? Let's say we can't speak words. Please give examples of situations.

Like, for example, if you just said that happiness has nothing to do with any emotions (aka excitement), many may not be able to relate. 

Edited May 2, 2017 by Key Elements

[SOUL]

Yea, when I was a kid I called it happy but eventually I grew to understand it as being at peace.

[Prabhaker]

@Key Elements

If you are asleep, then pleasure is happiness. Pleasure means sensation, trying to achieve something through the body which is not possible to achieve through the body, forcing the body to achieve something it is not capable of.

People are trying, in every possible way, to achieve happiness through the body. The body can give you only momentary pleasures, and each pleasure is balanced by pain in the same amount, in the same degree. To the sleeping, pleasurable sensations are happiness. He lives from one pleasure to another pleasure. He is just rushing from one sensation to another sensation. He lives for small thrills. His life is very superficial; it has no depth, it has no quality. He lives in the world of quantity. The non-meditator sleeps, dreams; the meditator starts moving away from his sleep towards awakening.

Then happiness has a totally different meaning: it becomes more of a quality, less of a quantity; it is more psychological, less physiological. He enjoys music more, he enjoys poetry more, he enjoys creating something. He enjoys nature, its beauty. He enjoys silence. He enjoys what he had never enjoyed before, and this is far more lasting. Even if the music stops, something goes on lingering in you. And it is not a relief.

The difference between pleasure and this happiness is: it is not a relief, it is an enrichment. You become more full, you become a little overflowing. Listening to good music, something is triggered in your being, a harmony arises in you – you become musical. Or dancing, suddenly you forget your body; your body becomes weightless. 

Pleasure is animal, happiness is human, bliss is divine. Pleasure binds you, it is a bondage, it chains you. Happiness gives you a little more rope, a little bit of freedom, but only a little bit. Bliss is absolute freedom. Pleasure is dependent on others. Happiness is not so dependent on others, but still it is separate from you. Bliss is not dependent, is not separate either; it is your very being, it is your very nature.

This moment is all. Now is the only time and here is the only space. And then suddenly the whole sky drops into you. This is bliss. This is real happiness. There is not a single person on the earth who does not have blissful moments sometimes. Even though we have become very unnatural, nature asserts itself; there are moments it takes us unguarded. A bird suddenly starts calling and you fall silent... and suddenly, the benediction of it. Or it starts raining and it takes you unawares. You slip out of your mechanical habit for a moment; you are no more a robot. And the smell of the wet earth.... Anything new, anything that surprises you, brings you out of your robot-like existence, and there is nature in all its beauty. Those moments are rare because they have to come in spite of us.

[Prabhaker]

48 minutes ago, Key Elements said:

if you just said that happiness has nothing to do with any emotions (aka excitement)

Our happiness is always excitement. Bliss has nothing to do with any emotions (aka excitement). Bliss is tranquil.

[Key Elements]

27 minutes ago, Prabhaker said:

Our happiness is always excitement. Bliss has nothing to do with any emotions (aka excitement). Bliss is tranquil.

Hmmm...ok.

But, you just said:

1 hour ago, Prabhaker said:

What you call happiness is a kind of excitement - and what you call unhappiness is also an excitement.

What's the difference between happiness and unhappiness? 

[Prabhaker]

 

11 minutes ago, Key Elements said:

What's the difference between happiness and unhappiness? 

You call the excitement that is pleasurable to you as happiness, excitement that is unpleasant to you is unhappiness.

Edited May 2, 2017 by Prabhaker
spelling mistake

[Key Elements]

44 minutes ago, Prabhaker said:

Bliss is tranquil.

So, bliss is peace?

[Prabhaker]

1 minute ago, Key Elements said:

So, bliss is peace?

Bliss is serene, tranquil, cool, it brings contentment. When you are blissful ,you are at ease, at home. It is ecstasy without any excitement.

[SOUL]

Y'all blissininnies

[Key Elements]

Here's a thought:

What if happiness is an empty glass? What would you put in it?

For me, I wouldn't put excitement in it. I'm not saying that excitement is bad. I'm just saying that it could get extreme - in both ways - the positive and negative.  If I put peace in it, there are more chances of it being calm and tranquil. 

Now, bliss is heavenly joy, the enlightenment state. Although, it's a great state, it's going to pass and we still have to come back to this earth phenomenon and deal with different situations. 

Edited May 2, 2017 by Key Elements

[LowPlanetary]

Ignorance is bliss. Suffering is depressing. Wisdom is peace.

This pretty much sums up my view on happiness.

With no knowledge you are filled with pleasure and joy, since you are blocking off the knowledge of the suffering in the world. The problem with this is that you cannot stop yourself from gaining knowledge of the world, therefore that ignorant state is not sustainable. No matter what you do, you will die, you will fall ill and you will age, etc. And so will everyone around you. Suffering is inevitable therefore bliss is never sustainable.

When you do have knowledge of the suffering you do not have the wisdom to process that knowledge properly. It's like the difference between being intelligent and being knowledgeable. You can have all the knowledge in the world, but if you do not know how to use that knowledge it will be rendered useless and in some cases harmful. Especially when most people who have lot's of knowledge of the suffering in the world, tend to distract themselves from that knowledge and are afraid of learning more.

The wise person at the top has gone through all the suffering and gained all of the knowledge and with that knowledge he can gain peace.

I guess you could say being wise is just another section of knowledge, but i think the general point is there.

Edited May 2, 2017 by LowPlanetary