Happiness – The ultimate desire.
Happiness is an emotional state characterised by feelings of joy, satisfaction, contentment, and fulfilment.
From this definition, we can glean a few important points about happiness:
1) Happiness is a state, not a trait; in other words, it isn’t a long-lasting, permanent feature or personality trait, but a more fleeting, changeable state.
2) Happiness is equated with feeling pleasure or contentment, meaning that happiness is not to be confused with joy, ecstasy, bliss, or other more intense feelings.
3) Happiness can be either feeling or showing, meaning that happiness is not necessarily an internal or external experience, but can be both.
Happiness does have a pretty important role in our lives, and it can have a huge impact on the way we live our lives.
Spirituality leads to Happiness:
spirituality and happiness are two inseparable entities, as the end aim of spirituality is to attain that eternal happiness, without a break or a hindrance which is termed as BRAHMANNADAM in Vedas.
Spirituality is a broad concept, in general it includes a sense of connection to something bigger than us, and it typically involves a search for meaning in life. As such, it is a universal human experience – something that touches at all. The traditional meaning of spirituality is a process of reformation which aims to recover the original shape of man the image of God.
According to Buddha – “just as a candle cannot burn without fore, men cannot live without a spiritual life.”
various philosophies portrayed a deeper connection between spirituality and happiness, even though they all have different approaches their end is that eternal happiness.
Here are the few pointers on various philosophies and their approach on happiness.
Hinduism:
According to Hinduism, happiness in human life arises mainly from one’s own actions, past life karma, actions of gods and others, and the grace of God.
In Hindu scriptures we find references to mainly three types of happiness as stated below.
Physical (bhautika) happiness, or sukham, which arises from comforts of life, sensual enjoyment, and bodily pleasures.
Mental (manasika) happiness, or anandam, which arises from sense of fulfillment and freedom from worries, afflictions, and anxieties.
Spiritual (adhyatmika) happiness, or atmanandam, which arises from freedom from the cycle of births and deaths, and union with Self.
A structured approach to happiness as per Hinduism:
To secure happiness here in mortal life, Hinduism prescribes a holistic method, which takes into consideration both the material and spiritual needs of human beings.
It recognizes four chief aims of human life, called purusharthas, by pursuing which human beings can experience physical, mental, and spiritual happiness.
They are also called the four chief purposes (purusharthas) of existence, because they are also chosen by God (Purusha) himself for his own enjoyment.
Broadly speaking, in a secular sense, they refer to the pursuit of morality, prosperity, enjoyment, and spirituality.
Specifically, in a religious sense, they refer to religious and moral duty (dharma), wealth (artha), conjugal bliss (kama) and liberation (moksha).
Physical happiness (bhautika)which we mentioned before pales in comparison to mental happiness (manasika), and mental happiness pales in comparison to spiritual happiness (brahmanandam).
Buddhism:
In Buddhism, happiness is achieved when a person can perceive the true nature of reality, unmodified by the mental constructs we superimpose upon it.
This authentic happiness comes from having an exceptionally healthy state of mind that underlies and suffuses all emotional states and that embraces all the joys and sorrows that come one’s way. The mental states necessary for authentic happiness are not simply found or happened upon. Rather, happiness is achieved through mental training that purges the mind of afflictive emotions, such as hatred and compulsive desire, which literally poison the mind, and above all through the eradication of ignorance.
Happiness as per Bible:
The 5 Most Important Keys to Happiness According to Bible
Be content
Do not compare yourself to others
Be generous
Honor your father and mother
Keep the law of God
There are many other numerous philosophies that talks about happiness, the gist of every philosophy teaches us to acquire the ETERNAL HAPPINESS.
Improving Your Happiness:
There are things that you can do to make your life happier and more fulfilling.
Even the happiest of individuals can feel down from time to time and happiness is something that all people need to consciously pursue.
Get Regular Exercise : Even a little bit of exercise produces a happiness boost—people who were physically active for as little as
10 minutes a day or who worked out only once a week had higher levels of happiness than people who never exercised. Yoga here plays a key role to provide that body,mind,soul union and the eternal hapiness.
Show Gratitude : keeping a gratitude list is a relatively easy, affordable, simple, and pleasant way to boost your mood.
Try setting aside a few minutes each night to write down or think about things in your life that you are grateful for.
Find a Sense of Purpose:
Research has found that people who feel like they have a purpose have better well-being and feel more fulfilled.12 A sense of purpose involves seeing your
life as having goals, direction, and meaning. It may help improve happiness by promoting healthier behaviors.
Closing words:
Happiness is different for everybody. What makes one happy doesn’t necessarily have to make another happy as well. It’s what makes happiness such a beautiful thing.
Go find what makes you happy and then aim for that eternal happiness thus fulfilling the purpose of life.
