Tuesday, April 19, 2005

Achieving Ecstacy

Someone once asked me a simple yet difficult to answer question.
"Are you happy ?"

I immediately replied the question with yet another question.

What are you refering to? My current state? Financial/ social status?

She simply smiled and then repeated her question stressing on the word "YOU"
Well, to answer that question.. I guess I lost more than my brain cells..I lost track of myself.

I was enveloped in immediate despair as I tried to think about all my current status, be it social , financial, family, love etc..
At that point of time my brain was too busy processing that I lost track of time.

The minute of silence from me seemed to make my friend bathe in pride because she had found a simple question that made me struggled for an answer because to her I seem to have every answer to her inquisitive challenges.

She seemed to be enjoying herself watching me suffer the mental block
Every second that pass seemed like an eternity as I still fought to keep track of my mental process.

I replied , " Well I am content but not exactly happy"

Her sheepish smile returned and said," So , when will you ever be happy ?"

"Achieveing my goals in my life"

At that instant I realised that I am the master of my goals since I set them therefore I should be the master of my destiny because I make choices to fulfil the goals or decide to change them.

If this holds true, then its perfectly logical to be content with life and BE HAPPY.. but why do I feel empty..as I seek to find happiness ?

One simple question and I am beleaguered with many more unexplainable questions.
I should be content and happy but yet why am I Not?
How can I then shape goals to make happiness?
Failing which ..How do I pretend to be happy ?
Is there such thing as happiness?

I took the question as my research assignment topic and where better to seek answers than to seek spiritual guidance.



From the word of GOD,
Even in laughter the heart is sad, and the end of joy is grief (Proverbs 14:13; RSV).
The more we "expand our consciousness" of reality, the more we experience sorrow.

For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow (Ecclesiastes 1:18; KJV).
Yet there is some value in sorrow. It tends to make us more serious, and life is best taken seriously. The wise do not let themselves forget that sorrow is a natural part of this life, and every man's earthly happiness ends in the tragedy of death.

It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth (Ecclesiastes 7:2-4; KJV).

Feelings of joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, are used to promote wisdom and to encourage righteous living. Justly applied, they can be powerful and effective sources of feedback regarding the consequences of actions. But justice does not always prevail in this life, and sometimes the consequences of actions seem to reward sin and punish godliness, thus encouraging more evil.

But shoudl we feel..that if I am not too sad today compared to yesterday,I should be happier than yesterday. Sounds logical, but what is TRUE HAPPINESS ?

I proceeded to seek some wise advice from a great being who was one of us, who shared the same fate as us on this earth, someone who dedicated the rest of his life to live in improvished condition to seek answers to hapiness. About 2500 years ago, Siddhartha Gautama discovered how to bring happiness into the world.
(To learn more: http://online.sfsu.edu/~rone/Buddhism/footsteps.htm)

In his teachings ; Dhamma, Siddharta once emphasised that happiness can be achieved if you practice buddhism and its way of life following the noble eightfold paths and three jewels.


"There is happiness in life, happiness in friendship, happiness of a family, happiness in a healthy body and mind, ...but when one loses them, there is suffering." Dhammapada
(To learn more http://www.buddhanet.net/dhammapada/d_happy.htm)

It seems so simplistic like the question that started this whole blog... it makes perfect sense that our life is govern by many external factors and family, frienship our state of well being (physical and mental) contributes to our contentment and hence hapiness.

I have yet to master his teachings let alone practice it, however like many chinese scholar who has said and meant .. "A journey of a thousand miles begin with the first step."

I intend to learn more and perhaps the TRUTH is out there. Perhaps the TRUTH is in Dhammapada.

Whatever the TRUTH may be I intend to seek it..but in the meantime, I will try to be happy or very least be content with what I have for now.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

hi, i'm probably being a nosy busybody here. i chanced upon your musings and would like to point out that... at least this is my opinion, you're entirely entitled to your own.
Justice does prevail in this life, if it seems not to, its by the grace of GOd.
And i would say, having the joy in life is to know your identity on earth.
Have a nice day, God bless,
ashlee