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Meaning is more important than happiness
followthepath
Explorer
Greetings fellow Buddhists. I recently stumbled upon a couple of articles that discussed the possibility that having a life purpose is more important than being happy. The articles made convincing arguments and that concerns me because Buddhism seems to be about pursuing happiness. What do you guys think?
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/stronger-the-broken-places/201412/better-happiness
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/01/theres-more-to-life-than-being-happy/266805/
1
Comments
I don't know where you get the impression that 'Buddhism seems to be about pursuing happiness'.
Buddhism is, as the Buddha indicated, about understanding the Origin of 'Suffering' and transcending it, or its cessation.
Altruism and putting others first is standard fare. Look at the 4 Divine States.
Of course, making others happy, makes you happy too.
That's as it should be.
The pursuit of Happiness, in Buddhism, involves the constant consideration of the well-being and welfare of other sentient beings....
HHthe DL wrote a book with Howard Cutler, titled 'The Art of happiness'.
Throughout, it's all about others....
What we are seeking is not permanent happiness. But permanent peace and tranquility
Persuing happiness is chasing desires. We want this, we don't want that.
We need to transcend both to be free.
The first one is much harder... Haha.
The only thing I'm seeking is to find out who or what I am
Yep, looking more deeply into Buddhism reveals a practice seeking to know suffering and it's causes, and to seek the end of suffering.
Sounds like a great life's purpose to me
"Man’s Search for Meaning" by the Buddha.
Yes, it supports this statement from the article.
@followthepath - there was a time when my impression of Buddhism was that it was about suffering and sadness and how the world is a dark, dreary place we should all be trying to escape. I mean, most descriptions of Buddhism start off with "the first truth is that life is suffering." Geez!
But then the Dalai Lama writes about happiness. There are plenty of books and writings about Buddhism and happiness now. Way, WAY more than there used to be. So if that's the impression people get, great!
But as @Federica pointed out, Buddhism is much simpler than discovering happiness or meaning. It's about living life in such a way that extinguishes the craving that causes suffering. Suffering is negative feelings. So it's not that you want to find happiness or meaning so much as you want to let go of craving and suffering. You land right square in the middle. Maybe content is a good word. Or better yet, the feeling Mick Jagger so eloquently lamented he couldn't find, satisfaction.
Cessation of dukkha and equanimity are terms that pop up most often in Buddhism.
Not the pursuit of happiness.
I don't think Buddha was about the pursuit of happiness but I do think he was about eliminating the causes of unhappiness. Rather than chase happiness, be happy now.
In my view, if awakening is the destination (for ones self, others or all of the above) happiness would be like the proper fuel. The eightfold path would be like the refining process.
[just caught Mr Cushion singing . . .]
If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands. (clap, clap)
If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands. (clap, clap)
If you're happy and you know it, and you really want to show it,
If you're happy and you know it, clap one hand. ( , )
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_You're_Happy_and_You_Know_It
@DhammaDragon,
Isn't the cessation of dukkha the same thing as happiness?
I certainly hope so! Though "happiness" is really an inadequate description.
The opening to the second article states "Its the very pursuit of happiness that thwarts happiness". As true as this is, the deepest meaning of life has to be assumed or made by the very ones that want it.
There is no definitive and absolute meaning to life as far as we know. We want to have purpose but purpose could be just a bunch of nonsense.
Happiness can be realized where purpose or meaning can only be assumed or hoped for.
We don't have to pursue happiness to be happy and no person dying happy ever wishes life meant more.
The idea that meaning is more important than happiness is a good example of the differentiation between hope and optimism that we were on about in another thread.
In an odd way, I think the assumption of meaning/purpose is just another way we go about trying to pursue happiness.
I think it depends entirely on how you define what happiness is. Depending on how you define it, it could go either way.
If your definition of happiness is only the first paragraph, which it is for a lot of people, then yes there are more important things than that. Pretty sure the author is talking about this kind of "worldly happiness".
They said:
One could easily say the 2nd person is finding happiness too. It's really just semantics, it seems to me. Buddhism has several different kinds of happiness. Depends on which kind of happiness you are talking about. "The cessation of dukkha" does equal "greater unworldly happiness", but not "worldly happiness".
Which is why the people said "that according to recent research, “the single-minded pursuit of happiness is ironically leaving people less happy.”. Buddhism says that this version of happiness, is not actually happiness but just more dukkha. Which makes sense, if you pursue dukka mistaking it for happiness, then it would follow that you will be less happy. Buddhism redefines worldly happiness as dukkha.
So the researchers statement from a buddhist standpoint should really read "that according to recent research, “the single-minded pursuit of dukkha is ironically leaving people less happy.”
If you use the proper definitions, not really ironic but expected!
This strikes me as one of those dichotomies someone makes up in order make money or raise their own 'wise' status.
First of all, I defy anyone to adequately define the word "happy" ... get back to me on that, would you? ... and let's do lunch next week.
what if the purpose of life is to feel happy?
Depends on what happiness means to you.
As @seeker242 quoted above, a "mind that is freed of greed, freed of hatred, freed of delusion," are not bad definitions to some of us Buddhists, though does that define happiness for every one else?
The Buddha said "I teach about dukkha and the cessation of dukkha."
He did not say "I teach about dukkha and finding happiness."
Why would you think that was?
The way I see is that Buddhism is more about developing a sense of sharing joy among beings without discriminating. The issue with chasing happiness is we are wanting to be happy (wanting). And happiness obviously can happen as long as the condition which makes us happy are with us. As soon as it is taken away, pain comes. these two really are rooted from the same origin.
Let me put things in a different light;-)
Suppose life was just something that spontaneously arose without any purpose?
Well the first thing one would notice would be that any meaning that might be attributable to life would be rendered meaningless!
In such a revelation, seeking a meaning to life would be utterly meaningless.
Yet, having realised itself in this way, a self consciousness awareness (that might arise simultaneously with a spontaneously arising life-form, and urge itself to seek the meaning to it's own life) may give a meaning to itself and everything else it is aware of...
So, in the contemplation of meaning and happiness, where the meaning of happiness would be called into question, one might think it would be better to just take the red pill and be done with it, or take the green pill and go and explore the rabbit hole?
Means nothing.
Buddhism can be the means to 'a state' beyond meaning and happiness. With sufficient practice euphoria and the 'dark knight of the sole' may arise with every footstep . . .
In other words Buddhism can and does regularly go far beyond existing western psychological study, which is based on a very limited comprehension of what is possible. That is my experience.
In the balance of these polarities or better still their emptying, 'Nothing' may mean something . . .
meaning is part of bodhicitta and all the heart qualities: courage, steadiness, love, steadfastness, humor, clarity, peace, and love.
The problem lies always with people's personal definition of happiness.
Many people equate happiness with achieving certain goals, being spared the ugly blows of life and having things go your way.
Unrealistic definition. Anyone who has lived long enough knows perfectly well that many of our goals get redefined as we walk on, ugly blows will simply happen and life will not always go the way we would like it to go.
Finding meaning means making sense out of the senseless.
Realizing that happiness has everything to do with acceptance of reality as it is, whichever way the wind blows.
Staying deeply grounded in our center without being swayed by events, either positive or negative.
Happiness has all to do with the development of equanimity.
Meaning is more important... That's all.
I think the premise of the question is faulty. It seems to imply that your life can have meaning OR you can be happy. Why does it have to be one or the other? In fact, would not having meaning to your life improve happiness in many cases?
I also agree with @federica's post which asks why you think Buddhism's goal is to be happy.
As we remove the causes of Dukkha, we become happier, euphoric on occasion. That does not require meaning it just means a happier existence.
I would suggest that the enlightened mind can still develop goals, meaningful expression if you will but has no dependence on them.
Maybe this relates to self actualisation rather than ego triumphalism . . .
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-actualization
Thanks everyone!
I feel that Buddhism is about the quest for happiness for all beings, including the self, which is in itself extremely meaningful
That seems a good plan.
People who are unhappy, in difficulties, a state of apathy or think in terms of a 'no pain, no gain' meditation model are apt to avoid resolution or look for resolution in external manifestation.
Initially we have to generate acceptance, tolerance and resolution of stress. It is very difficult to meditate whilst suffering intensely. Some will know this. In other words we should seek happiness as a basis to resolve Dukkha.
Ignoring Dukkha until too late is very common. Then we wonder why we have no meaningful happy time and place to deal with inevitable difficulties.
That is why what @Amthorn said is worth further consideration. Meaning is something we can always find, usually by false or preferred alignment.
Usual meaning is about [insert current grasping] but real meaning is about happiness and other positive qualities. Just what the Dalai Lamas Doctor ordered: