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Happiness and spiritual practice

fivebellsfivebells Veteran
edited October 2010 in Buddhism Today
An essay by my teacher on the dangers of using spiritual practice to pursue happiness.
…in the three-year retreat, one of the daily prayers contained the line "Though beings want to be happy, they just create suffering." At first, it seemed to me that these lines referred to a lack of skill, that is, if beings understood and applied the principles of karma, then they would not suffer as much. Better, if they experienced the "true nature of things", then they wouldn't suffer at all. But as time passed and I went through my own struggles, I came to understand these lines in a different way: the desire for happiness itself is a form of suffering as it leads to a struggle with experience, e.g., in the context of relationships, the desire for continual happiness undermines emotional connection.

Comments

  • username_5username_5
    edited September 2010
    fivebells wrote: »
    An essay by my teacher on the dangers of using spiritual practice to pursue happiness.

    That is interesting. Just last night I was reading a story about a wise teacher and a monk. The monk was walking around a holy site practicing walking meditation and his teacher said 'It's good to circle holy places, but it's better to practice the sublime Dharma.'

    The monk then began studying sutras. His teacher said 'It's good to study the scriptures, but it is better to practice the noble Dharma.'

    Confused the monk began to mediate day and night. His teacher said 'It is good to meditate, but genuine Dharma practice would be even better.'

    The monk asked his teacher 'I want to practice the Dharma, but what is it that I should do?'

    The teacher answered 'Just stop clinging.' and walked away.
  • zombiegirlzombiegirl beating the drum of the lifeless in a dry wasteland Veteran
    edited September 2010
    "joy at last to know there is no happiness in the world!" ;)
  • IronRabbitIronRabbit Veteran
    edited September 2010
    The word happiness is merely an indicator of meaning. The meanings of happiness are as numerous as the number of sentient beings. Realization of the inherent nature of things and forgetting about the futility of sense pleasures and self (egoic) fulfillment would seem to lead one on a path of happiness in which one is blissfully ignorant - or uncaring about the state of happiness,the reasons for it, the attainment of it - rather, just unburdened by its weight.
  • RichardHRichardH Veteran
    edited September 2010
    In images of the Bhavacakra the Buddha (or is Avalokiteshvara?) appears in both the heavenly and hellish states in order to help free those bound in them.
  • DazzleDazzle
    edited September 2010
    .

    The Buddha mentioned happiness in the Kalama Sutta AN 3.65

    "So, as I said, Kalamas: 'Don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, "This contemplative is our teacher."

    When you know for yourselves that, "These qualities are unskillful; these qualities are blameworthy; these qualities are criticized by the wise; these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to harm & to suffering" — then you should abandon them.' Thus was it said. And in reference to this was it said.

    "Now, Kalamas, don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, 'This contemplative is our teacher.'

    When you know for yourselves that, 'These qualities are skillful; these qualities are blameless; these qualities are praised by the wise; these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to welfare & to happiness' — then you should enter & remain in them.

    http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an03/an03.065.than.html


    Happiness is also mentioned about 15 times in Ratana Sutta : The Jewel Discourse Snp 2.1

    http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/snp/snp.2.01.piya.html



    .
  • BarberBarber
    edited October 2010
    Five bells i read the essay from your teacher about happiness and it lost me to tell the truth. I suppose as im new to this it will take time to understand, but i always thought happiness was what we are all looking for.
  • JennisJennis
    edited October 2010
    the desire for happiness itself is a form of suffering as it leads to a struggle with experience


    I agree with your teacher and his/her experience of what happiness is, or indeed is not.

    I am not entirely sure of what message your teacher wanted to convey but I am guessing it will be meaningful to some people and depending on our interpretation of it. I guess we are taught that happiness lays in other people: if they love you or do not. It lays in things: wealth, possessions. It lays in status: how wealthy, clever, kind, good etc you are. All things outside of self.

    I have until now held that belief and it has been like walking around with a veil over the world. Happiness I now believe, comes from and is felt within. Happiness within for me would make me feel more at peace with out there.

    This is my quest and I suspect your teachers quest.
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited October 2010
    Barber wrote: »
    Five bells i read the essay from your teacher about happiness and it lost me to tell the truth. I suppose as im new to this it will take time to understand, but i always thought happiness was what we are all looking for.
    No, we are looking for acceptance of things as they are, because they are as they are, and we seek to understand Suffering, the origin of suffering and the cessation of suffering.

    We seek to be happy exactly as we are, with things exactly as they are. :)
  • karmadorjekarmadorje
    edited October 2010
    fivebells wrote: »
    An essay by my teacher on the dangers of using spiritual practice to pursue happiness.

    At a certain point you just find that happiness as a mode of experience is not terribly important any more. You can be angry, frustrated, playful, sad, broken-hearted, whatever mood and appreciate them as being appropriate. It just ends up feeling silly, pointless and a little bit masturbatory to chase a particular emotional state.

    If your mind is really like the sky, why obsess over the shape of one particular cloud?
  • JennisJennis
    edited October 2010
    I just wanted to add a very small quote from Paul Brunton's book, mentioned elsewhere.


    Maharishee said to Paul Brunton:

    “Man’s real nature is happiness. Happiness is inborn in the true self. His search for happiness is an unconscious search for his true self. The true self is imperishable; therefore, when man finds it, he finds a happiness which does not come to an end…all men consciously or unconsciously are seeking it”.
  • andyrobynandyrobyn Veteran
    edited October 2010
    karmadorje wrote: »
    At a certain point you just find that happiness as a mode of experience is not terribly important any more. You can be angry, frustrated, playful, sad, broken-hearted, whatever mood and appreciate them as being appropriate. It just ends up feeling silly, pointless and a little bit masturbatory to chase a particular emotional state.

    If your mind is really like the sky, why obsess over the shape of one particular cloud?

    Yeah, beautifully explained - thank you karmadorje . It became clear to me that a significant change had occured when feeling sad seemed appropriate to me in a situation and my mind was content, happy even to go through the process of sadness ... to everything there is a time and a season.
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