Happiness in daily life

by Professor Sunanda Degamboda

There are eight million life forms on earth and man is unique in many respects. Man alone eats processed and cooked food and the rest, raw food.

Man alone lives in constructed dwellings while the rest lives in the open and in caves. Man alone wears clothes. All other animals move using their limbs, while the man travels by cars, trains and airplanes. Only man uses structured languages to communicate.

Another very significant difference of humans is that he is the only specie out of eight million who has a vertical vertebral or spinal column. This is because only man is bestowed with experiencing 'Universal Energy' which flows only vertically upwards along the spinal column during meditation.

It is only natural that man, powerfull as he is, should live in happiness, but very often he seems to be worried and this is most unusual.

Spiritually, human life is a short but a golden opportunity given to each one of us to acquire and accumulate qualifications for eternal happiness.

Man can accumulate merit only when he leads a joyful life and this is why Lord Buddha said, man's biggest gift is happiness, 'santhusti paramam dhanam'. Lord Jesus too prescribed a way of living - rejoice ever more.

The happiness religions teach us is not sensual pleasure, but a glowing inner joy that emerges when man's ego subsides. This joy can only be experienced as a non sensual inner experience, and cannot be given by another. We know the taste of tea but we cannot give or explain that taste to another who has not taken tea in his life. Only by drinking tea he can know the taste of tea.

Religions teach us ways of achieving this inner joy, which is far more satisfying than any sensual pleasure man has ever experienced.

Inner joy is experienced when we become conscious of our true nature that escapes the mundane mind. Lord Buddha thus said, "The ever Blissful Nirvana resides within this body of about six feet (a fathom)."

Lord Jesus declared thus, "The Kingdom of Heaven I declare is within you" and Vedanthas teach us, "Brahman resides in the heart of man", and the Holy Koran, "Lord Allah is closer to you than your own jugular veins."

Man is manifested as the most powerful being relative to the rest of 8,399,999 creatures but his true power, and the potential to live in joy, emanate from this inner Bliss, which he is yet to experience and realize Religions show three paths to experience this inner Bliss, often described as Eternal, Timeless, and Omnipresent.

The three paths are the path of Wisdom, path of Surrender, and the path of Selfless Service. All of these paths lead to the progressive dissolution of one's ego, the iron wall that separates us from Eternal Bliss. The solid world we see, in an absolute sense, does not exist.

Once Buddha said, "Oh Monks, you see a dream in your sleep and take this dream as real. You awake the next morning and realize that what you saw in the night is a mere dream and in the waking state only you see the real world. No monks, I declare that what you see while you are awake also is a dream." The only non-dreaming state is Nirvana, the Absolute Truth which lies beyond our senses and mind.

The Path of Wisdom helps one to experience that the world he experiences as a mundane being is an illusion created by the mind. The aspirant who follows the path of Wisdom weakens his mind.

The mind knows only three things: attach, repulse, and very occasionally maintain equanimity. The follower of the path of Wisdom cultivates equanimity towards all objects of the manifested world, and reaches a state called 'sanskarupeksha gnana' where his mind gives up attachments and repulsions and finally becomes 'defunct'.

This is why Lord Buddha described the final achievement called Nirvana as a 'Chiththa Nirodha' state or a state where the mind does not exist.

The aspirant who follows the path of Surrender, also called the Bhakthi Marga, progressively surrenders his ego, pride or the belief that he is a separate entity to the Divinity within.

However, a mundane man cannot become conscious of inner Bliss, which is formless and free of attributes. Thus, he begins with faith and love towards a Divine form, and worships, singing the glory of the chosen form, constant remembrance of the name and form, prayers, and meditating on the form.

Progressive practice of such 'saadhanas' makes his mind conscious of the Divine qualities of the worshipped, and cultivate such qualities in his heart. The constantly purified heart and mind enables the follower to surrender his mind and ego to the glory of his own inner Bliss.

The Selfless service path is another. A man who follows the path of selfless service begins by serving the world in the egoistic spirit, 'I serve others', and he wishes, 'let such and such benefits come to me as a result of my actions.'

Progressive traversing of the path makes him serve as a way of 'sharing' what he has with the world. Even at this advanced state of service, quality of I and others exists. The final state of selfless service is to serve in the spirit of serving without expecting any gain or benefit.

This was the advise of Lord Krishna, "Do good actions but do not expect results from such actions." In this state of serving the world, the aspirant has withdrawn his mind from its routine actions: attachments and repulsions.

It is our ego that prevents us from achieving Eternal Bliss. Ego makes us believe that we are powerful and great. Every religion teaches that we are great, not because we are the only two legged creature that walks upright but because only man has the potential to be conscious of his eternal inner Bliss. Egoistic thoughts weaken us because such thoughts drift us away from Universal Energy that resides within us. Religions teach us that ego contracts and selflessness expands.

Can we know whether we are getting closer to Eternal Bliss? Definitely yes! We are closer to Eternal Bliss to the extent we are neutral towards worldly events, because perfect equanimity is the sure precursor or the sign that you have made your mind, the magician, weakened. We erroneously talk about mind development.

We often associate a 'developed mind' with learning, intelligence, power to analyze, and logical thinking. All such attributes are barriers to achieve Eternal Bliss. This is why Buddha advised us that Desires, Ego, and Holding on to views (Dhitti) are powerful deterrents in experiencing Nirvana.

The extent to which our mind shows illusions is explained by modern quantum physics which tells us that the universe is not solid or liquid as we see it but it is a continuous flux of transient and formless energy.

The Nataraja form of Lord Siva depicts this formless 'dance' of energy waves. Religions also teach us there are phenomena in this illusory world which cannot be comprehended by the mind, intellect and argument.

This is why Lord Buddha declared Nirvana and nine other subjects as incomprehensible by the mundane mind. Thus, more you argue, use logic, and comparisons to explain or understand these incomprehensible phenomena, you simply drift away from the Absolute Truth and get into an abyss of confusion.

How can an average person in this Kali Yuga full of desires, hatred, and confusion practice religious teachings? Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba has presented a very simple but most effective way of generating positive energy that will help you to withdraw from sensual pleasures and reach happiness and joy in this very life!

This technique is implied in all regions but it has been transformed into a practical technique suitable even to those who live hectic, busy lives, by Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. His prime advise is that you must never deviate from your religion or Guru in whom you have the highest faith and 'Bhakthi'.

Traditionally the technique is called Naamasmarana and requires the selection of a phrase to worship your own 'Shasthru' or Guru. To perform this very simple but most effective method you choose a calm place, sit comfortably and place a picture of the 'Shasthru' at eye level.

After looking at the Shasthru for a minute or so, lightly close your eyes and start chanting the selected phrase softly and musically. Your mind is less bound to sway because you are in the action of chanting.

You must never stress yourself and the act should give joy. If you feel tired or lethargic, please withdraw from chanting and begin again when you feel like doing it. What is important is to practice this technique regularly. You may visualize your Guru and recite your phrase mentally at places where chanting is not possible. More you visualize the picture and more you chant, quicker will be the results.

Naamasmarana brings you joy in many ways: First, more you visualize and chant, you will be closing the mind to undesirable worldly objects. Second, the powerful vibrations and benevolent thoughts will create positive vibrations in your body and the environs.

Third, when a person always remember another, the second person's qualities will be implanted in your heart. If someone can often remember Buddha, Jesus, Shiva or similar Divine form and name, their Divine qualities will flow into you.

This is a modern psychological invention. Many criminals, on being sentenced to death, have confessed that they were thinking and admiring similar criminals during their childhood and youth.

Finally, mundane or Eternal happiness cannot be achieved through a life full of worries. A joyful life does not mean a life of ultra luxury. A joyful life is a life in which your consciousness is closer to your own Absolute nature.

None of the great Masters like Sri Rama, Sri Krishna, Lord Buddha, Lord Jesus, and Prophet Mohammed led luxury lives. But they lived great lives full of joy for the benefit of others, and taught us to achieve the same.