ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ» º º º * BuddhaNet BBS * Buddha Dhamma Meditation Assoc. º º The Buddhist Bulletin Board PO Box K1020 Haymarket NSW 2000 º º +612 212-3061 Online: 24hrs Telephone: +612 212-3071 º º º ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ HAPPINESS - as seen in Buddhist perspective Dictionaries are generally agreed in referring to happiness as being characterised by or showing pleasure or contentment. Buddhism as a world religion has an unbeatable record of having lived through more than twentyfive centuries, living very illustriously, winning over more or less the whole of Asia from the Caspian Sea up to the Japanese Archipelago. The cultural enrichment of the people of the lands over which Buddhism spread, Afghanistan, Iran and Persia in western Asia and China, Korea and Japan in the east is eloquent evidence of the more than divine elegance of Buddhism as a religion which serves mankind. Ancient historians like Al Biruni who lived more than a thousand years ago have left behind for our benefit astonishing records of these. Hence we make bold to attempt to view and examine the concept of happiness from the Buddhist perspective. Let it be first declared that in this study it is the Pali word sukha (= happiness) which gives us our sense of direction. We do not wish to drift away from scriptural authority and speculate with unlimited freedom. We would deem supersonic flights in the area of religion, whether it relates to the study of its teachings or to their practice, to be both unhealthy and disruptive. Buddhist thinking looks upon happiness which primarily connotes a state of mind as operating in or having its genesis in both the physical and mental planes: sukhan'ti dve sukhƒni kƒyika¤ ca sukham cetasika¤ ca sukham ( Ps.I.188). This same text, the Patisambhidƒmagga offers us some very insightful comments about both these categories of happiness or sukha. In both cases, happiness results from getting what one wishes for or seeks after. The Pali word which connotes this is sƒta which means `wished for' or `gained' ( Cp. Monier Williams Sanskrit English Dictionary p. 1196 coloumn 3).This word is often used as equivalent to and paired with piya (=dear or pleasant) as in yam loke piyarupam satarupam ( D.II.p.304). Note here the beautiful comment on this in the Atthakatha: attanƒ patiladdhƒni catusamutthƒnikagandhƒrammanƒdŒni kassa a¤¤assa evarupƒni atthŒti ma¤¤anti. Tesam evam ma¤¤amƒnƒnam tƒni cakhhƒdŒni piyarupƒdŒni ceva sƒtar–pƒni ca honti (DA.III.f.800). A further keen observation is made in differentiating two stages or two states of happiness in both categories of physical and mental happiness. One is at the production level of happiness, in the very process when it is referred to as sukhƒ vedanƒ i.e. sensing or experiencing happiness ( both physical and mental: kƒyasamphassajƒ cetosamphassajƒ sƒtƒ sukhƒ vedanƒ). The other is at the product level, i.e. on the completion of the process when it is referred to as sukham vedayitam i.e. sensed or experienced happiness (kƒyasamphassajam sƒtam sukham vedayitam ( Ps.I.p.188). At the mundane level of worldly existence, herein lies the joy of living or the happiness which the senses provide in their communication with the out side world. This happiness (sukham somanassam) is indicated as the gratification through the senses or kƒmƒnam assado (yam kho bhikkhave ime pa¤cakƒmagune paticca upajjati sukham somanassam kƒmƒnam assƒdo. M.I.p. 85). This position is philosophically viewed as being very restricted or circumscribed in the production of genuine states of happiness ( appassƒdƒ kƒmƒ vuttƒ bhagavatƒ... M.I.p.132). Such forms of happiness are relatively so because they bring in their wake considerable stress and strain and untold bitterness and dissatisfaction (ƒdinavo ettha bhiyyo. See further M.I.p.132) Buddhism never denies the existence and the experiencing by man of different forms and levels of happiness but at the same time stresses the importance of making a realistic and relative estimation of such happiness in relation to the price that a man of the world has to pay for its purchase. Granting the possibility of enjoying happiness at the down to earth mundane level in terms of material considerations, Buddhism envisages a very pragmatic and at the same time an ethically exalted plane of happiness for the man of the world. The Anguttara Nikƒya (A.III,p.67) provides us with a beautiful analysis and examination of this situation. Fulfilment of material needs, starting from food and raiment ( ghƒsacchƒdanaparamatƒ) man must have these things of daily need up to a satisfactory degree to prevent him suffer from want or he must have the means whereby to acquire them. This first situation is referred to as the happiness of possession or atthisukha. It is a reminder to the world of today that the Buddha who appeared in the world two and a half millennia ago was fully alive to the problem of the haves and the have-nots. Thus while possession implied one form of happiness or atthisukha, non-possession or poverty spells unhappiness. The Pƒli word used for this lack or deficiency of basic needs of existence, which is the state of poverty, is dƒliddiya. The unhappiness resulting from poverty or non-possession is dukkha and as its opposite the word sukha is used to refer to the happiness resulting from possession ( i.e. atthisukha). This is the rule with regard to the man of the world that he must have the means to supply himself with the needs in order not to be plunged in a state of unhappiness. Buddhist thinking refers to this very positively and specifically, saying `To the pleasure seeker of the world, poverty indeed is painful'- Dƒliddiyam bhikkhave dukkham lokasmim kƒmabhogino ( A.III, p. 351 f.) On the other hand, it in no secret that the true aspirant to the goal of Nibbƒna in Buddhism finds that for him it is the rule to renounce ( nekkhamma, patinissagga, apacaya etc.), and that total non-possession is his primary source of happiness. But as a man of the world he finds that it is possessions (bhoga) which provide him with his physical and mental happiness and satisfaction (idha gahapati ariyasƒvako utthƒnaviriyƒdhigatehi bhogehi bƒhƒbalaparicitehi sedƒvakkhittehi dhammikehi dhammaladdhehi attƒnam sukheti pŒneti sammƒ sukham pariharati: A.III,p.45). This means that happiness has to be acquired, whether it be for one's own sake or for the sake of others, righteously and correctly and with injury to none. The means must be justifiable on its own grounds ( dhammikehi dhammaladdhehi). Whichever way one looks at happiness, whether with a philosophical sobriety and a meaningful level-headedness as indicated above or not, the human mind is attracted towards happiness ( sukha) and is repelled by its opposite ( dukkha). Associated with the desire to live and to avoid death is the desire to be happy and avoid unhappiness (... jŒvitukƒmƒ amaritukƒmƒ sukhakƒmƒ dukkhapatikk–lƒ D.II. p.330). But herein comes the Buddhist standpoint towards happiness which is precise and totally uncompromising. The Buddha very clearly states in the Mahƒsaccaka Sutta that happiness, to be acceptable and premissible, has to be free from lustful stains and sinful blemishes ( Na kho aham tassa sukhassa bhƒyƒmi yam tam sukham a¤¤atreva kƒmehi a¤¤atra akusalehi dhammehi: M.I.p.247). This immediately implies the existence in terms of Buddhist thinking, of unacceptable grades of happiness which share of the nature of lust (kƒma) and evil ( akusala dhamma). There is also a reckoning of grades of happiness as superior or inferior, of higher and lower quality even within the same permissible area. While at a mundane, down to earth level a comparably lower level of happiness satisfies an average worldling, the religio-intellectual maturity which accompanies spiritual development of man in Buddhism makes him opt for the higher grades of happiness which are both permitted and recommended within the framework of transcendental ( lokuttara ) growth in Buddhism. The Buddha in the Mahƒsaccaka Sutta as quoted above, indicates the permissible areas within which a Buddhist may legitimately seek his quota of happiness (... yam tam sukham a¤¤atra kƒmehi a¤¤atra akusalehi dhammehi M.I.p.247), and this, a man of the world is presumed to be doing all the time, with legitimacy or otherwise (attano sukham esƒno: Dhp.v.132). Buddhism also envisages spiritually higher grades of happiness which relatively reduce, without the batting of an eyelid, the worth of worldly happiness to a mere zero. This is the implication of the venerable Mahƒ Kassapa's observations about the joy and happiness he gets from a true comprehension of the Truth or dhamma as against his reaction to the melodies of super grade orchestral music: Na pa¤cangikena turiyena rati me hoti tƒdisŒ yathƒ ekaggacittassa sammƒ dhammam vipassato ( Thag.v.1071) `I do not derive so much joy and delight from the strains of music of the fivefold orchestra as much as I do when I grasp with a unified mind the truths of the teaching' (dhamma). The life of man in the world is a reality which Buddhism reckons with. But the exalted character of the sensory reactions to the stimuli of the world as reflected here in the character of Mahƒ Kassapa Thera does not necessarily imply a total ban on them to the man of the world. The Buddhist stress is on the fact that life in the world and all else associated with it i.e. everything besides and below Nibbƒna are conditioned or in other words are sankhata, having the characteristic of anicca, dukkha and anatta, of being transient, unsatisfactory and essenceless. Both a realization of this position and acting in accordance with it are insisted on and beautifully reflectd in the story of young Dighavu in the Samyutta Nikƒya (S.V.p.344 f). The Buddha himself is seen personally giving him this new vision of life in the world and pointing out to him the way to release therefrom. The vitality and vibrancy of this exposition as a totally effective religious way compels us to produce it herein the original Pali. We consider it to be one of the finest examples of experiential religious culture, effected and recorded almost in the company of the Buddha. Tasmƒtiha tvam DŒghƒvu imesu catusu sotƒpattiangesu patitthƒya cha vijjƒbhƒgiyadhamme uttarim bhƒveyyasi. Idha tvam DŒghƒvu sabbssankhƒresu aniccƒnupassŒ viharƒhi anicce dukkhasa¤¤Œ dukkhe anattasa¤¤Œ pahƒnasa¤¤Œ virƒgasa¤¤Œ nirodhasa¤¤Œ ti. Evam hi te DŒghƒvu sikkhitabban ti ( S.V.p.345). To the Buddhist, the state which is the opposite of this samsƒric state,i.e the unconditioned state of Nibbƒna which is asankhata is equally a reality. That is the logical opposite of samsƒra and for that very reason it is no more than the reality of the non-existence of a state of painful processes: upƒdƒnapaccayƒ bhavo bhavapaccyƒ jƒti jƒtipaccayƒ jarƒmaranam. One is doubtful wheter the oft-quoted passage at Udƒna (Ud.p.80) implies a factual existence of such a state beyond death. The total and tremendous reality of Nibbƒna from the time of one's release to the point of material and consequent psychic break up in death with a down to earth fullness, precludes us from stretching anything relating to Nibbƒna in any form beyond this. The Alagadd–pama Sutta sees very clearly the liberatedness of the liberated being (vimuttacitto bhikkhu) in this form. Evam vimuttacittam kho hikkhave bhikkhum saindƒ devƒ sa-brahmakƒ sa-pajƒpatikƒ anvesam nƒdhigacchanti idam nissitam tathƒgatassa vi¤¤ƒnam ti. Tam kissa hetu. Ditthe' vƒham bhikkhave dhamme tathƒgatam ananuvejjo ti vadƒmi.(M.I.p.140) The Kevaddha Sutta speaks of this final termination of the samsaric being in Nibbƒna as follows: Vi¤¤ƒnam anidassanam anantam sabbato pabham ettha ƒpo ca pathavi tejo vƒyo na gadhƒti ettha dŒgha¤ ca rassa¤ ca anum th–lam subhƒsubham ettha nƒma¤ ca rupa¤ ca asesam uparujjhati vi¤¤ƒnassa nirodhena etth'etam uparujjhati. (D.I.p.223) This declaration by the Buddha to Kevaddha, the householder's son, implies an unquestionable totality of cessation in Nibbƒna. Therefore, Buddhism sees no contradiction in prescribing within its specific dimensions, for what would be deemed happiness for the man of the world. Nevertheless, the Buddhist has to learn to look upon Nibbƒna as the highest happiness: Nibbƒnam paramam sukham. It is so because it is the highest point of total dispossession, dispossession of those which stand in the way of true happiness, and the Dhammapada (v.200) sums it up in no uncertain terms when it says: Happily indeed do we live, we who have nothing, nothing by way of impediments to spiritual progress and final release and liberation from all things of the world. Susukham vata jŒvƒma yesam no natthi ki¤canam. Bhikkhu DhammavihƒrŒ Dharmƒyatanaya Maharagama Sri Lanka