INTRODUCTION
If there is one thing in common in this world that all living beings search for, that is the happiness. We all like to be happy. We all seek happiness in this world. If I ask from you, would you like to be happy in your life? What will be your answer? You will say, of course, I want to be happy in my life. I want this peaceful state. I need to be in that. That is your answer. That is the answer of all living beings. Buddha says that all living beings like to be happy and they seek the happiness.
If you really think about our life, we are in a never ending journey of pursuing happiness. That means we are pursuing happiness, we are chasing and we are seeking for happiness, but yet we have not found it. So, what is the reason for this not finding happiness? Why we don't find happiness in our life? We are seeking it, we are finding for it, but we don't find it. What is the reason?
Seeking Happiness from External Sources
Well, the Buddha teaches us that we are finding or we are seeking this happiness from a source that the happiness does not exist because we are seeking happiness from external world. We are seeking happiness from these materialistic things. when you seek happiness from materialistic things or external world, you get pleasure. But that is not happiness. Pleasure is something temporary and it gives you this instant gratification. But in happiness, the happiness is long-lasting and it gives you this happiness or the contentment about yourself. So that is why Buddha teaches us that you are finding the happiness from a source where the happiness does not exist. So the more you find it, the more you become frustrated. So will we ever be able to find happiness in our life? The Buddha answers this question.
He says, Yes, you can find happiness in your life. How to do that? if you look closely to the first and the second verses of Dhammapada, Buddha says, If one with an impure mind speaks or acts, the suffering will furlough him like a cart will furlough the ox. If with an impure mind, one speaks or acts, the suffering will follow him. And in the next verse, Buddha says, with a pure mind, one speaks or acts, the happiness will follow him like a shadow following a so, that means the happiness and the sadness entirely depends on the purity and the impurity of our mind. When our mind is pure, we can find the happiness. So, how can we find or how can we gain this purity in our mind in order to find the happiness?
Well, Buddha teaches us, there are a lot of things that you can do to make your mind pure. So today, I'm going to share with you a few things that can give you the happiness in your life, that you can find the happiness in your life.
Accepting the Reality of Life
First thing, accepting the reality of life will give you the happiness. You know, life is full of ups and downs. You sometimes you have good days. sometimes we have bad days, sometimes we have beautiful memories, sometimes we also have miserable memories. So life is not something that is going equally every day. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. When you realize this reality, you can face these situations successfully. It is not always this bad experience. An experience makes us frustrated. It is our reaction towards this bad experience makes us frustrated. Whenever you get a bad experience or a bad day or a bad situation, tough situation, difficult situation, you have two choices. Either you can focus on the pain and feel miserable about that situation or you can focus on the lesson that bad situation teaches us and learn from it and start growing your life. So, if you accept the reality of life, it is not temporary. Sometimes the people around us are not in our control. We cannot control their reactions. We cannot control their opinions. So when you realize these situations. You can face those situations successfully. That is one thing, accepting reality of the life.
Practicing Generosity
Number two, Buddha said, be generous. Practicing generosity is a major practice in Buddhism. Well, in Buddhism, the generosity is known as dhana. In dhana, Buddha says that you have to give without any expectations. We have to give and we have to dedicate towards others without expecting anything in return. That is one thing that we have to practice. Most of the time, we like to hold on to things or gather the things towards us. That is what people think. When you gather more, when you collect more things, you will get rich and you will gain happiness. But that does not give you the happiness. It will give you the pleasure, but it is temporary. So what we have to do, Buddha says, be generous, give, help others, dedicate a part of your life on behalf of others. When you do that, when you become more generous, let's say like this, you gave some foods to a poor person. Let's say like that. When you see that person is having those foods and overcoming his hunger and making his life much better, you can be happy by seeing that. When you become happy like that, you feel happy about yourself. Nothing can give you that happiness. Like by eating a good food, by dressing a nice dress, you cannot gain that happy. you don't feel happy about yourself. After, let's say, after hundreds of years later, maybe decades later, when you think about that incident, I gave this food to this poor person. When you remind that, you'll feel happy. Even then you'll feel happy. That means happiness is long lasting. So Buddha says, be generous, help people, do something nice every day for a person. That is one thing we can do.
The Power of Forgiveness
Number three, forgiving. Forgiving is one of the most important things that we can do to create happiness in our life. We have to forgive ourselves. Also, we have to forgive others too. Because forgiving, when you forgive, it doesn't mean that you are saying okay to others mistakes. It's okay. No, you're not saying like that. When you forgive, you make your heart free. So when you forgive, it's not for that person, it is for you and also we have to forgive for ourselves. There are so many mistakes that we all have done in the past. If you hold on to past, and if you make this present moment miserable, that will not give you the happiness. So what do we have to do?
The Ultimate Happiness
Whatever the bad thing that we have done in the past, we have to have this ability to forgive ourselves and start all over again. We all have that ability, We all have that privilege to start our life again and make it a better one. So no one is perfect in this world. We all have done mistakes. One thing that we have to do is to forgive and start doing good things. So these are the things that we can do to create happiness in our life and also, there is one happiness that is called the ultimate happiness in this world that the Buddha teaches us That is called Nirvana, so Nirvana That is the enlightenment. When you realize about the reality of this life, and when you remove this desire or the craving that arises within your mind. Then, Buddha says, that is the ultimate happiness. Simply, the nirvana means, ragakkayo, dosakkayo, mohakkayo nirvana. That means removing of the desire, anger and the delusion of the mind is called the enlightenment. So, that is the highest level of happiness that we all can reach. So when you practice these practices, when you engage yourself in wholesome state, that will create you the happiness in the life. So practice these things and make your life a happier one.
Thank you for reading this article ♥️
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