Be Happy Right Now and Afterwards as well
We like to be happy at all times. However, the grave concern is that we are unable to
experience happiness at all times. Even though, we experience happiness for short
spells, it gets eliminated by unhappy circumstances. So, we have to make fresh
attempts to be happy again. But, there is no guarantee that we would be able to find
expected happiness in time to come. What we normally do is to act in anticipation of
happiness in many ways at all times.
Lets take an example to clarify this matter. An individual who is desirous of eating some
confectioneries would, either, make them or try to buy them at any cost. This individual
may encounter some problems during this attempt, such as shortages of ingredients
used to make these confectioners, some ingredients being out of the season, loss of
expected taste and flavor of the final product. In view of these uncertainties, the
expected happiness may turn to unexpected dissatisfaction.
When we reflect on our past, we would realize that occasions where we experienced
unhappiness are far greater than the occasions we experienced happiness. Almost
every occasion has led us to unhappy mental states, even though our goal was to find
happiness.
idha nandati, pecca nandati, is a proclamation by the Buddha, meaning, one is
happy right now and afterwards One can find happiness in the present moment and
in time time to come in terms of this verse.
When we look at our lives, we find that experiencing happiness to be random,
occasional circumstance occurring by chance. There is no regular, reliable pattern for
us to be happy. According to the Buddhas advice, we are capable of sustaining the
intermittent happy moments and make them everlasting.
One day, Anatha Pindika, the community leader, visited the Buddha in order to inform
the death of his younger daughter, Sumana, following an unsound mental state. When
the Buddha inquired further about his daughter's death, Anatha Pindika described that
his daughter was bedridden for some time with a grave sickness and she summoned
him to her just before she passed away. He also mentioned that his daughter addressed
him as younger brother at the time of her death.
The Buddha, after listening to Anatha Pindika, clarified that his daughter was in a sound
state of mind at the time of death and she was reborn in the Thusitha heaven. With
regard to the comment younger brother made by Sumana, the Buddha said that
Sumana had attained the fruit of Once-returner and therefore she addressed Anatha
Pindika as younger brother as he was a stream enterer (sotapanna) at that time. In
terms of spiritual attainment, Anatha Pindika had a lower achievement than that of
Sumana. Then the Buddha quoted the verse;
Idha nandati pecca nandati
katapunno ubhayattha nandati
punnam me katanti nandati
bhiyyo nandati suggatim gato.
The secret to being happy right now and afterwards is incorporated in this verse.
Especially, we need to focus on the second line, katapunno ubhayattha nandati to
unravel this secret. Punna (pina in Sinhala) means a state of being elated. The mental
state of being elated can not arise in a mind filled with defilement according to the
Buddhist teachings. This pure state results from a defilement-free mental state where
greed (lobha), aversion (dosa) and delusion (moha) have been subjugated. If one can
sustain a mental state devoid of greed, aversion and delusion, one could sustain a firm
mentality filled with elation, joy (punna).
Happiness arises exclusively in a mind devoid of defilements is a revolutionary
discovery of the Buddha. A large number of individuals were able to enjoy lives with
constant happiness. The Buddhas proclamation with regard to happiness is valid even
today. How could we verify the validity of this concept today? Lets assume that an
individual intends to obtain a loan from someone. The lender agrees to provide the loan
within a certain period of time. Now, this individual is anxiously waiting for the lender to
come to him and hand over the money as a loan. One day, he comes to know of the
arrival of the lender shortly. This news brings some consolation to this individual. After a
while, he sees the lender coming towards him. This brings further consolation in his
mind. Then, the lender hands over the money to this individual which causes immense
happiness in his mind.
When we take a close look at this event, one may tend to think that this individual
experienced immense happiness due to the money he expected. If that is true, then, he
should be able to experience the same degree of happiness as long as he keeps money
in his hands. However, it does not happen that way as happiness is taken away from his
mind when he begins to think about the activities that need to be carried out with the
money he borrowed. This proves the fact that happiness was not caused by the money
he received.
What happened in an ultimate sense was that the individuals mental inflammation
caused by the desire to borrow money was temporarily relieved at the time he received
the money in his hands. Mental inflammations similar to this event are known as
defilements (kilesa). So, when the defilements identified as lobha, dosa and moha are
not present temporarily in the mind, one is able to experience happiness. This is also
the Buddhas advice that distinguishing the impact of defilements is the only way for true
happiness.
So, now it is evident that the emergence of happiness is a direct outcome of the
presence or absence of defilements in the mind. This theory would apply to achieving
true happiness, including the instance of attaining Nibbana. One is able to experience
true and greater happiness as the defilements get diminished to deeper levels.
The Buddha has also taught the way to prolong and sustain the intermittent happiness
we experience occasionally. We notice that the occasional happiness is wiped out by
impulses associated with defilements known as lobha, dosa and moha. For instance, if
one attaches to a visual object, believing it to be pleasant, beautiful, entertaining, etc.,
that leads to arising of lobha (greed) in the mind. Similarly, treating an object as
unpleasant, disgusting, wrong, etc. would cause dosa (aversion) to arise in the mind.
Both occasions drove away the happy state of mind due to operation of impulses
associated with greed (lobha) and aversion (dosa). In these circumstances, the best
approach for us to implement is to exclusively identify any object without attributing any
values of greed or aversion to it. Once an individual is accustomed to interacting with
objects in this manner, his happiness would remain intact.
No object in the world has come into existence for the purpose of causing happiness or
suffering to beings. It is our way of thinking in respect of these objects that brings us
happiness or suffering according to the teachings of the Buddha. So, if anyone who
intends to be constantly in a happy state of mind should make it a point not to seek
happiness from external objects and accept any object in the world with equanimity
(upekkha). As we have been used to seek happiness from external worldly objects from
the time immemorial, it has been a very difficult task for us to accept external objects
with equanimity. Until the day that we realize that happiness exists in our minds, we are
unable to deviate from the habit of seeking happiness through external objects.
Therefore, we should attempt to implement the revolutionary approach taught by the
Buddha to induce happiness in the mind. This approach would guarantee the mental
happiness and the Buddha-nature in the followers of the Buddhist teachings.
