A youngster came to my centre with a depressed look. His eyes were sunken, his smile was faded, and he felt like death but was still living. His hopes were gone and he felt miserable. “Where does true happiness lie?” he asked.
Man’s biggest and most ancient search is for happiness. He has looked for happiness in the external world, and through the world of objects, and what he has found is pleasure instead of happiness. To know the distinction between pleasure and happiness is an important awakening.
The meaning of education is to bring forth. One has to bring forth distinctions and clarity in life. Gathering information is not education, but seeing distinctions is what education is about.
Man has looked for happiness outside and found pleasure. But if he looks for happiness inside instead of outside, it is a great turning point. To look inside means to look inside his body, inside his mind, inside his feelings. When one looks within, he can see there is something beyond the body, mind and feelings. That ‘beyond ness’ is inner space and it is not limited by the body, mind and feelings. In deep sleep you were not limited by the body, mind and emotions but still felt a deep sense of joy and happiness.
This inner journey is the true journey.
Why do we find ourselves familiar with misery and alien to happiness?
Misery is the result of ego. Misery is safe for the ego. Ego can exist only in misery.
Ego is hell and misery is the material for hell. When understanding arises, the darkness of misery has to go. For understanding to happen, you need to put in effort … but also proper and adequate effort. For misery to go, you need such effort. For a lazy person putting in effort is hell.
Misery can exist in an effortless state.
What is ego?
Ego is an arrogant self. A self that is addicted to its point of view. A self that is proud of its achievement. For any achievement, one should be grateful and not proud. If one is humble, one will see there are many factors to one’s success.
To see many factors for your achievement gives a sense of humility and not vanity. Once there is humility, ego can’t exist. In humbleness there is joy. True joy is the death of the ego. True joy is suicide to the ego. When you are egoistic you enjoy life in the form of pleasure and suddenly feel guilty. This guilt is also the result of ego.
Swami Sukhabodhananda
