Acharya Mahapragya Blog
This is a translated part of Acharya Shree’s hindi book: Sukh Ka Stotra Kahan
Matter - Source of Happiness & Sorrow?
In our world we attribute our happiness to external sources. Somethings or people seem to promise happiness while some seem to promise sorrow. Based on this notion, people put in their efforts to collect large amount of things of the former category and ignore things of the latter category. Due to giving over importance to the mediums of our own karma, our attention has gone towards it. Therefore we are more attentive towards matter than our own selves. We consider those fortunate who have a lot of matter (ie material good) in their hands. The question is - does the external world of matter really give us happiness or sorrow? If yes, then it can make anybody happy or sad - even the dead but this is not the case. From this we can infer that happiness & sorrow share a direct relation with our feeling consciousness, not with matter. A dull person cannot experience happiness, even by collecting material goods. Matter is not able to affect a dispassionate person either. Therefore their origin is not matter. Their experience varies from person to person.
The Root Sources
There are two root sources - 1) Body, 2) Pure and impure consciousness
In our body, we have a vital force, biochemicals and glands. Release of certain biochemicals make us feel happy or sad. With every good or bad conduct, certain karma particles are collected. As these particles mature, the feeling of happiness or sorrow arises. Therefore, a person or a thing can give us comfort but not happiness as feeling is mind bound. Similarly a person can put us in a difficult situation but cannot give us sorrow. It is possible for a person to be calm and happy in a difficult situation and it is also possible for a person to be sad in a comfortable one. If we study the lives of man such as Mahaveer, Buddha, Christ etc. we find that people putting in efforts to make them miserable have all failed. This is so because external situations are not able to affect the ones who undergo an inner transformation.
For inner transformation we cannot ignore the process of introspection and seeing the most basic truths of life. For example, we feel sad when a favorable situation / person or thing moves away from us. In this case we need to wake up to the truth that everything in this world is perishable - the body, cheerful situation, tough situations, everything. Just as the feeling of happiness and sorrow is experienced from within, the ways to protect ourselves from these emotional rides is also within.
A person is bound to society at a behavioral / worldly level but in reality, is alone. At the level of the physical world, one has all necessary protective measures but at another level one has no real protection. (As strong past karmas can sprout anytime). At the worldly level, one is connected with people but at another level one is distinct from everyone. (since everybody has different karmas and therefore have different life journeys)These are truths which can save one from emotional rides and the consequent karmas.
Meaning of Keval Gyan (Enlightenment)
There are two levels of our consciousness- 1)The level of feelings, 2)The level of awareness or knowledge. At the level of feelings, a circle of happiness and sorrow goes on. At the level of knowledge, this circle stops. In this state, natural joy wells up, which is beyond reasons. It is not bound by situations. The more one becomes established in witness consciousness (ie witnessing one’s emotions and feelings without getting involved), the more knowledge one develops. The process of gradually coming to this state can be done even in this time. Keval Gyan means knowledge devoid of feelings (coldness/roughness is also a feeling).
In conclusion, only after understanding oneself, one can understand the secrets of happiness and sorrow.