Jain Digest 1999 04

Author(s): Federation of JAINA
Publisher: USA Federation of JAINA

Page 33

Moreover, the sense of pleasure being subjective, it varies from person to person. No objective criteria can therefore be laid down for worldly happiness. Moreover, the sense of pleasure also varies person from time to time. The food, sights, sound etc. that a person relished earlier, may not seem attractive to him later on. His outlook changes with the passage of time. Similarly, the object which attracts one in one situation, may not at all seem fascinating to him in different situation. For instance, one may be enamored of his wife's hair and may not miss any opportunity to admire that. If, however, her hair happens to fall in the food and if that hair comes in his mouth, he gets mad and may shout out that the ugly hair was in the food. He abhors the very hair which looked so fascinating on the head of his beloved. Thus the concept of happiness is governed by the mental outlook prevailing from time to time and place to place.
One has to realize that the lasting happiness lies within and cannot be found by searching without. Outward happiness gives a semblance of pleasure, while inward happiness is the state of lasting beatitude and bliss. The ancient seers have explored this aspect and have come to the conclusion that true happiness can be gained by the absence of desire. Desire is the antithesis of satisfaction. Happiness can therefore be termed as the desireless state of mind.
D
esirelessness can emerge from contentment. Content ment is thus the inalienable part of happiness. All the spiritual entities have therefore laid down to overcome the desire. Jainism has particularly laid emphasis on that aspect and has exhorted the spiritual aspirants to stay away from all sorts of desire. Therefore if one wants to be really happy, he needs to cultivate the sense of contentment that comes from within. The contentment is actually an attribute of the soul and can be experienced by self-realization.
The contentment can be gained by accepting the situations. Jainism lays down that different situations go on arising depending upon our past Karma. If such situations do not seem agreeable, we can try to change the same. Jainism does not forbid it. The spiritual science terms such effort as present or Vartamän Karma. If such Karma is stronger than the earlier Karma, we would be successful in changing the situation. If the earlier Karma is stronger, we would fail in our endeavor. But in either of the cases we should be willing to accept the consequences. That is the way to be happy with the situations that we gain from time to time. Since the disagreeable situations also arise on account of our own earlier Karma, we should accept them as arising out of our earlier inclination and should welcome them as guests having arrived in response to our invitation, We can surely remain careful not to invite them again. In other words, we need to refrain from acquiring new unwholesome Karma.
The question would arise how to welcome the disagreeable
situations. That would be easy if we recognize their nature. As stated above, they have come of our own invitation and are not going to leave at our instance. They are, however, essentially temporary and are going to leave in due course. No situation lasts forever. Then, why scramble to run away from something that we cannot escape from and which is going to leave of its own? That idea would make the situation bearable and acceptable.
When we talk of accepting the situations, we merely mean to accept the realties, the realities that exist at present. Just think over; is it possible to ignore the realties of life? If they are not agreeable, by all means try to change them. But fighting with the reality or ignoring it does not help. If we or some one close to us is facing some distress or is suffering from disease, ignoring that factor or simply worrying about that does not serve any purpose. The best way is to accept the realities as they are and then to think how to avert them.
Take the case of distressful disease. Suppose, during a medical check up it is detected that we have cancer. Being upset or worrying about the impending death would not help; on the other hand ignoring the reality of the disease can cause considerable harm. Instead, if we calmly accept the reality of that situation, we can better think of the measures to be taken to cure the disease or to alleviate the suffering. Maintaining the composure of mind in all such situations is thus of vital importance.
Acceptance of reality is all the more significant in spiritual field. In addition to accepting the present reality, that area demands acceptance of all time reality. That is the truth which prevails forever. There are two basic truths that every spiritual aspirant should stay aware of. 1) The body that we have got as a consequence of our Karma, is a composition and is subject to decay and/or decomposition. 2) Soul is an original substance that stays forever. The corollaries of these truths are obvious. Childhood, youth, aging, disease, death etc. are different states of the ephemeral body and we should remain equanimous in all such states. On the other hand, the soul, that is ourself, is ageless and immortal. It is indestructible, unbreakable, impermeable and incombustible. We have therefore nothing to fear about it and can stay cheerful and fearless in all the circumstances.
It is thus not necessary to hunt for any specific situation for the worldly as well as spiritual happiness. Worldly happiness emanates from accepting the situations that arise from time to time. It should be firmly set in mind that we need not look for any golden time when we could be happy. Actually, this is the time to be happy and this is the place to be happy. The way of being happy is to make others happy. The spiritual happiness, on the other hand, is inherent within and can be realized only during human life. Our endeavor should therefore be to manifest the same in this very life.
JAIN DIGEST SUMMER 1999/31