________________
TAE KEY OF KNOWLEDGE
'I am beautiful,' 'I am brave,' and the like, not in such as another is the king,' another is the governor,'
another is beautiful," "another is brave,' and so forth. So far as the element of freedom is concerned-and without freedom it is inconceivable how there can be true happiness-it is perfectly obvious that it is our own freedom which can afford us joy ; the freedom of another, when we ourselves are in bondage, can only go to deepen our anguish, however much its sight may temporarily soften our heart and thereby lighten the burden of captivity for the time being.
Happiness comes not from without; it depends on ourselves. Concerning its nature Lord Avebury observes :
“Money cannot make us happy, success cannot make us happy, friends cannot make us happy, health and strength cannot make us happy. All these make for happiness, but none of them will secure it. Nature may do all she can : she may give us fame, health, money, long life, but she cannot make us bappy. Every one of us must do that for himself. Our language expresses this admirably. What do we say if we have had a happy day? We say we have enjoyed ourselves. This expression of our mother tongue seems very suggestive. Our happiness depends on ourselves."
This is perfectly sound, as will be shown more fully later on. For the present it is sufficient to note that happiness resides not in any outside object, but must spring up within us, if it is to be enjoyed at all. Hence, all the heavens and other worlds of bliss, put together, cannot confer it on the soul, if the latter happen to be barren in itself.
*On Peace and Happiness," pp. 1-2.
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
