Training in Nonviolence

Author(s): Mahapragna Acharya
Publisher: Anuvrat Global Organization

Page 39

The Secret of Inner Happiness
dominated by wealth and desire. To restore this balance it is necessary that we try to understand the nature of dharma. Let us also reflect on the question as to what dharma is giving us. This trend of thinking can change the course of our life.
The fruit of dharma is inner happiness. A person may follow the path of dharma but if he is not intrinsically happy, we can conclude that dharma has not become an integral part of his or her life. Joy and happiness are the two different states of human mind. Joy and sorrow go together. Happiness is different from both of them. There is neither joy nor sorrow in the state of one's mind. One doesn't feel exhilarated when one meets favourable circumstances, nor does one feel sad when one finds oneself in adverse circumstances. Inner happiness is the purest state of consciousness. Joy and sorrow are not connected with the incident. They are associated with one's emotions. The cycle of joy and sorrow has been going on incessantly. This process disrupts the balance between human mind and human health.
Inner happiness is an experiment in spirituality. Let us try to keep our soul happy. In a state of inner happiness, a person thinks positively and evinces concern for the welfare of others. His behaviour and conduct appear radically different. In the words of Maharishi Patanjali happiness is what we experience in a state of thoughtlessness. A person is able to commune with the soul when his mind stops wavering and is emptied of thoughts. But the mind is so fickle and restless that the waves of thought continue to arise in it ceaselessly. More than thirty-three vibrations of thought occur in a second.
A person who has learnt to stay in this state of emptiness even for five minutes is able to seek answers to his questions. It is a state of absolute emptiness: no memory, no thinking, no imagination. It is a state beyond the three stages of time - past, present and future. He who has learnt to stay in this state of mind achieves inner happiness. His sorrows come to an end. He who is free from attachment and hatred and only uses his senses dispassionately experiences true happiness. There are only two components that obstruct a person's inner happiness: attachment and hatred. What is expected is that we learn how to remain naturally happy. All spiritual activities lead to true happiness. Come! Let us follow the path of spirituality and try to exercise restraint on our passions of attachment and hatred in order to be really happy.
samyag-darsana-jnana-caritrani moksamargah The enlightened world-view, enlightened knowledge and enlightened conduct are the path to liberation
- Tattvarth Sutra
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