happiness and success

[Guest guest]

>

>Gummuluru Murthy <gmurthy

>

>I would like to question the thinking that man's eternal goal is

>searching for happiness (not only in this article but in some literature

>as well). Why ? Isn't equanimity a better choice than happiness ?

>Unless we define happiness as equanimity. Equanimity is the waveless,

>calm ocean. Happiness and sadness are simply crests and troughs of the

>wave that pass through.

 

Murthy gaaru - As I understand - this may be samantics. If happyness and

sadness are waves then the happyness that you are referring to is pleasure

or sense gratification. Happyness that I am is free from waves or

perturbations - then only I am full and I can afford to be equanimous since

there is nothing that I can loose. Hence fullness is the adequate self

which is happyness - perturbations of the mind will not bother me once I

realize that it is the mind that is perturbed and not me who is always full

and happy. Then only the equanimity is natural. What I am serching for is

not equivanimity - what am serchiing for is happyness. When I am happy the

equianimity is a byproduct since I am full.

 

Hari Om!

sadanadna

 

 

_____________

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[Guest guest]

namaste.

 

I have enjoyed reading the two articles by Shri Ram Chandran on

Key to Success and Key to Happiness. Just a brief comment on the titles

which I would like to look at in a different way.

 

When people are looking for a *key* to success and/or happiness, they

are looking for something. That can invariably lead to a possible failure

and a possible sadness.

 

I would like to see the thing as equanimity. Success or failure and

happiness or sadness are just superimpositions on that equanimity.

I would like to question the thinking that man's eternal goal is

searching for happiness (not only in this article but in some literature

as well). Why ? Isn't equanimity a better choice than happiness ?

Unless we define happiness as equanimity. Equanimity is the waveless,

calm ocean. Happiness and sadness are simply crests and troughs of the

wave that pass through. Be the ocean of equanimity rather than have the

turbulent waves of happiness and success (unless we define happiness

as the sthitaprajna approach. But, even in the description of

sthitaprajna in BhagavadGItA, Viveka ChUDAmaNi or Atmabodha, equanimity

is stressed rather than happiness). Sthitaprajna does not have either

success or failure; nor happiness or sadness.

 

Success is a much more vyavahArika term and my thinking is whoever is

looking for success is bound to fail.

 

I am not saying people should not look for happiness or success being

afraid that they may find sadness or failure. What I am saying is,

take the words success, failure, happiness, sadness out of the

dictionary and out of the mind.

 

I would be grateful for comments.

 

Regards

Gummuluru Murthy

------

[Guest guest]

At 12:40 PM 5/11/99 -0230, you wrote:

>Gummuluru Murthy <gmurthy

>Isn't equanimity a better choice than happiness ?

 

I would put it slightly differently: Rather than happiness, contentment is

far more important. One who is contented with what they have is "happy."

One who is constantly grasping for more happiness will find it slipping out

of their grasp. I think with contentment comes equanimity, or maybe the

other way around.

 

To me, contentment is most important. "Happiness" is not. I don't even

know if such a thing as happiness exists, because this world we live in is

impermanent and ever-changing. I don't think a permanent happiness is

possible, perhaps not even for one who is enlightened or realized. But a

lasting contentment (AND equanimity in the face of any suffering) are very

possible.

 

Today I was meditating on death. In 10 seconds, everything ever known in

this life can be snatched away. Nothing is owned. The past is gone. The

future is uncertain. The present is all we have.

 

Dwelling in the present, one is content. Those who live in the past live

like a dead log, missing the current moment. Those who live in the future

live in the imagination, also missing the present. If you had one day to

live, would you spend it in the past, the present or the future?

>my thinking is whoever is looking for success is bound to fail.

 

Not necessarily, but they are bound to be unhappy with it, and want more

and more success.

 

Hari OM,

 

Tim

 

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[Guest guest]

On Tue, 11 May 1999, Kuntimaddi Sadananda wrote:

> "Kuntimaddi Sadananda" <k_sadananda

>

>

> >

> >Gummuluru Murthy <gmurthy

> >

>

> >I would like to question the thinking that man's eternal goal is

> >searching for happiness (not only in this article but in some literature

> >as well). Why ? Isn't equanimity a better choice than happiness ?

> >Unless we define happiness as equanimity. Equanimity is the waveless,

> >calm ocean. Happiness and sadness are simply crests and troughs of the

> >wave that pass through.

>

> Murthy gaaru - As I understand - this may be samantics. If happyness and

> sadness are waves then the happyness that you are referring to is pleasure

> or sense gratification. Happyness that I am is free from waves or

> perturbations - then only I am full and I can afford to be equanimous since

> there is nothing that I can loose. Hence fullness is the adequate self

> which is happyness - perturbations of the mind will not bother me once I

> realize that it is the mind that is perturbed and not me who is always full

> and happy. Then only the equanimity is natural. What I am serching for is

> not equivanimity - what am serchiing for is happyness. When I am happy the

> equianimity is a byproduct since I am full.

>

> Hari Om!

> sadanadna

>

 

namaste, Shri Sadananda garu,

 

This may indeed be semantics.

 

In my usage, the happiness (the word which I am advocating against, in

this context) is a perception of the jeeva. It is a sense gratification

if you include antahkaraNa as one of the senses. In any case, it is not

the bliss - Ananda.

 

You say "Happiness that I am is free from waves or perturbations..."

I am using the word equanimity for the word "happiness" which you used

in the above sentence. I am saying " 'The Consciousness that I am' is

a statement with samabhAva with no happiness or sadness attached to it."

I agree with you that once one has that samabhAva, perturbation of the

mind will not bother (I think the mind itself will not be perturbed).

Further in my usage of the words, happiness and sadness are perturbations

of the antahkaraNa. In your usage of the word(s), happiness does not have

an opposite to it.

 

Regards

Gummuluru Murthy

------

[Guest guest]

Greetings Murthygaru:

 

First, let me thank you for bringing some new insights. It is quite

possible for someone to separate the words of the title into 'key' and

'success' and assume that getting the key necessarily implies success. A

better susbtitute for the word 'key' could be ingredient. However, the

most important ingredient for one's 'success' and 'happiness' is the

person who conducts the act and experiences the outcome! I am the 'key

ingredient' for my success and happiness!

 

Instead of taking the words 'success' and 'happiness' from the

dictionary, we can change our attitude and adopt ourself to ignore the

dictionary meaning of 'success' and 'happiness.' The focus should change

from chasing to adopting! The entire Gita focused on changing the

attitude of Arjuna who was afraid to face the consequences of the war.

It was not easy for Arjun to change his attitutde toward the war against

his own relatives and friends. Lord Krishna, the greatest teacher of

all the time has to explain eighteen chapters of Gita to convince Arjuna

to accept the consequences!

>From Advaitic point of view, it is possible to replace the words by

'Ultimate Success' and 'Ultimate Happiness.' Then they both merge and

become the 'Ultimate Reality!'

 

Ram Chandran

 

Gummuluru Murthy wrote:

>

> Gummuluru Murthy <gmurthy

>

> namaste.

>

> When people are looking for a *key* to success and/or happiness, they

> are looking for something. That can invariably lead to a possible failure

> and a possible sadness.

.........................

> I am not saying people should not look for happiness or success being

> afraid that they may find sadness or failure. What I am saying is,

> take the words success, failure, happiness, sadness out of the

> dictionary and out of the mind.

>

> I would be grateful for comments.

>

> Regards

> Gummuluru Murthy