Happiness

By Harshit Gupta

I recently considered what happiness is. In some way or another, we are all

seeking happiness. We strive to improve our happiness with every action we

Take. I concur with the Buddhist notion that there is much suffering in the world. Even in

Hinduism, the earth is referred to as mrityulok; however, for me, happiness is a state of mind

that can exist regardless of circumstances or hardships. According to spirituality, all these joys

and pleasures are transient and can

never be satisfied. However, the maximum level of satisfaction can only be

attained via spiritual enlightenment. All pleasures and temptations disappear

after this. This spiritual desire makes us all look for happiness in the materialistic

world. Even in worldly terms, we all must chase happiness as it serves as a

source of meaning in life, and for others, it serves as a means of propulsion.

Everyone agrees that life has two phases: the good and the bad. Occasionally,

nice things happen to you, making you happy; occasionally, horrible things

happen to you, making you sad; and most of the time, we are neutral. For

instance, attending classes, doing assignments, and performing other duties

comprise a typical day. But while receiving a girl's praise occasionally makes me

happy, occasionally, I might also misplace my debit card, which makes me

nervous. I feel neutral as I go about my regular life. My mind naturally turned to

the third phase, the neutral one, since everyone talks about happiness and

Sadness. I really liked the calmness and neutral attitude of the monks. I questioned why, in the

identical circumstance, a worldly guy would get

depressed, but a yogi/monk would be calm. A natural reaction follows, and that is

perspective. Yoga practitioners see the good in everything and know the transient nature of

emotions. I tried that approach,

but it could have been more effective. Human minds are challenging to control

and are easily diverted by external events. Even while you may appear cheerful,

something could be hidden beneath. So the search went on. Going back to the

beginning, I considered that neutral attitude. I made an effort to maintain my joy

despite that mood. I was discouraged by the unfortunate events, but the neutral

circumstance was now in my favor. Others started noticing that I started to feel

happier on the inside and exterior. After that, I tried to have a smile while in bad

situations; you might know while smiling brain releases neuropeptides to fight

away stress. It worked well for me; the same problem I was worried about a few

moments before after smiling looked like just a tiny change in the universe. Over

time, adverse events also failed to steal my happiness. And after months of

effort, I realized that happiness is a joy that, so long as you are not ready to give

up, no one can take away from you. Though remaining calm like a monk requires practice, I can

maintain that state in depressing situations, while allowing myself to be happy in favorable

situations. Now I understand the meaning of the

Bhagavad Gita verse, "Fight for the sake of duty, treating alike happiness and distress, loss and

gain, victory and defeat. Fulfilling your responsibility in this way, you will never incur sin." and

“You have the right to work only but never to its fruits.

Let not the fruits of action be your motive, nor let your attachment be to inaction”. If you only

look at these from the

outside, they may appear to be straightforward shlokas, yet deep down, they can

transform a regular person into a monk. Remember that change is the law of nature, and

everything will eventually change. Therefore, we shouldn't waste our brief existence worrying

about improbable events. Instead, we should try to be grateful for what we have and be content

with it. Gratitude is the key to happiness. Just look around, and there is much to be thankful for.

In conclusion, happiness is not a destination that we can reach through external means. It is a

path that we must follow by cultivating a positive mindset, maintaining joy in adverse

circumstances, and being grateful for what we have.

"There is no path to happiness: happiness is the path" — Gautam Buddha

By Harshit Gupta