The Secret of Happiness
Is there anybody who does not seek happiness? But how many of us attain it, very few. Our countless desires and aspirations are hard to be satisfied. And here lies the secret of our sadness.
Secret of happiness lies in the simplification of life. Simple living encourages high thinking and it leads to contentment and happiness. Contentment imparts inner wealth, the wealth of the mind. A contented man is a ruthless lover of virtues like truth, beauty, love, goodness, charity and kindness. This love makes him attain happiness.
Simplification of life does not mean that a man should live the life of an ascetic and renounce the world. Happiness enjoyed by a sadhu is a mixed bag of negative points and positive points. It is never a positive kind of happiness. For positive happiness a man must carry out his responsibilities in the spirit of selfless service. To attain happiness you must make others happy. In the happiness of others lies true happiness of a giver. An act of goodness is in itself an act of happiness.
In the womb of renunciation lies happiness. Renunciation means to give to others what you have. Kings remain unhappy in spite of their great riches because they are not good givers.
There is a sense of happiness in doing one’s work honestly and efficiently. Sincerity is the harbinger of peace of mind which is an important ingredient of happiness. Pleasure of a man should be harmless. A drunkard feels pleasure in drinking, a gambler seeks pleasure and gets it in the dice, a robber gets pleasure in looting, an eve-teaser gets pleasure in his heroic deed, etc. But this kind of pleasure -brings real happiness neither to them nor to others.
It is only by cultivating a spirit of renunciation, self sacrifice, contentment and sincere work that man can be really happy. Stings of misfortune cannot cow down such a person. A mother sacrifices her all and she is happy. Happiness is spontaneous. If you hanker after it, i will be a wild-goose chase. A beggar lying on the stones and having no clothes on is the happiest because he is contented.
