Happiness is in You

Q: When I eat chocolate I feel happy. So, does it not mean that happiness is in chocolate?

A: When a mosquito bites you, scratching the area gives you happiness. That does not mean that happiness is caused by mosquito.

There are latent desires in the causal body (unconscious mind) that create internal stresses. Some stresses can be recognised easily as they express themselves in terms of known feelings like the feeling of hunger for example. But, your mind gets used to other types of stresses and does not recognise them as stresses. But, when a stress is relieved there is a rush of happiness. This happiness comes with stress removal. It does not come from any external object. Happiness is there inside you but is clouded by stresses, the moment one stress gets removed providing some passage for the happiness to flow, it makes its presence felt. The following figure explains this with an analogy:

Happiness Shining

Another analogy can be gives using Kabir’s, “Ghoonghat ke pat khol re tohe piya milenge*” which means, “Raise the veil and you find your husband”. A newly wed traditional Indian girl covers her face by ghoonghat. She can see her husband when she opens ghoonghat. Here ghoonghat is the obstruction, husband is like happiness and the girl is the seeker.

*There are different ways to look at these words. It can also be said that the world is maya (illusion) and one needs to go beyond maya to find the truth.

Hindi Translation .pdf आनंद-आपके-भीतर-है

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