Lecture 5�Happiness and Prosperity �– Current Scenario

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Continuous Happiness – Basic Aspiration of every Human Being

Every human being aspires for continuous happiness

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The program for it depends on whatever s/he has understood or assumed about it

e.g. big house, lots of money… tasty food, loud music, fast car… attention, name, fame…

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Keeps shifting from one program to another when the program is not successful

e.g. not getting attention of spouse… shift to watching TV… add tasty food… smoking, drinking... Indulgence… renunciation…

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Some Prevailing Notions related to Happiness

• I will be bored of happiness if I am always happy
• I will grow only if I am unhappy. If I become happy, my growth will stop
• I need to be unhappy to recognize that I am happy
• We think of others only when we are unhappy. Thus it is important/useful to be unhappy so that one can help others
• Happiness and unhappiness go together, they cannot be separated
• Yes, I want happiness. But my desiring does not guarantee it. So, why to talk of desire?
• My happiness depends on the others. What can I do about it
• We do not want happiness for ourselves – but we want to make others happy (while we stay unhappy)
• Happiness is a small thing. We have higher aspirations – like contentment, peace, bliss etc.
• Do not bother me with happiness. I have to live and deal with things in my real life.

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Some Prevailing Notions of Happiness – Excitement not Happiness

Owning / accumulating physical facility

Physical facility is required, but it alone does not suffice for human being

Dependence on physical facility, can’t be continuous

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Pleasure (from favourable sensation)

Sound, Touch, Form, Taste, Smell – Through the Body

Tasty-Necessary 🡪 Tasty-Unnecessary 🡪 Tasteless-Unnecessary 🡪 Intolerable

Dependence on sensation, can’t be continuous

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Attention, appreciation… (favourable feelings) from others

Dependence on the other, can’t be continuous

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Sometimes “happiness”, excitement…

Sometimes “unhappiness”, depression…

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Some Prevailing Notions about Escaping from Unhappiness, Depression

Over eating

Over sleeping

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Gutka (Doma)

Alcohol

Drugs

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Violence

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Suicide

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Excitement and Escape – Not Happiness

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Temporary escape from unhappiness

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Addict

Temporary excitement

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Recovering

Addict

Continuous happiness

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Realised

(Dorji)

--------------------------------------------------------------------- Transformation / Development -----------------------------------------

Animal Consciousness

Human Consciousness

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Sources of Happiness

1. Right Understanding

Harmony at all levels of being

Human Being, Family, Society, Nature/Existence

– in Self (I) Definite completion point, Continuity is possible,

Self-organization (Swatantrata)

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2. Right Feeling Trust, Respect, Affection, Care, Guidance,

Reverence, Glory, Gratitude, Love

– in Self (I) Definite completion point, Continuity is possible,

Self-organization (Swatantrata)

– From Other Temporary, Dependence on Other,

No completion point, Continuity not possible

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3. Sensation, PF Sound, Touch, Form, Taste, Smell

– Through Body Temporary, Dependence on Body & Other,

No completion point, Continuity not possible

Tasty-Necessary 🡪 Tasty-Unnecessary 🡪 Tasteless-Unnecessary 🡪 Intolerable

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Some Prevailing Notions related to Prosperity

• Accumulation of Wealth = Prosperity?

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• The richer you are, the more prosperous you are, i.e. the more you have accumulated, the more prosperous you are.

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Key Points

Happiness and Prosperity – Current Scenario

Sources of Happiness

1. Right Understanding

Harmony at all levels of being

Human Being, Family, Society, Nature/Existence

– in Self (I) Definite completion point, Continuity is possible,

Self-organization (Swatantrata)

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2. Right Feeling Trust, Respect, Affection, Care, Guidance,

Reverence, Glory, Gratitude, Love

– in Self (I) Definite completion point, Continuity is possible,

Self-organization (Swatantrata)

– From Other Temporary, Dependence on Other,

No completion point, Continuity not possible

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3. Sensation, PF Sound, Touch, Form, Taste, Smell

– Through Body Temporary, Dependence on Body & Other,

No completion point, Continuity not possible

Tasty-Necessary 🡪 Tasty-Unnecessary 🡪 Tasteless-Unnecessary 🡪 Intolerable

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Temporary escape from unhappiness

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Addict

Temporary excitement

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Recovering

Addict

Continuous happiness

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Realised

(Dorji)

--------------------------------------------------------------------- Transformation / Development -----------------------------------------

Animal Consciousness

Human Consciousness

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FAQs for Lecture 5

Happiness and Prosperity – Current Scenario

Prevailing Notions related to Happiness 1 Response

Is there any difference between excitement and happiness?

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Happiness = harmony

Does not depend on the outside

Can be continued

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Excitement may or may not be harmony

Depends on the outside

May not have provision of continuity

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Excitement is momentary, you can not have the continuity of it. If you look at yourself when you are excited, you will find that you in in a excited condition, not in harmony within.

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Prevailing Notions related to Happiness 2 Response

I am happy when I get favorable sensation (tasty food, nice music…). Isn’t that fine?

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I feel happy getting the attention and love from my mother and also some friends. What’s the problem if I live like that?

It is fine if satisfied with temporary happiness

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No problem if dependence on other is OK for you and temporary happiness is what you are looking for

1. If feeling in other is definite, it is possible to keep getting it from other, but if it is not definite…
2. Feeling within (state of independence, swatantrata) or getting from other (state of dependence), begging for feeling?

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Prevailing Notions related to Happiness 3 Response

Are all sensation bad then? What is the role of sensation then?

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Is there any role of feeling from other?

Sensation from the body is a useful source of information

• about the state of body,
• about the pf,
• about what the other is communicating

Then I can put the sensation to right use. E.g.

• Deciding what to do about health of the body
• Deciding about state of a physical facility, environment & what to do with it
• Evaluating the state of the other, deciding how to respond

Sensation as a source of continuous happiness is the problem

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Prevailing Notions related to Happiness 4 Response

• I will be bored of happiness if I am always happy

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• Happiness and unhappiness go together, they cannot be separated

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• I need to be unhappy to recognize that I am happy

If it is excitement, you are likely to get bored sooner or later

Check if you really get bored with harmony (like health in the body)

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Yes, if excitement is assumed to be happiness, then the momentary happiness and unhappiness do go together

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Check if you really desire for even a moment of unhappiness to recognize happiness

(like disrespect from time to time to recognize respect)

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Prevailing Notions related to Happiness 5 Response

• I will grow only if I am unhappy. If I become happy, my growth will stop

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• My happiness depends on the others

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• Happiness is a small thing. I have higher aspirations – like contentment, peace, bliss etc.

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We have assumed all growth is to happen in the physical world

At the core, holistic development has to do with development of the consciousness – development of right understanding and right feeling

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True if happiness is assumed to be on account of right feeling from other. Check if it is happiness or temporary excitement

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True, particularly if happiness is assumed to be same as sensory pleasure

We are referring to continuous happiness which includes happiness, peace, satisfaction and bliss, etc.

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Prevailing Notions related to Prosperity 1 Response

• Accumulation of Wealth = Prosperity?

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• The richer you are, the more prosperous you are, i.e. the more you have accumulated, the more prosperous you are.

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Covered in previous lecture

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Prevailing Notions related to Prosperity 2 Response

• I personally do not want so many physical facilities. But I want to make my family secure for the future, hence I have to keep working for more and more physical facilities.
• There is no prosperity without wealth.
• What you are saying makes sense. But I will work for it once I get to some good position in the society, have a good amount of money
• People will pay attention to my words only if I prove myself to be successful by the prevailing standards in the society. Hence I have to accumulate wealth first.
• This is all ‘lecture’. Ultimately what matters in the society today is money. There is no status in society without money.

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Covered in previous lecture

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