Chapter 07 The Difference Between Happiness and Peacefulness

The Essence of Happiness and True Freedom

2.2-The.Essence.of.Happiness.and.True.Freedom Chapter7 Happiness Peacefulness

There exist a kind of joy referred to as peace, however peace is not happiness.

In Chapter 1, we mentioned that

human suffering is mainly
physical pain, as well as the psychological sufferings:

the Suffering of Not Getting What One Wants,
the Suffering of Separation from the Pleasant, and
the Suffering of Association with the Unpleasant.

When these sufferings are relieved the accompanying anxiety, worry, tension, fear, etc., and all kinds of negative emotions will also be relieved; except for the pain from the negative emotion itself, there is no other feeling.

Humans call this feeling happiness:
‘kuai-le’快乐 ;

• ‘kuai’快 meaning short-lived,
• ‘le’乐 meaning to relieve or soothe. Happiness,

can also be defined as the Suffering of Change.

When human suffering is relieved and the negative emotions disappear, happiness also disappears. The state of neither suffering nor the accompaniment of negative emotions, nor the Suffering of Change is called peace. Peace is pure and free. The kind of happiness for human beings is relatively temporary because pain and negative emotions may come at anytime.

In fact, ordinary human beings are rarely free from pain and negative emotions, that is to say, ordinary human beings rarely have a moment of happiness, most of the time they live in minor pains, and negative emotions.

When one’s desire for someone or something is relatively faint, one’s bitterness will be less. The less the bitterness, the less the Suffering of Change. The less the Suffering of Change, the more relatively and temporarily happy they will be.

When one has no desire towards someone or something, one will not suffer from desire. If there is no suffering, that person will not be subject to the Suffering of Change and will thus reside in absolute peace. Only when one is void of desire will one obtain permanent peace.

For example, a smoker will suffer when addiction hits. When one smokes, one will suffer the Suffering of Change. Initially, maybe only one pack every two days. Gradually, the amount may increase from to one pack a day, to two or even three packs per day. The greater the addiction, the more pain they will endure. When that person smokes, the Suffering of Change becomes stronger.

If a smoker is not addicted and only smokes a few cigarettes occasionally, the pain of wanting to smoke will be very weak, and the Suffering of Change is very weak as well, or almost non-existent. This is considered a relatively peaceful state of mind, if compared with people who are addicted to smoking.

If a person does not smoke at all, not even one stick even on occasions, concerning smoking in this case, that person will neither have the suffering nor the Suffering of Change, so that person’s peace is more complete, long lasting, pure and free.

Another example is playing mahjong or other games of gambling. When the addiction of gambling hits, it is painful. When you lose the gamble, there is an additional layer of suffering. When you win, the Suffering of Change becomes great, as it is the relief of the two layers of suffering. Gambling usually begins small then snowballs. There is no way to stop it even if the situation has reached the point of bankruptcy. The deeper the addiction, the more painful it is. When the gambler wins, the Suffering of Change becomes stronger.

An occasional gambler who makes a small bit and isn’t addicted gambling itself, will have a minimal psychological suffering, the Suffering of Change is very weak, almost non-existent. This state of mind, compared with a person who is addicted to gambling, is considerably peaceful.

If a person does not gamble at all, in the context of gambling, that person will neither have the suffering nor the Suffering of Change, so when it comes to gambling, that person is completely tranquil, free, and at peace.

Some people say that if I don't have any hobbies or desires at all, then what's the point of my life. In fact, for humans, this phenomenon is unlikely to happen. Human beings are born with suffering from birth, along with innate, ingrained desires. With the increase in age and the influence or stimulation of the environment, the Suffering of Not Getting What One Wants, the Suffering of Separation from the Pleasant, the Suffering of Association with the Unpleasant and various ailments will continue to surface, and so comes the action to seek for a relief or release.

We should note that during the phase of affection, human beings show passion engaging in activities. At this stage, the Suffering of Not Getting What One Wants is relatively weak; It’s more achievable and gratifying. When it is realized, the bitterness and the negative emotions are temporarily relieved. This type of pleasure, the Suffering of Change, resembles the ultimate purpose of living in human existence.

When a person is fully fed and cozy, all kinds of unrealized innate desires arise incessantly.

As the saying goes, when one is fed and warm, comes the lustful desire. They will unconsciously seek to satisfy innate desires which socially acceptable by most people.

Therefore, the entertainment industry in this society is very developed, which is both legal and in line with universal values.

However, most human beings have not been thoughtful about this matter; interests may become hobbies, hobbies may become fetishes, fetishes may develop into addictions, and the same tendencies apply to all hobbies. They intensify, with no exceptions.

For example, the desire for cleanliness, which includes cleanness of the living environment, cleanliness of food, cleanliness of clothes, cleanliness of one's own body, etc.

Some have no preoccupations involving good hygiene. They can live very freely and happily no matter how the environment is.

Most people prefer to be clean, but they don’t desire it. Except for a few extreme environments, most of them can live relatively happy.

There are also types of people who love cleanliness excessively, and they have strong need for being spotless, and they have become greedy in this matter. They don't feel comfortable in most places. They highly enjoy the chores that involve cleaning.

Then, there are some people who are obsessed with good hygiene, their desire for cleanliness has become morbid. Almost all environments are unbearable for them. They need to keep cleaning and cleaning to alleviate their psychological pain.

I have a friend who is a cleaning freak and she has to use disinfectants to clean the bathroom every day. She has a dog. After walking the dog outside, she uses disinfectant to wipe the dog's mouth and feet, which brings physical injury to herself and her dog.

In fact, the essence of cleanliness or the obsessions of it is similar. The difference is in the magnitude of quantity. For someone who loves cleanliness, when they feel something is unclean, they will experience suffering, and they need to clean and wash in order to relieve their pain. Psychologically, the feeling of being unclean is always very strong, and so the Suffering of Not Getting What One Wants is very strong.

**Without the teaching of the wise, humans would have no qualms about reflecting and restraining themselves.**Therefore, people in today’s society are becoming more and more greedy resulting in more and more painful and negative emotions out of which is difficult to extract themselves, ceaselessly searching for relief.