Happiness seminars abound. More than ever is humankind is seeking happiness. This is natural. There is much unhappiness in our world at present. The World Health Organization estimates that within the next ten years depression will rank the second most prevalent disease in the world! This is not to mention all the other conditions facing humanity; war, violence, divorce, broken families, suicide and on and on the list goes.
It seems an odd thing that in a world full of opportunity as we have never known with such advanced technology and material well-being we are increasingly unhappy. Many people turn to Buddhism to find a sense of peace and happiness. Many people come to our monastery here at
Guang Jue in Zaoxi to do meditation retreats to find peace and happiness. While it is good that people are thinking below the surface issues I think “happiness” is a well worn out word like an old pair of shoes ready to be discarded. While many presenters of Happiness seminars and workshops are well-meaning in their approach I feel that we are walking here a shaky path.
Happiness depends so much on what happens, thus the root of the word: happens-ness. It is attached to outcomes. It is result oriented depending on so many factors. Happiness may come and go depending on so many things. This seems normal today to be focused on results rather than causes and conditions.
Buddhism is concerned with causes and conditions. This is the Bodhisattva way. Yet I have often head it said that even as Buddhists we are to create the causes and conditions for happiness but happiness is something which is impermanent. It seems such a wasted effort. Happiness runs through our hands like water. Try to hold water in your hand for a long period of time. Try as you wish but eventually the water will find its way out of the folds of the hands or if it doesn’t it is because you are holding your hands so tightly together to prevent it from slipping away. The result is you can do nothing else with your hands and eventually they become so tired and aching that you need to let go and the water dissipates. Dukka! This is suffering. This is unhappiness. Off we go again to find another source of water and the whole process begins over again and the hands, wrists and arms become increasingly fatigued.
Some commentators have said that happiness is the normal human condition and that we are happiness and that we do not need to seek it. Perhaps in a sense they are getting closer to the truth. Indeed, we are all born with Buddha nature and that this inherent nature is within each of us but that we do not recognize it until we are awakened from our deep sleep of ignorance. However, I tend to feel that the better word is ‘harmony’. We all have the capacity for harmony. Harmony does not depend on the whims and fate of occurrences and events. It is able to be present even when all else around us is chaos.
We often speak of harmony in regards to music and I think this is a good parallel. Have you ever been to a concert where the musicians played out of tune with each other? I remember going to some of my daughter’s primary school concerts when she was young. Often these very young musicians in the early stages of learning their instrument played off key. We perhaps inwardly grimaced but smiled warmly at their attempts to perform well. Later as they were well trained with their instrument they played in harmony and we eventually listened to beautiful music.
Harmony is abiding and requires the attunement of our deepest values with our thoughts and actions. When these accord there is harmony and this harmony endures like the vibration of the bell long after it has been struck.
So often we aspire to noble values. So often we are moved by the Dharma and the philosophy of the Buddha but fail to put the Dharma into action. The end result is disharmony. Again we may try to put the Dharma into practice but if we are constantly holding thoughts of anger, greed or arrogance then the practice will not bear the fruit we would wish for because there is disharmony. One or more parts of us are playing out of tune!
There is another subtle difference between happiness and harmony. Happiness is something we “get”. It so often requires that we grab and take hold of it. Harmony on the other hand cannot be grabbed. It must be worked at. This is called the building of causes and conditions. When our values and aspirations of the awakened life are in accord with our purity of mind and constant practice then harmony will be the fruit that will bloom at the right time. One cannot grab at the fruit if one has not first planted the seed. One cannot play beautiful music unless one has first mastered the scales and practiced.
When we have listened to an orchestra play in harmony and with technique and finesse we often say: “Ah! What beautiful music!” We also can be assured that as practitioners of the Way that when our values, thoughts and actions accord and we live with peace and compassion with all sentient beings we can at last sigh with joy:”Ah! What a beautiful life!”
