When we wish happiness for all.....

We chant: "Sabe Satha Bhavantu Sukitata", may all be blessed with happiness.

But what do we mean by happiness? It is not the same as feeling good, not the same as pleasure, not the same as wishing someone to have all their wishes fulfilled.

Quite often we hear that we do no wrong as long as we make everybody happy. This is very bad if our notion of happiness is feeling good or pleasure. The person we wish happiness may think he or she is happy, but may in fact be in delusion, clinging to some possessions which he/she currently has in abundance. If we really want the person to be happy, we should also wish that the person abide in equanimity, free from attachments and detachments.

That is why the complete chant is:
"May all be free from suffering and the causes of suffering, may all be blessed with happiness and the causes of happiness, may all abide in equanimity, free from attachments, and free from detachments."

In this connection, it is interesting to read Richard Schoch's article "True happiness is more than feeling good" :

Most psychologists define happiness as a positive emotional state: a good mood or cheery disposition. But happiness cannot be defined so narrowly. Positive emotions rarely survive the events that prompted them; nor do we want to feel good all the time.

A life of unremitting cheerfulness is one of delusion, for it refuses to acknowledge normal ups and downs. By emphasizing pleasure, the psychologists turn happiness into something self-regarding: mere accumulation of pleasure and avoidance of pain.

More, they leave unanswered all the tough questions: Do you have a right to be happy? Can you be happy if others are unhappy? Does it matter whether or not you're happy?

The students will come to learn that happiness is a basically selfish, egotistical proposition: ensuring that you're always in a good mood, eternally optimistic, forever blowing bubbles.

Note how the equation happiness = feeling good is rejected.
As an alternative, Schoch proposes:

Lasting and profound happiness is the active orientation of your life towards meaning, purpose and value. It's a reflection upon the character of your life as a whole. This kind of happiness is strong enough to withstand misfortune and does not depend upon good fortune. It isn't about feeling good, it's about being good.

That's what Aristotle meant when he called happiness (eudaemonia) a state of flourishing in the art of living. But just as ''one swallow does not make a springtime'', Aristotle reasoned, one pleasant day does not make a whole life happy. And thus he insisted that happiness was an activity - because it requires skill and focus.

To strive for happiness means that we regard our life as a journey in which we move purposefully toward that ultimate goal. Granted, the psychologists hint that a truly happy life must contain a purpose beyond itself. But positive psychology won't set you on the path to a meaningful life. It will put you in touch with your feelings - and encourage you to share them with anyone who'll listen -but it won't enable you to transcend them, which is precisely what's required to infuse your life with purpose and meaning.

What matters is that there is a body of enduring wisdom on how to live the good life, and we have neglected it to our cost. These ancient teachings tell us that happiness has little to do with ''emotional IQ'' and everything to do with overcoming the ego, conquering selfishness, and having regard for the welfare of others.

In short, there is a morality of happiness, and you'd be hard pressed to find it in the fuzzy platitudes that masquerade as the science of wellbeing. You're much more likely to encounter a powerful truth in the writing of Greek philosophers, Roman Stoics, Christian mystics, Buddhist monks, and Hindu sages.

Richard Schoch is professor of the history of culture at Queen Mary, University of London, and author of 'The Secrets Of Happiness: Three Thousand Years Of Searching For The Good Life'

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