Questions on Happiness

What is real happiness?

Sirshree: Real happiness is not that happiness which you get when you achieve some thing. The mind has cast a shadow over the real you. When the mind falls -- then what is behind the mind -- that manifests. And when that happens it is real happiness. Suppose you have an aim, a desire to achieve something or to own something. And when you actually achieve it -- then the mind that was thriving only on that desire --falls for some moments because the desire has been quenched. And in those few moments of no-mind, you experience emptiness. This you call as happiness or bliss. All happiness you have ever experienced is only because of the mind getting empty, because of the no-mind state, because of the lifting of the shadow of the mind. But the false notion that you get is that because the target was completed -- you got happiness. Because of what you desired - you got happiness. Because of this false notion, desire for newer and more things increase. But, anything that gives you lots of happiness today does not give you the same amount of happiness later. After some time happiness diminishes. It ends. The real thing - the one that is shadowed by the mind -- after that is experienced -- then you get "bright" happiness (Tej Anand). This "bright" happiness never diminishes.

What then is "bright" happiness ?

Sirshree: That bliss that is beyond happiness and sorrow. For which there is no opposite. To site an example, the opposite of 'success' is 'failure'. Similarly: hot - cold, up - down, love - hate etc. - all words are related. But what is beyond both opposites is "bright". What is beyond love and hate is "bright" love. What is beyond happiness and grief is bright happiness. There is no opposite to "bright" happiness. Because that is 'one'. When you come to know of that "one" then, you are liberated from dualism.

Why is man unhappy?

Because of double unhappiness.

What is double unhappiness?

You are troubled by something. The body is under pain – this is first unhappiness. But on that unhappiness the mind becomes unhappy, why does this exist? Why me? Why not others? When would this pain go away? ---- Then the unhappiness of the body increases ten times over. The body was in pain. The body was curing it too. Nature on its own was curing the pain. But the thorn of the mind made it “my pain”, “my unhappiness”.

Does this mean we should not be unhappy?

This means unhappiness over unhappiness should not be there.

What does this mean?

This means that the comparing mind (contrast mind) that raises its head and defines the state of unhappiness shouldn’t be there.


I didn’t understand ...

Understand it like this. You got angry. It does not trouble you as such. Children get angry and the very next second, they are peacefully playing. But you are thinking as to “why did I anger?” Even after the incident has occurred, what is being thought over it for hour together --- that gives you trouble. So you get angry over anger and this troubles the mind. The more your understanding increases, you are rid of this double unhappiness.

That means unhappiness alone cannot trouble us?

Absolutely correct.

How is that?

When unhappiness is not acceptable, then double unhappiness begins i.e. unhappiness over unhappiness as to why I am unhappy? But when there is acceptance of this unhappiness, then unhappiness on that unhappiness doesn’t happen. Depression on depression doesn’t occur. And then this understanding will occur that it is only “non-acceptance” that is unhappiness and only acceptance is happiness.

Question Answer Sessions with Sirshree Tejparkhi
On this page, you will find answers given out to truth seekers by Sirshree Tejparkhi. Some answers have been given to individual seekers who later wrote from their memory. Some are excerpts from his discourses where seekers asked questions and his answers thereto were documented.