Art and Science of Happiness
(From
the book “Nature of Human
Thought” (second edition))
All of us aspire to have a good life and happiness. There are as many
definitions of happiness as there are people. But generally people want a
decent place to live, mobility, good education for their children, clean
environment, a challenging workplace, good and wholesome entertainment and
enough money to meet their usual daily requirements. These are the issues
around which the modern industrial societies have evolved and yet they have
created the biggest problem of totally unsustainable lifestyles fueled by
greed. Thus the climate change, economic meltdown and other consequent social
problems are direct result of our greed for resources and energy. Hence
the control of greed or better yet the sublimation of greed emotions into
higher ones like humility and simplicity can lead to sustainability, happiness
and a rewarding life.
Pursuit of happiness is the goal of all religions and almost all
spiritual writings are about how to achieve it. Most of the religions have
focused on renunciation and elimination of desire. Some use this to
promise happiness in after life. However one can find happiness in this
life and world. Based upon the material in the previous chapters we will try to
explore in this essay how one can lead a happy life by channeling our desires
into fruitful avenues and by curbing or sublimating our greed impulses. All
these strategies combined will lead us to a sustainable lifestyle.
Happiness
A young boy went to a Guru and asked him how he can see God. The Guru
immediately saw that the boy was an enlightened soul but too young to be
educated in the abstract knowledge of Vedas and Upanishads. He asked the
boy whom he loved most. The boy replied “My calf. I play with him
all the time. He is my true companion”. The guru asked the boy to
think and meditate on the calf. After some months the Guru went to see
what his young disciple had achieved and found him crying. “I am losing
my mind”, said the disciple “The calf has become so small that it sits on my
palm”. The guru advised the disciple to continue meditating on the calf.
After some time when the Guru visited the disciple again he was crying and said
that now the calf has grown so big that it reaches the sky. Guru knew
that the young disciple was on the correct path. He told him to continue
further on the same path. Many years passed by before the Guru went to see his
disciple. From the disciple’s face the guru knew that he had obtained happiness
and had reached his destination. After great difficulty he was able to shake
the disciple out of his Samadhi. On being asked how he feels the
disciple replied, “Sir, you, I, calf, sky and God are the same!"
Focus on a single thought or a desired object for a long time is the
essence of yoga (called Sanyam in Patanjali Yoga) and produces
tremendous happiness. Concentration on a single thought for a long time might
help stimulate or "tickle" the pituitary gland and gives a sense of
well being.
Happiness is a state of mind. We feel happy and enjoy life through
our senses and the mind. Brain processes the information from the
senses and our level of happiness is dictated by its processing power. A
powerful processor which produces deep thought can therefore extract more information
from the sensory signals and hence can give us more happiness since the mind
gets satisfied easily. A smaller processor obviously needs many more inputs to
reach the same enjoyment or satisfaction level. Thus weaker brains need more
resources to occupy them and this leads to greed and unsustainable lifestyle.
Therefore one of the prerequisites to having a sustainable lifestyle is
development of a powerful and smart brain. Such a brain allows us to think
deeply or concentrate during which we can get “lost” in processing that
information.
A powerful brain or a processor also shifts the priorities in life and
helps in shifting the focus towards getting personal happiness through mental
peace and less on material needs. When concentration on single thought is done
regularly and continuously for a long time then it takes our mind away from our
insecurities and hence gives us a feeling of calmness and well being.
The insecurity of human beings comes when they do not have anything to
do. Thus activities such as hoarding of wealth, material goods etc. are the
result of a shallow mind. Mind seeks enjoyment and gets it in activities like
binge shopping etc. A mind which is very powerful is capable of finding
enjoyment within itself and makes a person self-contented and happy. Thus the
act of accumulation or hoarding of anything is a sign of a lower life form,
since it is driven by fear complex of loosing out or not having enough.
An evolved human being on the other hand will try to hoard as little as
possible and will possess only those material things required for his or her
use and enjoyment. This is the essence of sustainability. Modern examples of
evolved humans are Gandhi and Einstein who lived very simply and yet produced a
very high quality of thought since they were very secure human beings.
Powerful brain
Geneticists tell us that we are born with a certain type of brain and
that puts a limit on its processing power. However any type of brain can be
nurtured to work efficiently and it is this capability that needs to be
imparted to all children. Surely there will always be differences between
brains but with proper nurturing during childhood the average capabilities can
be raised very high.
When we are young our brains are powerful and pliable. Primarily this is
because it is relatively free of memories and psychological knots. Besides
there are lots of sex hormones flowing through them. These chemicals are
necessary and useful for memory enhancement and hence in producing a powerful
brain. Thus to increase the brain capacity and have more focused thinking it is
necessary that teenagers should be made to focus on various interesting things
and less on sex. Too much sexual activity fritters these chemicals away.
Probably this was the basis of celibacy propagated by all religions in
different civilizations.
Sexual abstinence is a very difficult thing to teach the teenagers. The
evolutionary forces cause a tremendous hormonal flow in young people since
procreation is the most important part of life. This hormonal flow should be
utilized for making the brain powerful and should not be frittered away.
Because of our hedonistic society we tend to create more sexual opportunities
which sometimes result in overindulgence. This is disruptive and not very productive.
Sex is enjoyable and when practiced among consenting adults in moderation is
also good for human health.
Therefore it is difficult to curb the powerful sexual tendencies of the
young people. Sex desire should not be suppressed but should be sublimated. We
can do this by inspiring the youngsters and making them work hard so that they
do not have much time to think about sex and related things. An empty mind is a
devil’s workshop. This requires that parents and teachers create work
environment for children which is challenging, interesting and physically
taxing. A “soft” society leads to obesity and compulsive sexual
disorders.
If we want to shield the children and young adults against the
disruptive “too much sex” society then we have to first put a reign on the
behavior of the adults. If adults want sex to be depicted openly in mass media
then it will automatically be seen by children. Nevertheless it is very
difficult to censor out sexual content since in an open society adults have the
freedom to do more or less whatever they want.
Thus the ancient Indian schooling concept of ‘Gurukul’ becomes useful
where the children were put in the schools and colleges in isolation and where
the focus was on Yoga, learning and sexual abstinence. The practice of Yoga by
children will help them to develop the power of concentration which ultimately
can produce a powerful brain. Since the brain is pliable during the
impressionable age, teaching of Yoga in schools should be made
compulsory.
However in the modern world this ancient Indian concept may prove
difficult to sell. Also the teachers of such “gurukuls” have to be very
disciplined and highly evolved human beings. Presently teaching profession
generally attracts only the lower strata of the society. Still we can aim and
plan for modern “gurukuls” which can be excellent schools with focus on Yoga,
moral science and sports, besides the regular subjects. Creation of very
intelligent children and young adults who will pass out from such schools is
necessary for the betterment of society.
At the same time how do we create the conditions for us to think deeply
and produce powerful brain? Today’s society does not put a premium on
reading or thinking deeply on something. The pace of life together with
information overload from TV, radio and other electronic media is creating a
new generation of humans with very short time span focus. Deep thought
requires energy, application and will to achieve it. Short attention span
does not require too much effort and hence is easy on the mind. However
if we consciously create in our children from very early age the desire to read
which will help them cultivate the habit of imagination and daydreaming, then
there is a chance of creating a society which is more focused and happy.
Children who have an active imagination daydream a lot. They create
imaginary beings though fully conscious of the fact that they are make-believe
entities. Sociologists have been baffled as to why children do this60.
A possible answer is that this is the origin of Sanyam in children. The
brain of active children is very powerful and in the absence of any structured
thought or focus, starts a movie of imagination. Once this movie is started
then there is a continuous flow of thoughts in this direction and the movie
gets bigger and bigger till it takes on a life of its own. Children do it
because it is a genesis of deep thought and brings happiness to them. This
daydreaming can only happen when the child's mind is not bombarded by external
inputs, which in present-day electronically driven world is difficult to
avoid.
Heightened awareness
Production of huge human brain is still an evolutionary mystery. Its big
size cannot be explained by the pressures of evolutionary forces alone. I feel
that it developed so that we can understand the universe and become aware of
universal consciousness.
Hence hallmark of an evolved brain is that it becomes acutely aware of
its surroundings and with its powerful processor is able to expand its horizons
to encompass our world, solar system and universe. This expansion gives us a
tremendous sense of peace, tranquility and perspective on our life. This is the
genesis of wisdom.
Also the expansion of our horizons gives us an awareness of reality and
life in different dimensions. This is the genesis of “God Sense” that each one
of us possesses irrespective of our caste, creed or religion. It is possible
that our brains have this in-built idea because this earth was seeded by an
intergalactic civilization (this aspect is explored further in Chapter 21) and
hence through ages we have carried that genetic code through our ancestors who
were more aware than us of the reality of other planets and of higher
dimensional space. In fact as we evolve technologically and otherwise this
awareness will become stronger and the boundaries between our four and higher
dimensions will become blurred. This concept is also mentioned in
Patanjali Yoga Darshan and the modern science and technology makes it possible
to visualize it and probably experience it.
This awareness of higher dimensional space and reality can also make us
fearless and remove our fear of death since death is a simple transition
between various forms and dimensions. This is also the lesson of Gita. With fearlessness
comes the ability to do new things and follow uncharted paths which can give us
a quantum jump in our technological developments and understanding of natural
forces.
Because we have roots of advanced galactic civilization hence the
concept of gods with super human powers and dazzling lights are embedded in our
memories. So is the desire in us to travel intergalactically. However with our
present technologies it is not possible to do so. Presently the easiest and the
most energy-efficient way to travel from one planet to another is via soul
transfer. This has been preached by almost all religions throughout the ages
where reaching heaven after death was the ultimate goal of existence. I
believe our ancestors understood that this was the easiest way to overcome gravity barrier
of earth and hence the focus on future births in heaven etc.
Our roots in intergalactic space also made us aware and focused on
heaven and hell concept. Heaven was always the great place where we originally
came from and probably must have been a very technologically advanced
civilization. It is also possible that this was a place devoid of any physical
or emotional pain.
As we become technologically advanced and become gods ourselves we will
eventually loose the “god” thought and become more tuned to making this world a
heaven. Once that happens then we will talk less about heaven and future births
and more about what is possible now and can be achieved. Also we will have no
problem in being born again and again on his earth and with our technology will
become an inter-solar and intergalactic traveling civilization - just what the
gods may have been.
Nature
of Desire
It is possible that as we make our brains powerful and expand the
boundaries of our consciousness we may also desire more inputs and resources
for it so that it can keep itself occupied. Thus a powerful brain will channel
the desires into new avenues which will benefit the humanity more rather than
our greed. In order to do so we must however first try to understand the desire
emotion.
What is the sociobiological basis of desire? Why do human beings have it
and what is the nature of its fulfillment and that of unfulfilled desires?
Desire manifests itself in different forms – lust, aim, ambition,
control, goal, etc. However, the driving force is the same – power, fame and
money and I think it ultimately boils down to control and hence power. Some
also call it an ego trip.
Desire is fueled by experience. A living being wants to experience the
world. This is an inherent trait of all life forms. We are wired for
experience. Urge for maximization of experience fuels the desire. Whether the
desire is for sex, money, fame etc. it is driven by the same need to have
experience.
As our brains develop (right from our birth) the neurons need to form
the memory pathways. This process is accomplished by sensory perception where
the inputs from the senses form the memory. We are hardwired to increase our
experience and memories. This is the genesis of desire. Thus desire and
brain are interlinked. As long as brain exists there will always be
desire.
One of the outcomes of desire is possession. We feel a need to
possess whatever we desire whether it is a person, object or even an idea. This
possession helps in maximization of experience. As we absorb this “experience”
through our senses, our brain processes this information. It is during this
process that we “decide” whether our desires are fulfilled or not.
Fulfillment of desires therefore helps us in releasing the “possessions”. Thus
a powerful processor or the mind can get its desires fulfilled quite easily
without physically possessing the objects of desire. While on the other hand a
weaker brain needs to possess lots more things for fulfilling them and this
leads to greed. Thus to live a sustainable life it is necessary to have a
powerful brain processor.
Desire is a useful and necessary emotion. It allows us to achieve
something and be active. Without desire we will be lifeless, dead or like
stones. However what we need to do is to channel our desires so that they
get fulfilled without too much taxing of resources, materials and energy. For
example a desire to invent a new process, to create a new thought or discovery
does not require much energy or resources, say as that for possessing too many
cars or luxury items like a 100 ft yacht or a private jet liner, etc! The
desire for material goods which supply our needs and not our greed could be
good for humanity at large and will lead to sustainability.
One of the possible ways to satiate the desire for possession of
material goods is sublimating it via virtual
reality (VR) tools. As the technology for virtual reality systems evolves
and VR becomes more realistic we will be able to take care of most of our
desires with very little use of energy and materials. This will hopefully
lead us to sustainability. This concept is explained in more details in Chapter
24.
Satiation of desire requires energy and materials resources and
excessive desire leads to greed and hence to unsustainability. The wisdom
of “I” or ego keeps a check on the desires. If not, then the mind goes into an
ever expanding spiral of greed and excesses. Unresolved desires produce memory
knots or stresses which have the mechanism of always directing the brain to
them and creating anger, frustrations and hence depression. This happens
because the thought production is channeled or influenced by the existing
memories. If the brain has more memory knots of unfulfilled desires then
the new thoughts will be centered and focused around them leading to anger,
frustration etc.
A stressed mind gets angry very fast. Anger is an emotion, which occurs
when things don't happen the way we want. Thus a mind which can coolly and
calmly look at all the possibilities (deep thought helps do that) may have a
better conflict and anger resolution capabilities than a shallow thinking mind.
Thus insecurity and anger may be related.
As explained in earlier chapters the power of the brain processor is
increased by availability of its working memory. This can happen with
cultivation of deep thought so that the dissolution of other memories and psychological
knots takes place. As this memory increases the absorption and digestion of
inputs also get enhanced since the mind becomes hungry for more experiences and
this increases our desires. As our desires increase both in quantity and
quality the powerful brain/mind complex starts looking for higher purposes.
This “mind opening” experience allows interaction of mind with external and
higher dimensional knowledge space and allows us to access the existing
information from it - the basis of probably most discoveries, inventions
etc.
One of the by-products of the massive brain of humans is that we have
the ability to play God. This means that we can change the tapestry of
nature by our technology. Since each one of us has a limited time frame
to live we have this arrogance that we should accomplish everything in our
lifetime. This causes greed and ultimately misery. Nature also
effects changes but those changes take place in geological time scale and after
the systems are in dynamic equilibrium with the surroundings. Human
mediated changes powered by greed do not allow the systems to remain in
equilibrium with the surroundings. That is the reason for our creating
problems with the environment and producing conflicts amongst each other.
However if we consider that we are a continuum, i.e. we will continue on
this planet earth for a long time in different life forms and that all of us
will work together for the benefit of mankind, then the task at hand looses a
lot of its urgency and time its immediacy. As we saw in Chapter 5, as
individuals we have a free will and work for our own good but as a part of the
whole mankind we all move towards speeding up its evolution.
The only requirement for this scheme to succeed is for reincarnation to be a
reality. For people who do not believe in it then the above framework can
create conflicts and problems.
If we believe in reincarnation then the time stretches and we get a
better perspective on life. It causes all our actions to become focused
on achieving the general good of mankind for its evolution on a large scale.
With this perspective one also gets a global outlook and the country boundaries
vanish. And this is the essence of being a human. In a way the development of
science and technology allows us to proceed in this manner though most of the
times we are not guided by the principle of continuum. Nevertheless the desire
to leave a better world for our future generations is in effect the product of
this idea. Still the issues of patents, technology and intellectual property
control create hindrances in the free flow of ideas and technologies since our
greed propels us to control them. The latter issue comes into play because of
our insecurities which lead us to arrogantly focus only on our present
lifetime.
Nevertheless this behavior cannot change overnight but will happen
slowly and I feel that in another 100-200 years we as human beings will become
more benevolent and sharing.
Thus to live a happy and sustainable life we need to make our brain very
powerful by Yoga and also by conserving energies which are too often frittered
away in unfulfilled desires and emotional knots. This process can also
help us in curbing our greed impulse so that all of us can work together with
the available resources to make this world a better place where each one of us
can live a sustainable and emotionally satisfying life.
©Anil K Rajvanshi, July 2009.