The Role of Happiness In The World Religions

April L. Bogle Blog

t's hard to deny that His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet and the world's most famous Buddhist, is the also world's foremost expert on happiness. He clearly states in writings that seeking happiness is the very purpose of life, and he's dedicated his life to learning how to be happy and sharing this knowledge with others.

But what about other major religious traditions? Is happiness a good thing, or bad? To be sought in this life, or the next?

We're about to find out: The Dalai Lama will explore the concept of happiness with other world religious leaders Oct. 17 at Emory University's "Summit on Happiness: Understanding and Promoting Happiness in Today's Society." For two hours, he joins in conversation with Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori of the Episcopal Church, and George Washington University Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr. Krista Tippett, host of the radio program "Being," will moderate.

Happiness has been a shining spotlight of psychological and scientific study and pop culture since the 1990s, and it shows no signs of fading (witness Coke's recent ad campaign, "Open Happiness" and happiness courses being offered in major U.S. universities, following Harvard's lead). Newsweek (Feb. 2, 2008) pinpoints the happiness movement catalyst to discoveries of brain activity underlying well-being, and the emergence of positive psychology, which focuses on strengths and virtues rather weaknesses and faults when assessing mental health.

For much of my life I have been on a quest to discover the best in world philosophies and faiths. I have looked into different denominations of Protestants,as well as Catholic, Hindu, Buddhist, Native American, Liberation Theology and even esoteric teachings. I have now settled into a kind of liberal Christianity, but still welcome the wisdom of others and reserve the right to change my religion if I find one that works better for me.

My personal experience has been that I am happiest when I direct my attention outward, rather than into my own little ego and personal likes and dislikes. When I focus on subjects like art, literature, philosophy, the welfare of others, etc. I am much more content and even joyful than I am when I focus on my own narrow stuff. This is an effect of my study of eastern traditions as well as my personal brand of Christianity, but however I got here this is what I find to be true for me.

I appreciate the need for ego strength as defined by psychologists like Freud and Jung, and also the teachings of eastern religions which state that the little ego is the last thing that will disappear before one becomes truly enlightened. But I think the ego as defined by these thinkers is more like self-awareness than self-centeredness.

I am interested in others' experiences and observations about happiness. Please let me know of your own personal journey and experience of joy.

Having a glimpse of the reality that you are part of everything, helping others, forgetting yourself, wishing others well has brought me joy. It came from eastern religions but it is in christianity too, very obfuscated in my humble opinion. Almost certain that it was Jesus most important teaching somehow sidestepped.

reply to post by Sestias


A quick biopsy of my life experiences and a retrospective commentary, I will go into detail so please don't be offended.

Im male, born in 1969 Northwest UK, born into a very poor disfunctional family. Sexually abused at the age of 6 by a female baby sitter - rejected by baby sitter in favour of my older brother because I was "too small" which led to a feeling of 'not being of worth' which finally subsided a couple of years back.

Continued the abuse myself by self harming, break down at 16, poly drug use for the next 5 year continuing the cycle of abuse cummilating in a year as a heroin addict. Age 21 realised that I have to give to society not take take take, came to terms with abuse and excepted that it was no1s fault but didn't adress the 'not being of worth issue' as I didn't realise it was there.

Became a Buddhist ordained monk at the age of 22, lots and lots of meditation - little understanding and having hidden aspects of my psyche bubbling to the surface made me 'run'

18 years and a family later still with lots of meditation and searching had another small breakdown which is when I discovered my worth issue and resolved it.

Currently very happy.

Hopefully wont have read as a sob story as I am painfully aware that this isn't either unusual or really that bad, the reason I wrote it is because throughout all of that the only thing I ever really wanted was to be happy and by being through that I found that what the cause of happiness is for me.

For me its not a thing, a peson a place nor is it a memory, sound or taste. For me happiness is a mental choice, I am happy because I choose to be happy, I am soley responsible for my happiness.

Noone can make me happy, I can choose to respond to the stimulus someone else project in whatever way I wish.

I could go on and on lol, it is a subject I enjoy discussing, thankyou for the OP

reply to post by kensho


I'm still Buddhist like my previous post suggests, but isn't tere a hymm 'Abide with me'.

Three words can mean alot - for me those represent pure spiritual christianity, where the individual is content in the presence of the divine (content = happiness as in they are one and the same feeling).

Originally posted by Sestias
I appreciate the need for ego strength as defined by psychologists like Freud and Jung, and also the teachings of eastern religions which state that the little ego is the last thing that will disappear before one becomes truly enlightened. But I think the ego as defined by these thinkers is more like self-awareness than self-centeredness.

I am interested in others' experiences and observations about happiness. Please let me know of your own personal journey and experience of joy.

Here's the recipe for happiness and contentment.

1) get a good general education - reading writing and arithmetic

2) get a job that you like (hard, I know) stick with it and save your money (10% every payday)

3) don't buy stuff you don't really need

4) once you've saved up enough, start your own business on what you've learned.

5) work like a slave until you're making enough money to hire people to do it for you

6) sit back, relax, read books like Freud, Jung, Ayn Rand and contemplate the meaning of life and why you're so darn happy with your situation.

reply to post by Jamjar

You're welcome.

Your personal journey is amazing. However you got there, I can truly relate to your experience. Thank you too.

Happiness? Religion?

You weren't raised a catholic, were you.

Happiness is not what traditional Catholicism - the 1st and foundational version of Christianity, regardless of what anyone says - is based on. Guilt and repentence is what's front and center in that oldest of Christian denominations.

Happiness is extremel subjective, and one person's happy can easily be another person's guilded cage. So, what constitutes happy, and how does a theocratic creed deliver happy to 7 billion distinctly unique views on what happy involves?

Maybe happiness isn't the point of traditional religions? Maybe it's about offering people a definitive purpose for their own existence? Not happiness, but purpose. Some people would choose purpose over happiness, and i know this because I'm one of those people. I can do unhappiness for decades standing on my head, but purposelessness would kill me off before dinner.

You have to always keep in mind that you - like all people - are unique and inimitable. "They" don't see life as you see it, and "they" never will. ("They" being the 7 billion others that breathe the same atmosphere that you breathe) This is critical to keep tattooed to the inside of your eyelids, so that it watches you while you sleep.

reply to post by Jamjar


Amazing, glad that you could overcome your life test and as a reward you came out happier and steadier, i salute you , not everybody can overcome such obstacles in life

reply to post by NorEaster

Actually, I studied to be a Catholic but couldn't get past all that emphasis on suffering, and how it's good for you. No offense to other Catholics -- I respect your beliefs and affirm that there is much good in them too.

And yes, I agree that a sense of purpose is definitely needed for happiness. That is focusing on something outside of your little self and it's petty self-centeredness, which is one of the things I also believe is a source of great joy.

reply to post by NorEaster


100% on its all interpretation, but how many people are aware that it is this way and of those how many are aware they can choose how they interpret.

In my opinion this is the big problem with meme religions, they try to make everyone have the same view.

Can't count how many people think I delude myself, they are right, but its a delusions of my creating, not one imposed upon me.

Its great when you can combine all aspects of Happiness and Purposefulness - My purpose is to be there for others in any way I can (21 years in supporting people) and for the most it makes me happy, but I've still got lots I can improve

Would it be rude to ask what you feel your purpose to be?

Originally posted by Jamjar
reply to post by NorEaster

 

Would it be rude to ask what you feel your purpose to be?

I used to think it was to be a rock star. True story.

35 years later, I've begun to feel that I have a lot to teach. I'm a writer now, and have found myself focusing on Metaphysics, with bits of applicable Philosophy. No living in it, but it drives me to research and work to share what I find. Thank God we're in a deep and intractable recession, or I'd have to find a way to defend my insistence on this line of work.

I honestly believe that humanity is extremely close to uncovering the non-mystical truth about why it exists, and I guess I feel a tug to try and push a ball here or there to help it all along. The drama's been great, but 6 thousand years is long enough. We have to grow up someday, and I just have this feeling that someday is coming up real soon. I guess I'd like to be a part of that transition.

Thats pretty cool, kudos to everyone who exercises thier grey matter fully.

Friedrich Nietzsche puts it nicely in Beyond Good and Evil - Follow another and your a fool, which doesn't mean we can't learn from whats being said

Metaphysically though this could just be the delusion which behind lies the mystical answer were looking for - lol sorry couldn't resist.

Originally posted by kensho
Having a glimpse of the reality that you are part of everything, helping others, forgetting yourself, wishing others well has brought me joy. It came from eastern religions but it is in christianity too, very obfuscated in my humble opinion. Almost certain that it was Jesus most important teaching somehow sidestepped.

Funny how Jesus forgot to condemn one prevalent institution of his time - slavery.

Originally posted by imnotbncre8ive

Originally posted by kensho
Having a glimpse of the reality that you are part of everything, helping others, forgetting yourself, wishing others well has brought me joy. It came from eastern religions but it is in christianity too, very obfuscated in my humble opinion. Almost certain that it was Jesus most important teaching somehow sidestepped.

Funny how Jesus forgot to condemn one prevalent institution of his time - slavery.

He may well of done, unfortunately as so often happens his work has been used to others benefit, omitting and adding what they see fit.

Its my understanding he taught contemplative meditation and to question everything, even his word, both if true have been convieniently left out.

Happens with all religions.

reply to post by imnotbncre8ive


Do you really think he forgot that? cheers

Originally posted by imnotbncre8ive

Originally posted by kensho
Having a glimpse of the reality that you are part of everything, helping others, forgetting yourself, wishing others well has brought me joy. It came from eastern religions but it is in christianity too, very obfuscated in my humble opinion. Almost certain that it was Jesus most important teaching somehow sidestepped.

Funny how Jesus forgot to condemn one prevalent institution of his time - slavery.

He did address spiritual slavery. Had he come at that time as a social reformer he may have delt with it. But at that time He was a slave to do His fathers work and worse a sacrifce and a scape goat that came to free man from the slavery of death.

In addition His own people were in slavery to Rome at the time. His life was traded for a known revolutionary at the end. His mission was to lift the curse of death, pay the price ect.

As far as happines it seems to be a result, part of, and never stands alone.

Originally posted by Sestias
April L. Bogle Blog

But what about other major religious traditions? Is happiness a good thing, or bad? To be sought in this life, or the next?

We're about to find out: The Dalai Lama will explore the concept of happiness with other world religious leaders Oct. 17 at Emory University's "Summit on Happiness: Understanding and Promoting Happiness in Today's Society."

My personal experience has been that I am happiest when I direct my attention outward, rather than into my own little ego and personal likes and dislikes. When I focus on subjects like art, literature, philosophy, the welfare of others, etc. I am much more content and even joyful than I am when I focus on my own narrow stuff. This is an effect of my study of eastern traditions as well as my personal brand of Christianity, but however I got here this is what I find to be true for me.

Happiness is so subjective that one must wonder about the fruitfullness of having a summit on the thing. Maybe a summit on the freedom from negative energy and its burden on the spirit and soul would be better. But first we would be required to get at the root of that.

Christ said you shall know the truth and it will set you free.

Back to negative energy....some things, many things, cannot be rung out, sorted out and understood without negative energy being part of the process. It just goes with it. Happiness as the only pathway to anything is just going to be a problem. There are times when people have the right to be unhappy as part of the learning thing. Unhappiness can be good and is not always the result of being self centered. And strangly even in the Dalai Lamas case most resolutions to do some thing, invent something, changes for the better are feed by negative energy or some need for change or solution is understood in the state of being unhappy with something. Take the washing mechine.

I have talked about my personal history here on ATS many times. Strict fundamentalist Christianity, including strong "discipline" (spare the rod, spoil the child), and verbal, physical and sexual abuse. I left at 14 and had MANY experiences, including drug use, homelessness, promiscuity, a lifelong seizure condition and rape. This background gave me the strength to live through anything and gave me to perspective to know how important my personal happiness is and the power to take control and be responsible for my happiness.

I claim no conventional religion and don't feel it's necessary to give my set of beliefs about life a name. But my particular belief about happiness is that it's not a state of mind or being, but a decision that I make every day. I don't look around at factors in my life and determine from them whether or not I am happy. My happiness isn't a result of things, people or ANYTHING external in my life. It is generated IN me and comes FROM me. It's something I MAKE and put out there.

In my experience, the single most important ingredient of happiness is lack of attachment. Others are compassion, altruism, appreciation, and love. If I carry these tenets in myself and emit them, then I can't imagine not being happy.

Originally posted by Sestias
I am interested in others' experiences and observations about happiness. Please let me know of your own personal journey and experience of joy.

Honestly I'm just not sure about anything any more these days. I used to be more certain about things in the past. What is good, what is bad, right or wrong, what I want and don't want. These days, they're all fuzzy.

I can tell you something interesting about my happiness though. If I'm reminescing about the past, I feel that I'm happier at that time. But that can't be true, because my past self although happy, is always strive to be me. What does that tell you?

I cannot really tell you what it is, I guess you just have to live through it to find your happiness.

Patrick Smartpants

Originally posted by Logarock

Back to negative energy....some things, many things, cannot be rung out, sorted out and understood without negative energy being part of the process. It just goes with it. Happiness as the only pathway to anything is just going to be a problem. There are times when people have the right to be unhappy as part of the learning thing. Unhappiness can be good and is not always the result of being self centered. And strangly even in the Dalai Lamas case most resolutions to do some thing, invent something, changes for the better are feed by negative energy or some need for change or solution is understood in the state of being unhappy with something. Take the washing mechine.

edit on 19-10-2010 by Logarock because: sp

Actually, I think you are right. We cannot avoid negative experiences and probably shouldn't want to. In my OP I simply stated one observation about my own subjective state of happiness that I find to be true. It's not my entire view or experience of happiness. Just a thought to start the conversation.