Happiness

Happiness is not permanent. Neither it is measurable.

It is very difficult to prepare parameters for measuring happiness.

This is very crude try, to measure how much time, out of 24 hours, we feel happy and that way, how much percentage of our life time is spent as happiness.

If that percentage of happiness is very low, then one has to analyze his mental attitude, and way of life.

‘Happiness’ is in fashion. There is a new Science of Happiness, and plenty of people are giving (actually, usually they are selling) all kinds of good advice about bringing more happiness into your life. Simple suggestions like smile more, do good deeds, say kind things to people Sounds easy. So why aren’t people becoming more happy? I suspect it is because most of the advice ignores a vital factor: it is impossible for the mind to be happy!

The mind can be pleased, even excited, but these are temporary states, dependant on something outside us. For example, we get pleasure from a new lover, a new car, a new electronic gadget, clothing or a new house; it lasts only as long as the mind continues to remain excited about it. Pleasure is triggered by a thing or a person, and as far as our 'love' is concerned, If someone loves us, we are happy, when they don't love us any more, what happens to that happiness?

So, pleasure is dependent on something external – sex, money, the things money can buy, or people being a certain way. And it exists in the mind. Happiness is altogether different from pleasure. Happiness is something that is not dependant on anything outside being a certain way - it has no conditions. It is a state of being that comes from inside you. As Osho says, "Happiness is when there is no desire for something, just a gratitude for what is. Then it is not a temporary state, because as long as you have gratitude, you have happiness."