( अर्जुन की कायरता के विषय में श्री कृष्णार्जुन-संवाद )
(कर्मयोग का विषय)
यदा ते मोहकलिलं बुद्धिर्व्यतितरिष्यति ।
तदा गन्तासि निर्वेदं श्रोतव्यस्य श्रुतस्य च ।।52।।
मोह मलिनता त्याग जो बुद्धि तव होगी शुद्ध
तो संसार प्रपंच से होगा तू प्रिय मुक्त।।52।।
भावार्थ : जिस काल में तेरी बुद्धि मोहरूपी दलदल को भलीभाँति पार कर जाएगी, उस समय तू सुने हुए और सुनने में आने वाले इस लोक और परलोक संबंधी सभी भोगों से वैराग्य को प्राप्त हो जाएगा।।52।।
When thy intellect crosses beyond the mire of delusion, then thou shalt attain to indifference as to what has been heard and what has yet to be heard. ।।52।।
(हम प्रतिदिन इस ग्रंथ से एक मूल श्लोक के साथ श्लोक का हिन्दी अनुवाद जो कृति का मूल है के साथ ही गद्य में अर्थ व अंग्रेजी भाष्य भी प्रस्तुत करने का प्रयास करेंगे।)
Generally, it is believed that the Buddha was a pessimist who preached misery. Nothing can be farther from the truth.
Buddha had great compassion for all beings. He saw their misery, felt deep empathy, explored the causes, and discovered a way out.
Not only that. He gave us a valuable guide for deep and lasting happiness.
The building blocks of an authentically happy life are outlined in the Discourse on Blessings – Maha-mangala Sutta – thus:
Not to associate with the foolish, but to associate with the wise; and to honor those who are worthy of honor
To reside in a suitable locality, to have done meritorious actions in the past and to set oneself in the right course
To have much learning, to be skillful in handicraft, well-trained in discipline, and to be of good speech
To support mother and father, to cherish wife and children, and to be engaged in peaceful occupation
To be generous in giving, to be righteous in conduct, to help one’s relatives, and to be blameless in action
To loathe more evil and abstain from it, to refrain from intoxicants, and to be steadfast in virtue
To be respectful, humble, contented and grateful; and to listen to the Dhamma on due occasions
To be patient and obedient, to associate with monks and to have religious discussions on due occasions
Self-restraint, a holy and chaste life, the perception of the Noble Truths and the realisation of Nibbana
A mind unruffled by the vagaries of fortune, from sorrow freed, from defilements cleansed, from fear liberated
These are the greatest Blessings.
Buddha closes the discourse with the words, “Those who thus abide, ever remain invincible, in happiness established. These are the greatest blessings.”
There is no doubt whatsoever that the Buddha is the Ultimate Happiness Guru!
As we know by now, 50% of happiness is in our genes, 10% depends on the circumstances of life and the rest 40% can be cultivated by us by taking up activities, intentionally and voluntarily, that bring joy and happiness.
These intentional activities we call Happiness Activities.
You can find activities that fit your interests, your values and your needs.
Let us classify and list a few activities to make it clear:
Everyone needs to spare time regularly for at least one activity to take care of the body, mind and soul. It may be aerobics, yoga, meditation, walking, or any of the physical exercises.
Stress is the major concern in modern life. One needs to learn how to cope with stress, trauma, and hardships of life.
Finding flow and living in the present is the surest path to authentic happiness. You can choose a happiness activity that helps you enhance flow experience.
You can enrich your life by developing positive relationships and by broadening social connections.
Committing to your goals and a committed goal pursuit leads to accomplishments, thus enhancing your happiness quotient.
You may want to enhance your positive emotions about the past by practicing gratitude or your positive emotions about the future by practicing optimism.
We will be taking up some proven happiness activities from each of these sections in our subsequent lessons.
One thing I can say for sure – flow brings real happiness!
Flow is a state of joy, creativity and total involvement, in which problems seem to disappear and there is an exhilarating feeling of transcendence.
According to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, flow is what we feel when we are fully alive, involved with what we do, and in harmony with the environment around us. It is something that happens most easily when we sing, dance, do sports – but it can happen when we work, read a good book, or have a good conversation.
Engagement, or flow, is one of the strongest pillars around which Positive Psychology is built. Here, one is fully in the present, immersed in something worthwhile. For an auto-telic person, the experience becomes its own reward.
We each have the potential to experience flow, whether at work, at play or in our relationships.
Happiness is a thing and well-being is a construct. The five elements of well-being are positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment.
Positive Emotion:
Positive Emotion includes the feelings of joy, excitement, contentment, hope and warmth. There may be positive emotions relating to the past, present or future.
Engagement:
Engagement denotes deep involvement in a task or activity. One does not experience the passing of time. One experiences flow in sports, music and singing but one may also experience it in work, reading a book or in a good conversation.
Relationships:
We feel happy when we are among family and friends. The quality and depth of relationships in one’s life make it rich.
Meaning:
It’s connecting to something larger than life.
Accomplishment:
One strives for achievements in life as a source of happiness.
Each of these elements contributes to well-being. The good news is that each one of the above may be cultivated and developed to enhance level of well-being.