Happiness Is Nothing But Elimination of Ignorance

Types of Worldly Experiences

All our worldly experiences can be either happy(pleasant), unhappy(unpleasant), or neutral. There is no possibility of a third kind. We can exist only in any of these three states of being and transition from one to the other with time and circumstance.

A pleasant experience has a definite starting point and an endpoint. It is the same with an unpleasant experience. Both begin with certain changes, culminating in a strong feeling and then gradually taper off. In contrast, it is difficult to become aware of any changes in a neutral experience.

At a gross level, we become aware of these experiences through the accompanied emotions. Physiologically we know that these emotions are a result of our endocrine(hormonal) system as a response to the sensations that happen in our bodies, which are themselves the responses to sensory inputs.

Upon a sutler analysis, which becomes available by sharpening our minds through meditation, we can become aware of the body sensations and countless changes that happen every moment owing to the inputs from sense organs and the mind(thoughts).

Deeper Truth about Experiences

A further sutler analysis can reveal even deeper truths about the phenomena of worldly experiences. Happiness results from eliminating ignorance, while unpleasantness or pain ensues from the rise of ignorance. In between, there is a neutral emotion, where no substantial change takes place.

Fear leads to pain and freedom from fear is happiness. If you analyze it from the light of ignorance, you will find that fear clouds your consciousness with ignorance. A lack of knowledge about the reality of a rope makes you mistake it for a snake and become trapped in fear.

Fear disappears once ignorance is removed through self-analysis or improvement of external conditions like lighting. However, if more ignorance is added to it then fear increases, for example, you imagine a moving tail, which is a false knowledge tantamounting to ignorance.

Similarly, Pain due to jealousy is the upsurge of a false knowledge of ownership. In the ever-changing world including yourself, the thought that you should own something that others possess is simply ignorance. You are far away from the real knowledge that nothing can, is, or will belong to anyone. 

Anger, which brings pain to most of us is also caused by the deterioration of true knowledge. Being played by an imaginary self-centered entity called “ego” that constantly prompts you to cling to your expectations, which when unfulfilled leads to the pain of annoyance, can be nothing but a march toward ignorance.

Apart from happiness or unhappiness, you encounter neutral feelings regularly as well. In all such scenarios, there is no crucial information that flows through sensory organs to you that could arouse interest. The absence of any considerable withdrawal of ignorance makes it an indifferent experience for you. 

Unveiling of Ignorance Leads to Happiness

True knowledge exists by itself and has no bearing on the presence or absence of the knower. It remains independent and unaffected whatsoever. Also, knowledge is intrinsic to existence and doesn’t subsist apart from it. In essence knowledge and existence are the same. 

You are the existence itself and therefore you are the knowledge. However, layers of false notions or ignorance have come to be superimposed on you. Naturally, the only evolution necessary and possible is to progressively discard the veils of ignorance. 

Our body is a unique instrument endowed with sense organs for the consciousness to become aware and progressively gain knowledge. This acts as a fundamental vehicle required for reaching its goal of self-realization.

When you hear a piece of good music, view a breathtaking sunset, experience the touch of your loving partner, smell the lemongrass, or taste the oranges from your garden, you feel the uniting threads and tap into a fraction of knowledge, whose intrinsic nature is infinite happiness. It is through these processes that ignorance about your having a separate, self-centered identity is eliminated for brief crucial moments. 

You could be feeling unpleasant or pain with the quality of sense objects you are being subjected to but in all these scenarios ignorance takes charge by making you feel distinct with individual self-absorbing expectations. Pain is not in the objects as the same objects can bring neutral or even happy feelings to others. 

Apart from sense organs, the mind is also a crucial entity in driving you toward knowledge through the kind of thoughts it generates. A well-polished and moral intellect aids in the elimination of ignorance thus bringing happiness. 

Materialistic Happiness is Impermanent

The happiness gained through sensory inputs and thoughts is short-lived. The object could be of the highest available quality or maybe there is infinite availability, but it still would be insufficient for permanent happiness. 

All engagements of sensory pleasures are an indirect expression of knowledge. Your body being a finite form of existence is trying to get hold of infinite knowledge through different material forms of the same existence. 

How can it lead to complete illumination with all these layers in place? Ignorance can be lifted when you strip all superficial cladding and watch thoroughly at your reflection with an unblemished mirror. 

Intelligence Drives You To Happiness

Intelligence stands at the crossroads between knowledge and the process of learning through the use of the body. If your sensory organs, which themselves are insentient drive your intelligence as per their whims then there is no scope of real knowledge. However, if the correct usage of intelligence could be invoked to drive sensory organs as its representatives for gathering knowledge then it ultimately leads to liberation from all sufferings.

This is achieved through 
1. The right company, which is mature and helps you to stay motivated to keep moving in the direction of the knowledge. 
2. The right effort, which helps you to stay disciplined and progress towards knowledge.

As Buddha said there are only 4 types of people in the world

1. Those who move from Ignorance towards Ignorance.
2. Those who move from Ignorance towards Light.
3. Those who move from Light towards Ignorance.
4. Lastly, those who move from Light to Light.

May the conditions become favorable for you to align yourself for your advance toward Light irrespective of your present situation.