Chapter 15: Happiness
True happiness comes from freedom from greed and desire, not from external pleasures.
12 argumentative units
- 01Happiness through freedom from hatred
True happiness is achieved by living free from hatred even among those who hate us, establishing non-hatred as a foundation for happy living.
- 02Happiness through freedom from ailments
Similar to non-hatred, happiness comes from being free from ailments even while living among the sick.
- 03Happiness through freedom from greed
Happiness is achieved by living free from greed even among those who are greedy, establishing non-greed as essential.
- 04Happiness through non-attachment to possessions
True happiness comes from calling nothing one's own and achieving a state comparable to divine beings sustained by happiness itself.
- 05Rejection of victory and defeat as sources of happiness
The author argues that victory breeds hatred and defeat causes unhappiness, proposing instead that giving up both victory and defeat while remaining content leads to true happiness.
- 06Comparison of destructive forces and their consequences
The author presents four escalating comparisons to establish that passion, hatred, and the body are sources of suffering, while rest is the highest happiness.
- 07Recognition of bodily suffering and Nirvana as ultimate happiness
The author identifies hunger and the body as the worst suffering, concluding that true understanding of this fact constitutes Nirvana, the highest happiness.
- 08Enumeration of supreme gifts and values
The author establishes a hierarchy of values, with health, contentedness, trust, and Nirvana as the four greatest gifts and riches available to humans.
- 09Benefits of solitude and engagement with spiritual teachings
One who experiences the sweetness of solitude and tranquility while studying spiritual law becomes free from fear and sin.
- 10Importance of avoiding fools and seeking the elect
Association with the spiritually advanced (the elect) brings happiness, while avoiding fools is necessary for true happiness.
- 11Comparison of fool and wise company
The author contrasts the suffering caused by associating with fools to the pleasure of associating with the wise, using analogies of enemies and kinfolk.
- 12Practical prescription to follow the wise
The author concludes by recommending that one should follow wise and virtuous people, just as the moon follows the path of the stars.