Normally
we think only of procuring food, clothing and shelter. But the question is whether we feel
contented if we secure these. Does our sorrow end with the acquisition of the comforts and
conveniences of life? Do the people whose
basic needs are fulfilled feel contented? Are the affluent who have all the good things of
life really happy? Even a man of little commonsense will answer these questions in the
negative. Hardly any person in this wide world seems to be fully contented; not a single
person appears to be absolutely happy. Those who appear to be happy or contented, when
probed deeper, will be found to be not truly happy in some way or another. It is true that
man is born and lives in sorrow and suffering, but is it proper that he should regard it
as the aim and object of human life to go on suffering in the search of happiness or in
the hope of attaining bliss, throughout his life.
If
we ponder, we shall find that satiation of one desire gives birth to another and so on. In
other words, our life is an endless chain of desires. Our mind remains ever engrossed in
the chain of material pursuits and therefore it is never at rest. There is no doubt that
whenever a desire is fulfilled, we feel momentary happiness. Again, we experience momentary joy in the interval
between the attainment of one aim and the pursuit of another,
because during that short interval our mind is at rest and in its place. This shows that
for the short duration when our mind is at rest or in its place, we feel happy and
contented; in other words, peace and happiness depends upon the state of mind. Thus to
have a desire less mind is the only way of getting rid of or rising above sorrow and
suffering in the world and converting the transitory peace and happiness into an abiding
one.
Wherever
we may be — at the shop or office —, we hanker after money; whether in the
temple, mosque or church, we think of heaven or hell, sin or piety. In other words, we
ever think in terms of material loss or gain. What is meant is that we are oblivious of
our real self. The question is not as to what we are lost in, but what the state of our
mind is? In fact, it is a great thing to be one with our real self. It is easy to be with
others; it is also easy to act according to the wishes of others but it is not easy to be
one with ourselves and to follow our own conscience, at times, even in loneliness. If we
could learn to be one with ourselves and to keep our mind in its place, we would certainly
lead a happy life.
Holy
men of different orders advocate different ways of stabilizing the mind. For example, the
Sufis (mystics) prescribe Samadhi (Trance) or in
their terminology, getting lost in the self or merging the soul with the Over Soul. The
Scriptures, too, contain ways for the same purpose. Whatever method we may adopt, it is
imperative to acquire the ability to keep our mind in its place in order to get rid of the
worldly sorrow and suffering and to attain abiding peace and happiness.
Now
we come to the vital question: On what one should fix the mind? The target should no doubt
be God Almighty, the source of all bliss and happiness. But can we fix the mind on Him
without knowing Him? Obviously not. Thus a revelation of God is indispensable for
contemplation or communion with Him and the revelation is, possible only through the
knower - the True Master. This is the simplest but surest way to stabilize the mind and to
experience abiding peace, bliss and happiness.