“HAPP”INESS : Being HAPPy with HAPPenings : How VIPASSANA can help

Humans are a uniquely gifted species. We are the only ones that have a MIND. This can be a boon or a bane. Oftentimes it turns out that it is a bane. Why is that so?

Whilst we have everything that we truly need for our existential creature comforts and also for our continued evolution and growth, most humans are “unhappy”. What exactly is “Happiness”? The words HAPPiness and HAPPening itself give us the clue. Happiness revolves around the concept of being alright, being OK, being at ease with what is HAPPENING to us and around us. Whenever something that we like or are agreeable with, is happening around us, we feel that we are happy. Likewise whenever something that we don’t like or are not in agreement with, is happening around us, we feel that we are unhappy. We are not at peace with what is HAPPening and hence we are unHAPPy. This in fact is the root of the problem. Being HAPPy means to be in sync with and aware of whatever is HAPPening to us / around us, without evaluating it as good / bad, like / dislike. Happy is the verb while Happening is the noun.

Moreover if we are unhappy, we don’t just stop at being unhappy ourselves. We end up making all around us too unhappy.

It all starts and ends with the human MIND. And the way this piece of equipment uses us. If each of us were able to control the MIND and not let it control us, we would surely be at peace with what is HAPPening to us and around us. How is that to be? How do we accomplish that? To get an answer to this, we first need to understand the inherent character / nature of the MIND and how such a nature leads us away from HAPPiness. And then look at a process by which we can control the MIND, thereby leading us to happiness.

The MIND can be compared metaphorically to that of a very high energy monkey. A monkey that perpetually jumps around in each moment of its existence. The MIND loves to dwell either in the PAST or in the FUTURE. Never in the PRESENT. There could be two scenarios in each of these two dimensions, i.e the PAST and the FUTURE in which the MIND dwells and is constantly evaluating.

The first scenario:

I wanted / want something to HAPPen and it did / will HAPPen.

I did not want / don’t want something to HAPPen and it did not / will not HAPPen.

The second scenario:

I wanted / want something to HAPPen and it did not / will not HAPPen.

I did not want / don’t want something to HAPPen and it did / will HAPPen.

If the first scenario were to be true, we like it. Every time it is so, we feel nice. The MIND conditions us and every such situation that we experience, conditions us to develop CRAVINGS. We want more of it. On the contrary if the second scenario were to be true, we don’t like it. Every time it is so, we don’t feel nice. The MIND conditions us and every such situation that we experience, conditions us to develop AVERSIONS. In this manner, each of us individually develops our own storehouse of LIKES and DISLIKES. We then face every subsequent situation prejudiced by this set of stored LIKES/DISLIKES. And in doing so, constantly reinforce these prejudices. We get into a sort of a doom loop.

Another aspect of the MIND is that apart from evaluating and assessing REAL situations, it also has the unique capacity to IMAGINE situations. The MIND visualizes hypothetical situations and anguishes on what could have happened or what may happen. What if it were to be in such and such a manner? What if a person were to say this or do this to me? What if it had happened in another way?

So how does one get to be truly HAPPy?

1. If one is to be truly HAPPy, one’s MIND has to be always in the PRESENT moment. Not in the PAST or in the FUTURE.


2. If one is to be truly HAPPy, one’s MIND has to be always EQUANIMOUS. It should not succumb to either CRAVINGS or AVERSIONS.


3. If one is to be truly HAPPy, one’s MIND has to be always assessing only REAL situations and not IMAGINARY situations.

If any / all of these have to HAPPen, we should have a technique by which we control the MIND and not let the MIND control us. We should control the MIND and ensure that:

It is in the PRESENT

It is EQUANIMOUS

It dwells on REALITY

Right from the first breath we take as humans at birth, the MIND is outwardly focused. Each stimulus that the sense organs receive, each situation that the MIND witnesses, prods and pushes the MIND in a highly chaotic state, filled with high entropy. And all the years that we have been outwardly focused have led us and our MIND to a state where we have lost the ability to be inwardly focused. We need a process by which we can turn the MIND inward.

The ancient art and science of Vipassana truly helps us control our MIND. With the process of AANA PAAN, awareness of one’s own natural breath, we are able to make the MIND very calm and more focused. Increase its “ekagratha” consolidation/concentration. Once that is done, the process of VIPASSANA, does two things. Firstly it forces the MIND to become acutely aware of all sensations “samvedana” in our own body. Forces us to appreciate that each and every “samvedana” is truly impermanent and transient. Each “samvedana” begins and it ends. Internalises and reinforces the Law of Impermanence, “anicca”in Pali or “anitya” in Hindi. Secondly it forces the MIND to not react, no “pratikriya”, to accept reality, to accept the truth of this moment. “Iss kshun ki sacchhayi ko jaan lo”. Irrespective of whether the “samvedana” is a good or “sookkshma” one or whether it is a painful or “sthool” one. Helps us make the MIND look at each “samvedana” not as either a good one or a bad one.

This helps us appreciate how the Law of Impermanence impacts the MIND as well as the BODY. Just as the Body is impermanent / anitya, so is the Mind. Each “samvedana” is a link between the Mind and the Body. It is an interim signal that the body sends to the mind whenever we witness any happening. So while every HAPPENING is a stimulus, once we get the Mind to an equanimous state, our responses to such stimuli will always be from a composed Mind. We would be responding and not reacting. And our equanimous responses will ensure that any situation or happening does not get out of control. We would witness every happening with “samatha”. We would also have the ability to look at people and instances with “karuna” compassion / kindness. Even a person whom otherwise we would have had a strong negativity towards, would be looked upon with “karuna”. This is because we would have the ability to appreciate the fact that he/she is also a victim of his/her own MIND, which itself is impermanent.

By doing so, it forces us to make the MIND move away from LIKES and DISLIKES. And habituates the MIND to be in a perfect observational role “dhristha bhaav or sakshi bhaav” rather than in an experiential role “bhogtha bhaav”.

Shaanth chit se, sajag chit se, samtha bhare chit se. With a calm mind, with an aware mind, with a mind steeped in equanimity. Helps make our MIND pure. Chit ko nirmal bana de.

By practicing VIPASSANA daily, one can re-condition the MIND to return to such a state. Then our response to any situation comes from an exalted state of equanimity, with a high degree of “samatha”. Slowly but surely we will cease to add to our store of CRAVINGS and AVERSIONS. And also deplete the already stored set of CRAVINGS and AVERSIONS.

And by depleting the set of craving and aversions, and always operating without any past prejudice of good / bad, we look at each situation “as it truly is”. The word VIPASSANA in PALI means “seeing things as they really are”. Vipassana truly helps us recondition our mind to a state of equanimity. And by dealing with each situation with this “samatha” / equanimity, we truly come to a state where we can always be at ease with what is HAPPening to us / around us. Truly HAPPY.

And in doing so, we can also have the power to spread this happiness all around with METTA. Just as unhappiness is infectious and contagious, so is happiness. Once one is in a state of “samatha” / equanimity and hence always happy, this aura of happiness spreads around and permeates those around us too.

Mangal Ho!! Be Happy!!