HAPPINESS, ENJOYMENT AND PLEASURE

There is already another post "Peace and Happiness", This post is an addition to it. As already discussed Pleasure is that of the senses and mind. Pleasure has another side Pain hidden in it. Similarly "Enjoyment" is that of the senses, intellect and mind. This has also another side of repulsion, hatred and dislike. Happiness is that of the "inner Self" witnessing the functioning of senses, intellect and mind. To put it precisely, Pleasure is at the gross level (emotional level); Enjoyment is at the subtle level (conceptual level); Happiness is at the subtler level (equanimity of vision, viewing harmony between apparently conflicting emotions and concepts). This is the highest stage in the sense of existence i.e. "I AM". This is otherwise known as 'Witness stage'. PEACE is the subtlest- not an experience as in the other three levels. There are no emotions and no concepts; devoid of mind, senses and intellect, and beyond the witness stage. PEACE represents "Paramatma", HAPPINESS represents "Antharatma"; Enjoyment and Pleasure represents the sensual and intellectual level. All represent one and the same Truth - an Adwaithic Truth. This journey from Pleasure to Enjoyment, from Enjoyment to Happiness and Happiness to Peace is possible only through "Divine Grace" expressed in human effort. Pleasure and Enjoymwnt are influenced by gunas in one way or other, whereas Happiness stands aloof, and at that stage, gunas remain in a state of equilibrium. PEACE is the ultimate and is above all the states and gunas. In this context, two slokas of B.Geetha may be recollected: "Sama-duhkha-sukhah svasthah sama-lostasamakanchana; tulya-priyapriyo dhiras tulya-nindatma-samstutih"; "Udddhared atmamatmanam atmanam avasadayet; atmaiva hyatmano bandhur atmaiva ripur atmanah." To my humble understanding, in the first sloka, sukha and dukka represent pleasure, pain (emotional aspects) priya-apriya represent Enjoyment - likes and dislikes (conceptual aspects) lostasmakanchana relates to 'possession-abhimanam, and ninda-stuthy relates to ahamkaram (ego self); All the four represent, manas, buddhy, ahanthai and mamathai. The second sloka emphasises the truth that only through 'Divine Grace', expressed as 'earnestness', the lower Self (I AM) gets absorbed in higher Self ("I"). "I AM" joining its source "I".