Understanding Unhappiness

[shivraj]

Seeker: Why is man unhappy?

Teacher: Because of double unhappiness.

Seeker: What is double unhappiness?

Teacher: Supposing you are troubled by something, say the body is under pain - this is the first unhappiness. But on that unhappiness the mind becomes unhappy, "Why is this pain?... Why me?... Why not others?... When would this pain go away?" Then the unhappiness of the body increases ten times over. The body was in pain. The body was curing it too. Nature on it's own was curing the pain. But the thorn of the mind made it "my pain", "my unhappiness".

Seeker: Does this mean we should not be unhappy?

Teacher: This means unhappiness over unhappiness should not be there.

Seeker: What does this mean?

Teacher: This means that the comparing contrasting mind that raises its head and defines the state of unhappiness shouldn't be there.

Seeker: I didn't understand?

Teacher: Understand it like this. Children get angry and the very next second are playing peacefully. You got angry. It does not trouble you as such. The episode is over. But you are thinking, "Why did I get angry?!" Even after the incident has passed, what is being thought over it for hours together - that gives you trouble. This means you get angry over anger and this troubles the mind. As your understanding increases, you get rid of this double unhappiness.

Seeker: That means unhappiness alone cannot trouble us?

Teacher: Absolutely correct.

Seeker: How is that?

Teacher: When unhappiness is not accepted, that is where double unhappiness begins, i.e. unhappiness over unhappiness as to why I am unhappy. But when there is acceptance of this unhappiness, then unhappiness on that unhappiness doesn't happen, depression on depression doesn't occur. And then this understanding will arise that it is only non-acceptance that is unhappiness and that it is only acceptance that is happiness.

[Nathan]

Interesting shivraj. I had never actually thought of happiness in such a simple and logical way!

[Shamou]

shivraj... well said... however, I prefer my own definition and explanation of the state of unhappiness which is,

"Unhappiness is not accepting what is and wanting what we feel should be..." In other words... thinking that we are smarter than God... and that maybe He should give us a call before setting up events that affect us...
.

[hzpim]

"Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more."
I like it! and I quite agree with it .

[BlackPaw]

Originally Posted by shivraj

Supposing you are troubled by something, say the body is under pain - this is the first unhappiness. But on that unhappiness the mind becomes unhappy, "Why is this pain?... Why me?... Why not others?... When would this pain go away?" Then the unhappiness of the body increases ten times over. The body was in pain. The body was curing it too. Nature on it's own was curing the pain. But the thorn of the mind made it "my pain", "my unhappiness".

Interesting... but- I think this way:
You say that the first unhappiness is the pain of the body. No there is only one unhappiness and it comes from the mind - because the pain from the body is transfered through the nerves to the brain - and the brain is the objective mind.
When the brain gets the signal from the nerves that the body has pain - the mind starts to think (either positively or negative) and those thought images from the objective mind are sent to the subjective (subconscious mind).

And if the thought images were with negative character then the subconscious mind radiates negative energy throughout the whole body - AND thats HOW UNHAPPINESS is created.

!!I think that only one unhappiness can exist -
Example: If you are under anesthesia then you are not conscious and you cannot feel pain - and you are not aware of the pain - the unhappiness- is only when you are aware that exists, and if you have negative thoughts about the pain you are experiencing then you make the situation worse.

[shivraj]

we can feel pain of body and we take necessary action to eliminate that pain through some medications or rest of body but the thought of "I" is the main problem because when you think that you are in pain instead of body is in pain.. pain multiply itself..and all unnecessary thoughts like "Why I am in pain?" , "Why this happen to me? ", "I am so sad", "Why other people are living so great and I am not like that.." etc.. Starts. so only non-acceptance that is unhappiness and that it is only acceptance that is happiness

[Maguru]

What if the unhappiness is not caused by physical pain? Can you be happy whilst feeling emotional pain that is real and true in the experience? Isn't focussing on being happy pain-avoidance?

Originally Posted by shivraj

Seeker: Why is man unhappy?

Teacher: Because of double unhappiness.

Seeker: What is double unhappiness?

Teacher: Supposing you are troubled by something, say the body is under pain - this is the first unhappiness. But on that unhappiness the mind becomes unhappy, "Why is this pain?... Why me?... Why not others?... When would this pain go away?" Then the unhappiness of the body increases ten times over. The body was in pain. The body was curing it too. Nature on it's own was curing the pain. But the thorn of the mind made it "my pain", "my unhappiness".

Seeker: Does this mean we should not be unhappy?

Teacher: This means unhappiness over unhappiness should not be there.

Seeker: What does this mean?

Teacher: This means that the comparing contrasting mind that raises its head and defines the state of unhappiness shouldn't be there.

Seeker: I didn't understand?

Teacher: Understand it like this. Children get angry and the very next second are playing peacefully. You got angry. It does not trouble you as such. The episode is over. But you are thinking, "Why did I get angry?!" Even after the incident has passed, what is being thought over it for hours together - that gives you trouble. This means you get angry over anger and this troubles the mind. As your understanding increases, you get rid of this double unhappiness.

Seeker: That means unhappiness alone cannot trouble us?

Teacher: Absolutely correct.

Seeker: How is that?

Teacher: When unhappiness is not accepted, that is where double unhappiness begins, i.e. unhappiness over unhappiness as to why I am unhappy. But when there is acceptance of this unhappiness, then unhappiness on that unhappiness doesn't happen, depression on depression doesn't occur. And then this understanding will arise that it is only non-acceptance that is unhappiness and that it is only acceptance that is happiness.

[DiscoDan]

Perhaps, to clarify a bit, you could define three different terms: happiness, contentment, and pain. To me, these three terms have very different meanings: happiness is a chemical produced in your brain, contentment is your brain (or perhaps soul) accepting its current circumstances, and pain is the physical kind.

Since these three terms are defined by seemingly independent concepts, it is thus possible to be both unhappy and in pain, yet still content with life. However, life is tricky indeed: both unhappiness and pain are ameliorated once you become content enough. Thus, it is not pain-avoidance that causes happiness, but pain-acceptance that causes contentment, which in turn causes you to be happy.

[Groundless]

Everything is perfectly perfect.

"Why are you unhappy?

Because 99.9 percent of everything you think and everything you do, is for yourself-and there isn't one."

Wei Wu Wei Ask The Awakened