Temporary Happiness Versus Permanent Happiness
Questioner: You talked about temporary happiness as well as permanent happiness. However, as long as we have not experienced that happiness, how can we know the difference between the two?
Dadashri: You will not be able to identify that at all. As long as the permanent happiness has not arisen, you will only refer to this [temporary] happiness as happiness.
If you place a big ant that thrives in cow dung on a flower, then it will die. This is because it is accustomed to that pleasure, it is familiar with that, its prakruti (non-Self complex) has become molded that way. And a big ant that thrives on a flower will not like to be placed on cow dung.
People say, “There is happiness in money.” However, there are some monks who do not accept money even if it is offered to them. Even if you come to give me all the gold in the world, I would not accept it. This is because I do not find happiness in money whatsoever. If there is happiness in money, then everyone should derive happiness from it. Whereas everyone experiences the bliss of the Self. This is because it is real happiness, it is eternal happiness. There is so much bliss [in the Self] that it cannot even be imagined!
Where there is no other talk except that of the Self and the absolute Self, there lies true bliss. There is not even the slightest discussion related to worldly life there, such as how one can gain something in worldly life or how one can develop good attributes. People seek to cultivate good attributes. These attributes, good attributes and bad attributes, they are all a part of the division of the non-Self, and they are temporary. Nevertheless, people need them. Everyone needs something different depending upon his expectations. However, the one who wants the completely detached ( vitaraag) state has to transcend all these good and bad attributes, and has to know ‘Who am I?’ And after Knowing that, by remaining absorbed in only discussions about the Self ( Atma) and the absolute Self ( Parmatma), the state of absolute detachment arises.
Questioner: We are unable to find real happiness and time is passing by.
Dadashri: If you want real happiness, then you have to first become Real [the Self] yourself, and if you want worldly happiness, then you need to lead a worldly life. The nature of worldly happiness is that of input and output ( puran-galan); it comes and then goes, it is characterized by duality. It is only when You attain realization of ‘ Who am I?’ that real happiness will always prevail.