''Sukha'' (
Pali
Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or '' Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of '' Theravāda'' Buddh ...
and ) means
happiness
Happiness, in the context of mental or emotional states, is positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Other forms include life satisfaction, well-being, subjective well-being, flourishing and eudaimonia.
...
,
pleasure, ease, joy or bliss. Among the early scriptures, 'sukha' is set up as a contrast to 'preya' (प्रेय) meaning a transient pleasure, whereas the pleasure of 'sukha' has an authentic state happiness within a being that is lasting. In the
Pāli Canon
The Pāli Canon is the standard collection of scriptures in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, as preserved in the Pāli language. It is the most complete extant early Buddhist canon. It derives mainly from the Tamrashatiya school.
During ...
, the term is used in the context of describing
laic pursuits and
meditation
Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm ...
.
Etymology
According to Monier-Williams (1964), the etymology of ''sukha'' is "said to be ''su''
good'+ ''kha''
aperture'and to mean originally 'having a good axle-hole'"; thus, for instance, in the
Rig Veda
The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' ( ', from ' "praise" and ' "knowledge") is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu texts ('' śruti'') known as the Vedas. Only one ...
''sukha'' denotes "running swiftly or easily" (applied, e.g., to chariots). Monier-Williams also notes that the term might derive alternatively as "possibly a
Prākrit form of ''su-stha'', q.v.; c.f. ''duh̩kha''", literally meaning ''su''
good'+ ''stha''
standing' ''Sukha'' is juxtaposed with ''dukha'' (Sanskrit; Pali: ''
dukkha''; often translated as "suffering"), which was established as the major motivating life principles in early Vedic religion. This theme of the centrality of dukkha was developed in later years in both Vedic and the offshoot Buddhist traditions. The elimination of dukkha is the ''raison d'être'' of early Buddhism.
Pali literature
In the Pali Canon and related
literature
Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to ...
, the term is used in a general sense to refer to "well-being and happiness" (''hitasukha'') in either this present life or future lives. In addition, it is a technical term associated with describing a factor of meditative absorption (
jhāna) and a sensory-derived feeling (
vedanā
Vedanā ( Pāli and Sanskrit: वेदना) is an ancient term traditionally translated as either " feeling" or "sensation." In general, ''vedanā'' refers to the pleasant, unpleasant and neutral sensations that occur when our internal sense ...
).
General life pursuit
In the
Pāli Canon
The Pāli Canon is the standard collection of scriptures in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, as preserved in the Pāli language. It is the most complete extant early Buddhist canon. It derives mainly from the Tamrashatiya school.
During ...
, the
Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...
discusses with different lay persons "well-being and happiness" (''hitasukha'') "visible in this present life" (''diha-dhamma'') and "pertaining to the future life" (''samparāyika''), as exemplified by the following
suttas.
Anana Sutta
In the ''Anaa Sutta'' (
AN 4.62), the Buddha describes four types of happiness for a "
householder Householder may refer to:
*Householder, a person who is the head of a household
* Householder (Buddhism), a Buddhist term most broadly referring to any layperson
* Householder (surname), notable people with the surname
*'' The Householder'', a 196 ...
partaking of sensuality" (''gihinā
kāma-bhoginā''):
* the happiness of earning (''atthi-sukha'') wealth by just and righteous means
* the happiness of using (''bhoga-sukha'') wealth liberally on family, friends, & on meritorious deeds
* the happiness of debtlessness (''anaa-sukha'') be free from debts
* the happiness of blamelessness (''anavajja-sukha''), to live a faultless and pure life without committing evil in thought, word, and deed
Of these, the wise (''sumedhaso'') know that the happiness of blamelessness is by far the greatest householder happiness. Economic and material happiness is not worth one sixteenth part of the spiritual happiness arising out of a faultless and good life.
Kalama Sutta
In the ''Kālāmā Sutta'' (
AN 3.65), townspeople ask the Buddha how they are to ascertain which spiritual teaching is true. The Buddha counsels that one should "enter and dwell" (''upasampajja vihareyyātha'') in "things" or "qualities" (''
dhammā'') that are:
* skillful (''kusalā''),
* blameless (''anavajjā''),
* praised by the wise (''viññuppasatthā''), and
* when put into practice, are conducive to well-being and happiness (''samattā samādinnā hitāya sukhāya' savattantī'')
Using the latter criterion, the Buddha then asks the townspeople to assess greed (''lobha''), hate (''dosa'') and delusion (''moha'') whereby it is agreed that entering and dwelling in non-greed, non-hate and non-delusion lead to well-being and happiness. The Buddha states that, given this understanding, a noble disciple (''ariyasāvako'') pervades all directions with
lovingkindness,
compassion
Compassion motivates people to go out of their way to relieve the physical, mental or emotional pains of others and themselves. Compassion is often regarded as being sensitive to the emotional aspects of the suffering of others. When based on n ...
,
sympathetic joy and
equanimity (see the four ''
brahmavihara
The ''brahmavihārās'' (sublime attitudes, lit. "abodes of brahma") are a series of four Buddhist virtues and the meditation practices made to cultivate them. They are also known as the four immeasurables ( Sanskrit: अप्रमाण, ''ap ...
s''); and, by doing so, one purifies oneself, avoids evil-induced consequences, lives a happy present life and, if there is a future karmic
rebirth, one will be born in a
heavenly world.
Dighajanu Sutta
In the ''
Dighajānu Sutta'' (
AN 8.54), Dighajānu approaches the Buddha and states:
:"We are lay people enjoying sensuality; living crowded with spouses & children; using Kasi fabrics & sandalwood; wearing garlands, scents, & creams; handling gold & silver. May the Blessed One teach the
Dhamma
Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for ' ...
for those like us, for our happiness & well-being in this life, for our happiness & well-being in lives to come."
In a manner somewhat similar to his exposition in the aforementioned ''Anaa Sutta'', the Buddha identifies four sources that lead to well-being and happiness in the current life:
* productive efforts (''uhāna-sampadā'') in one's livelihood,
* protective efforts (''ārakkha-sampadā'') regarding ones wealth in terms of possible theft or disaster,
* virtuous friendship (
''kalyāa-mittatā''), and
* even-headed living (''sama-jīvikatā''), abstaining from womanizing, drunkenness, gambling and evil friendships.
In terms of well-being and happiness in the next life, the Buddha identifies the following sources:
* faith (''
saddhā'') in the fully enlightened Buddha;
* virtue (''
sīla''), as exemplified by the
Five Precepts
The Five precepts ( sa, pañcaśīla, italic=yes; pi, pañcasīla, italic=yes) or five rules of training ( sa, pañcaśikṣapada, italic=yes; pi, pañcasikkhapada, italic=yes) is the most important system of morality for Buddhist lay peo ...
;
* generosity (''cāga''), giving charity and
alms
Alms (, ) are money, food, or other material goods donated to people living in poverty. Providing alms is often considered an act of virtue or charity. The act of providing alms is called almsgiving, and it is a widespread practice in a numbe ...
; and,
* wisdom (''
paññā''), having insight into the arising and passing of things.
Mettā practice
As indicated above, in the ''Kālāmā Sutta'', the Buddha identifies the practice of the four divine abodes (''
brahmavihara
The ''brahmavihārās'' (sublime attitudes, lit. "abodes of brahma") are a series of four Buddhist virtues and the meditation practices made to cultivate them. They are also known as the four immeasurables ( Sanskrit: अप्रमाण, ''ap ...
'') as being conducive to ''one's own'' well-being and happiness. The first of these abodes is
mettā (benevolence, kindness) which is, for instance, classically expressed in the Pali canon's ''
Karaniya Mettā Sutta'' ("Scripture of Compassionate Benevolence") (
Sn 1.8) by the sincere wish (in English and Pali):
Similarly, the Pali commentaries (
SN-
A 128) explicitly define ''mettā'' as "the desire to bring about the well-being and happiness
f others (''hita-sukha-upanaya-kāmatā'') Thus, in Buddhism, to dwell wishing for others' general happiness is conducive to the development of one's own happiness.
Feeling attribute
In the Buddhist frameworks of the five aggregates (Sanskrit: ''
skandha
(Sanskrit) or ( Pāḷi) means "heaps, aggregates, collections, groupings". In Buddhism, it refers to the five aggregates of clinging (), the five material and mental factors that take part in the rise of craving and clinging. They are als ...
''; Pali: ''khandha'') and dependent origination (Sanskrit: ''pratītyasamutpāda''; Pali: paticcasamuppāda), "feelings" or "sensations" (''
vedanā
Vedanā ( Pāli and Sanskrit: वेदना) is an ancient term traditionally translated as either " feeling" or "sensation." In general, ''vedanā'' refers to the pleasant, unpleasant and neutral sensations that occur when our internal sense ...
'') arise from the contact of an external object (such as a visual object or sound) with a
sensory organ (such as the eye or ear) and consciousness. In the
Pali Canon
The Pāli Canon is the standard collection of scriptures in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, as preserved in the Pāli language. It is the most complete extant early Buddhist canon. It derives mainly from the Tamrashatiya school.
During ...
, such feelings are generally described to be of one of three types: pleasant (''sukha''), unpleasant (''dukkha''), or neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant (''adukkha-asukha'').
Mental factor in meditation
In the commentarial tradition on
Buddhist meditation, the development of ''jhāna'' (Sanskrit: ''dhyāna'') is described as the development of five
mental factors
Mental factors ( sa, चैतसिक, caitasika or ''chitta samskara'' ; pi, cetasika; Tibetan: སེམས་བྱུང ''sems byung''), in Buddhism, are identified within the teachings of the Abhidhamma (Buddhist psychology). They are ...
(Sanskrit: ''caitasika''; Pali: ''cetasika'') that counteract the
five hindrances
In the Buddhist tradition, the five hindrances ( Sinhala: ''පඤ්ච නීවරණ pañca nīvaraṇa''; Pali: ') are identified as mental factors that hinder progress in meditation and in our daily lives. In the Theravada tradition, the ...
:
# ''
vitakka'' ("applied thought") counteracts sloth and torpor (lethargy and drowsiness)
# ''
vicāra'' ("sustained thought") counteracts doubt (uncertainty)
# ''
pīti
''Pīti'' in Pali (Sanskrit: ''Prīti'') is a mental factor (Pali:''cetasika'', Sanskrit: ''caitasika'') associated with the development of '' jhāna'' (Sanskrit: ''dhyāna'') in Buddhist meditation. According to Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, ''piti'' i ...
'' (rapture) counteracts ill-will (malice)
# ''sukha'' (non-sensual pleasure") counteracts restlessness-worry (excitation and anxiety)
# ''
ekaggata'' (one-pointedness) counteracts sensory desire
Both ''pīti'' and ''sukha'' are born of bodily seclusion and mental quietude in first ''jhāna'', but both are then born of focused concentration (''samādhi'') in the second ''jhāna'' and only ''sukha'' is sustained in the third ''jhāna'' until it is abandoned for
pure,
mindful equanimity (''upekkhāsatipārisuddhi'') in the fourth ''jhāna''.
The ''
Visuddhimagga'' distinguishes between ''pīti'' and ''sukha'' in the following experiential manner:
:And wherever the two are associated, happiness
ere, Ñāamoli's translation of ''pīti''is the contentedness at getting a desirable object, and bliss
'sukha''is the actual experiencing of it when got. Where there is happiness
'pīti''there is bliss (pleasure)
'sukha'' but where there is bliss
'sukha''there is not necessarily happiness
'pīti'' Happiness is included in the
formations aggregate
Aggregate or aggregates may refer to:
Computing and mathematics
* collection of objects that are bound together by a root entity, otherwise known as an aggregate root. The aggregate root guarantees the consistency of changes being made within the ...
; bliss is included in the
feeling aggregate. If a man exhausted in a desert saw or heard about a pond on the edge of a wood, he would have happiness; if he went into the wood's shade and used the water, he would have bliss....
Providing a bare-bones conditional chain of events that overlaps the above more narrative exposition, the ''Upanisa Sutta'' (
SN 12.23) states that ''sukha'' arises from tranquillity (''
passaddhi'') of the body and mind, and in turn gives rise to concentration (''samādhi''). Citing traditional post-canonical Pali literature related to this discourse, Bodhi (1980) adds the following functional definition of ''sukha'':
:The
subcommentary to the ''Upanisa Sutta'' explains ''sukha'' as the happiness of the access to absorption. The term 'access' (upacara) denotes the stage in the cultivation of serenity immediately preceding full absorption, the intended goal of
serenity meditation. Access is characterized by the abandonment of the
five hindrances
In the Buddhist tradition, the five hindrances ( Sinhala: ''පඤ්ච නීවරණ pañca nīvaraṇa''; Pali: ') are identified as mental factors that hinder progress in meditation and in our daily lives. In the Theravada tradition, the ...
and the arising of the 'counterpart sign,' the self-luminous object of interior perception which is the focal point for the higher stages of concentration.
As a characterization of awakening
Nibbāna (Sanskrit: ''Nirvāṇa'') entails the foundational extinction or "blowing out" of the processes of unwholesome
desire, aversion, and delusion. From the perspective of awakened experience, the latter deleterious processes are appreciated as "agitations" of the mind. In comparative contrast to such agitation, ''sukha'' and its cognates are at places in the
Pali Canon
The Pāli Canon is the standard collection of scriptures in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, as preserved in the Pāli language. It is the most complete extant early Buddhist canon. It derives mainly from the Tamrashatiya school.
During ...
used to characterize the calm of Nibbāna, the "Unconditioned," as a bliss:
:The born, come-to-be, produced,
:The made, the conditioned, the transient,
:Conjoined with decay and death,
:A nest of disease, perishable,
:Sprung from nutriment and craving's cord —
:That is not fit to take delight in.
:The escape from that, the peaceful,
:Beyond reasoning, everlasting,
:The not-born, the unproduced,
:The sorrowless state that is void of stain,
:The cessation of states linked to suffering,
:The stilling of the conditioned — bliss.
Sanskrit literature
In the
Yoga Sūtras
The ''Yoga Sutras of Patañjali'' is a collection of Sanskrit sutras (aphorisms) on the theory and practice of yoga – 195 sutras (according to Vyāsa and Krishnamacharya) and 196 sutras (according to others, including BKS Iyengar). The ' ...
, Patañjali uses the word 'sukha' when he defines asana as the balance between "Sukha" and "Stirah" (strength, steadiness, firmness).
Neuroscientific basis
Some researchers have proposed that a "shift" in the activity of the medial prefrontal cortex is what supports a state of inner fulfillment and equanimity.
See also
*
Brahmavihara
The ''brahmavihārās'' (sublime attitudes, lit. "abodes of brahma") are a series of four Buddhist virtues and the meditation practices made to cultivate them. They are also known as the four immeasurables ( Sanskrit: अप्रमाण, ''ap ...
(divine abodes: lovingkindess, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity)
*
Dependent Origination
*
Dhyāna (absorption)
*
Dukkha (suffering)
*
Householder (Buddhism)
*
Kilesa (defilements; such as greed, hate, and delusion)
*
Skandha
(Sanskrit) or ( Pāḷi) means "heaps, aggregates, collections, groupings". In Buddhism, it refers to the five aggregates of clinging (), the five material and mental factors that take part in the rise of craving and clinging. They are als ...
(aggregate)
*
Sukhavati (Land of Bliss)
*
Vedanā
Vedanā ( Pāli and Sanskrit: वेदना) is an ancient term traditionally translated as either " feeling" or "sensation." In general, ''vedanā'' refers to the pleasant, unpleasant and neutral sensations that occur when our internal sense ...
(feeling)
Notes
References
Further reading
* Amaravati Sangha (trans.) (1994, 2004). "Karaniya Metta Sutta: The Buddha's Words on Loving-Kindness" from ''Chanting Book: Morning and Evening Puja and Reflections'' (1994). Hemel Hempstead: Amaravati Publications. Retrieved 2008-05-10 from "Access to Insight" (2004) a
Karaniya Metta Sutta: The Buddha's Words on Loving-Kindness
*
Bodhi, Bhikkhu (1980). ''Transcendental Dependent Arising: A Translation and Exposition of the Upanisa Sutta'' (Wheel No. 277/278). Kandy:
Buddhist Publication Society. Retrieved 2008-05-08 from "Access to Insight" (1995) a
Transcendental Dependent Arising: A Translation and Exposition of the Upanisa Sutta
* Bodhi, Bhikkhu (2005). ''In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon''. Boston: Wisdom Publications. .
* Ñāamoli, Bhikkhu (trans.) (1999). ''The Path of Purification: Visuddhimagga''. Seattle, WA: BPS Pariyatti Editions. .
*
Monier-Williams, Monier (1899, 1964). ''A Sanskrit-English Dictionary''. London: Oxford University Press. . Retrieved 2008-05-08 from "Cologne University" a
MW Scan
*
Nyanaponika Thera (trans.) (1983). ''Datthabba Sutta: To Be Known'' (
SN 36.5). Retrieved 2008-05-08 from "Access to Insight" at
Datthabba Sutta: To Be Known
* Nyanatiloka Mahathera (1952, 1980). ''Buddhist Dictionary: Manual of Buddhist Terms and Doctrines.'' Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society. . Retrieved 2008-05-08 from "BuddhaSasana" a
*
Rhys Davids, T.W. & William Stede (eds.) (1921-5). ''The Pali Text Society’s Pali–English Dictionary''. Chipstead:
Pali Text Society
The Pali Text Society is a text publication society founded in 1881 by Thomas William Rhys Davids "to foster and promote the study of Pāli texts".
Pāli is the language in which the texts of the Theravada school of Buddhism are preserved. The ...
. Retrieved 2008-05-08 from "U. Chicago" at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/pali/.
*
Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1994). ''Kalama Sutta: To the Kalamas'' (
AN 3.65). Retrieved 2008-05-08 from "Access to Insight" a
Kalama Sutta: To the Kalamas
* Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1995). ''Dighajanu (Vyagghapajja) Sutta: To Dighajanu'' (
AN 8.54). Retrieved 2008-05-08 from "Access to Insight" a
Dighajanu (Vyagghapajja) Sutta: To Dighajanu
* Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1997a). ''Anana Sutta: Debtless'' (
AN 4.62). Retrieved 2008-05-08 from "Access to Insight" a
Anana Sutta: Debtless
* Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1997b). ''Samadhanga Sutta: The Factors of Concentration'' (
AN 5.28). Retrieved 2008-05-09 from "Access to Insight" a
Samadhanga Sutta: The Factors of Concentration
* Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1997c). ''Upanisa Sutta: Prerequisites'' (
SN 12.23). Retrieved 2008-05-08 from "Access to Insight" a
Upanisa Sutta: Prerequisites
* Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1998). ''Chachakka Sutta: The Six Sextets'' (MN 148). Retrieved 2008-05-08 from "Access to Insight" a
* Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (2006). ''Metta Sutta: Good Will (1)'' (
AN 4.125). Retrieved 2008-05-10 from "Access to Insight" a
Metta Sutta: Good Will (1)
* Walshe, Maurice O'Connell (1985). ''Upanisaa Sutta: Upanisaa (excerpt)'' (
SN 12.23) from ''Samyutta Nikaya: An Anthology (Wheel No. 318-321)''. Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society. Retrieved from "Access to Insight" (2007) a
Upanisaa Sutta: Upanisaa
External links
{{Buddhism topics
Mental factors in Buddhism