Unexpected Freedom

Unexpected Freedomwant, I generally feel more comfortable than if I don’t getwhat I want. In our effort to cultivate awareness, however,our perception of this usual state of affairs changes. Webegin to understand that the pleasure of getting what wewant has a hook on it; it gradually becomes apparent thatthere is more going on in the process of wanting and gettingthan we ordinarily suppose.Assuming that you have to get what you want in order tobe happy is very limiting. If I’m addicted to getting what Iwant, I can’t help feeling an embarrassing sense ofdependency. The second line of verse 331 in theDhammapada reads ‘Happiness arises from having few needs.’That is a message one rarely hears – that there is a pleasure thatcomes from not needing more than we already have. Usuallywe associate pleasure with getting what we think we need orwhat we want, yet the Buddha wisely pointed out that the verycondition of clinging to wants and needs is what stands in theway of a deeper happiness and contentment.This verse from the Dhammapada is about the nature ofreal pleasure. In each line there is a reference to the Pali wordsukha which means ‘happiness’ or ‘pleasure’. This verseprovides a pertinent contemplation for us to consider theway we seek happiness. We are all interested in happiness –we all value well-being – but if we don’t stop and considercarefully then we can easily settle for a happiness that falls farshort of what wise beings have realised is possible.The Buddha would sometimes use this word sukha whentalking about nibbana, for example, ‘nibbanam paramamsukham’. This is a line in a stanza that we recite regularly, andit means ‘nibbana is ultimate happiness’. People sometimesquestion this and say, ‘How can you use the word ‘happiness’when you talk about nibbana? Nibbana is supposed to beabout freedom from desire, and happiness is tied up with182