Venerable Rakwane Gnanaseeha Thera
Version in Russian: «Santasukha: счастье покоя«
So you should train like this: ‘We shall have peaceful faculties and peaceful minds.’ That’s how you should train. When your faculties and mind are peaceful, your acts of body, speech, and mind will be peaceful, thinking: ‘We shall present the gift of peace to our spiritual companions.’ That’s how you should train.
Samacittavagga: The Chapter on the Peaceful Mind (AN 2.36), translation by Ven. Bhikkhu Sujato
The most important kind of happiness is peace (calmness, tranquility). Let us examine what this happiness is, and why in Buddhism it is said that the highest happiness is peace.
There are two kinds of happiness: sensual happiness (or the happiness that we can feel), and the happiness that we cannot feel. In Pāli, these are called vedayita sukha and avedayita sukha.
What is vedayita sukha, or the happiness that can be felt? This is the kind of happiness people actually dream of. When we see something beautiful, hear something pleasant, and so on — happiness arises in us.
For example, we might see a beautiful sunset, hear birds singing, and be surrounded by nature’s beauty — and a strong, pleasant feeling arises. This is human happiness.
Or, if we haven’t seen our family for a long time and finally return home to see them — that too brings happiness. Likewise, when a close relative who lives far away comes home and we see them again, joy and happiness arise in us. This is the kind of happiness that can be felt.
Let’s say we haven’t eaten our usual food for a long time. And then someone prepares that food for us — when we see it, smell it, taste it, and start eating it, happiness arises.
Or, take someone who dreams of becoming something — a doctor, an engineer, a leader. Eventually, the moment comes when they achieve what they dreamed of. When they look at the work they’ve done, when they hear how others now address them — happiness arises.
This is what can be called vedayita sukha — the happiness that can be felt. And this kind of happiness, the happiness we can feel, can even be given a price. For example, how much does delicious food cost? Or a show, a trip? Not always, but in most cases we can estimate its price, or at least roughly understand its value.
But in Buddhism, another kind of happiness is also recognized. What is this other kind of happiness — the one that cannot be felt? It is called avedayita sukha. There is another name for it as well: santa — peace, calm. Santasukha means the happiness of peace, the happiness of calm. So what is this happiness of peace?
Let us take two people as an example. One of them drinks alcohol, smokes cigarettes, and uses drugs. He is a person with addictions. Why does he smoke? When he smokes, he experiences certain sensations, and they feel pleasant to him — so when he smokes, he feels a kind of happiness.
It’s the same with alcohol and drugs: he wants to use them to escape certain kinds of suffering and to feel good. He felt something before, and now he wants to feel it again.
Then there is another person — one who doesn’t use any substances, doesn’t smoke, and has no such addictions. This person also experiences happiness. But what kind of happiness is this? It is the happiness of not having the suffering that the addicted person experiences. This becomes especially clear when we look at people with severe addictions — people who are dying from their addictions.
If a person uses drugs or some other intoxicating substances, then they have their own specific suffering. If they don’t take the drug, a powerful inner craving arises. They feel they need it. They search for it, they are restless, and nothing else can satisfy them. The only thing they want is the drug — and so, like someone possessed, they go searching for it.
But a person without addictions experiences a different kind of happiness — the happiness of peace. The happiness of not feeling all that suffering. This kind of happiness is actually very difficult to explain — because, in truth, it is not felt.
Let’s take another example. Imagine a wealthy person who gained their fortune in a wrongful way — for example, by stealing from the state. That is how they acquired their wealth. Now they have a house, possessions — everything a person could need. But then they see that another wealthy person was imprisoned or even executed. They read about it in the newspapers, and great worry and anxiety arise in them. They won’t tell anyone about it, but inside, there is suffering.
This suffering is absent in a person who, even if not very rich, has earned all their wealth honestly. Their money is rightful and just. They do not have this suffering — the fear of being caught or arrested if others find out how they got their money. All these doubts, worries, and anxieties are not present in this person, and so they have a different kind of happiness — one that they themselves may not feel, but it is there nonetheless.
Then the householder Anāthapiṇḍika approached the Blessed One…. The Blessed One said to him:
“Householder, there are these four kinds of happiness that may be achieved by a layperson who enjoys sensual pleasures, depending on time and occasion. What four? The happiness of ownership, the happiness of enjoyment, the happiness of freedom from debt, and the happiness of blamelessness.
(1) “And what, householder, is the happiness of ownership? Here, a clansman has acquired wealth by energetic striving, amassed by the strength of his arms, earned by the sweat of his brow, righteous wealth righteously gained. When he thinks, ‘I have acquired wealth by energetic striving … righteously gained,’ he experiences happiness and joy. This is called the happiness of ownership.
(2) “And what is the happiness of enjoyment? Here, with wealth acquired by energetic striving, amassed by the strength of his arms, earned by the sweat of his brow, righteous wealth righteously gained, a clansman enjoys his wealth and does meritorious deeds. When he thinks, ‘With wealth acquired by energetic striving … righteously gained, I enjoy my wealth and do meritorious deeds,’ he experiences happiness and joy. This is called the happiness of enjoyment.
(3) “And what is the happiness of freedom from debt? Here, a clansman has no debts to anyone, whether large or small. When he thinks, ‘I have no debts to anyone, whether large or small,’ he experiences happiness and joy. This is called the happiness of freedom from debt.
(4) “And what is the happiness of blamelessness? Here, householder, a noble disciple is endowed with blameless bodily, verbal, and mental action. When he thinks, ‘I am endowed with blameless bodily, verbal, and mental action,’ he experiences happiness and joy. This is called the happiness of blamelessness.
“These are the four kinds of happiness that a layperson who enjoys sensual pleasures may achieve, depending on time and occasion.”
Having known the happiness of freedom from debt,
one should recall the happiness of ownership.
Enjoying the happiness of enjoyment,
a mortal then sees things clearly with wisdom.
While seeing things clearly, the wise one
knows both kinds of happiness.
The other is not worth a sixteenth part
of the bliss of blamelessness.
Ānaṇyasutta: Freedom From Debt (AN 4.62), translation by Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi
Let’s take another example. There is a person who has a migraine, a headache. Because of this, they take various medicines, visit doctors, and consult with them. And there is another person whose head does not hurt. This second person has happiness! This happiness is called avedayita. You might ask, “What happiness does he have? He just doesn’t have a headache!” Not having a headache — that itself is happiness.
In fact, sometimes we can also say what price this happiness has. We can determine how important it is and what it’s worth. For example, if a person has a headache and needs to get better, they go to doctors and look for medicine. And if there is only one doctor who can cure them, they will go to that doctor. If that doctor says they can cure the pain but it will be very expensive — say $10,000 or even more — the person will try to find the money. Because the headache is tormenting them, and they want to get rid of it. So they want to find doctors, medicine, and be healed.
A person whose head does not hurt already has this happiness! They just don’t see it. They don’t know that it is there. So in truth, the absence of suffering is already happiness. This is the happiness we should notice. We should want to attain this happiness.
And it can be said that the desire to attain this happiness is, at the same time, the absence of desire for anything else. Because when a person wants something, that very wanting, that desire causes a certain kind of suffering.
Suppose a person wants to move abroad and live there, to buy a house. And there is another person who does not want this. The first person develops a desire: “I want to get this, I want to move, I want to have a house and a job there.” And when they don’t get these things, anxiety and suffering arise. But the second person, simply because of the absence of this desire, does not experience that suffering or those thoughts. And that itself is already happiness.
For instance, take lobha (greed): when one has it, it inevitably leads to suffering. Lobha will be the cause of suffering. And when a person has less greed, attachment, and craving, their suffering diminishes. And therefore some peace arises within them.
Imagine a person dislikes a certain smell, for example, the scent of some specific plants or flowers. If the person has such aversion, then when that smell is present, suffering arises: “It smells bad here, these flowers must be removed,” and so on. But other people don’t have this aversion, so they experience a kind of peace. This peace is called avedayita sukha.
There are aggressive people filled with dosa, filled with anger. When they see something wrong, something they dislike — aggression constantly arises in them. A wise person, a kind person — they also see it, but they understand how the world truly is and its nature. Therefore, they do not suffer. They accept it as the nature of the world, and they possess this happiness – avedayita sukha.
What do you think — which happiness is better: vedayita or avedayita? In fact, people dream of obtaining vedayita happiness; that’s why they desire wealth, power, or fame. Why? Because they want to feel it. But in Buddhism, the main emphasis is not on vedayita sukha — the happiness we can feel — but on the other happiness, the one we cannot feel. This is the happiness of peace, tranquility. In Buddhism, this happiness is given the highest place.
Let’s take a very simple example: the body. The body can be considered happiness. Because of the body we can see, feel, hear, walk, do things, and so on. It is like our possession, our wealth. It seems like it is the self. Therefore, a person might think: this is my happiness. And because of this, they may become attached to their body, love it, be proud of it, and so on.
Look at what happens when a person grows old, loses their beauty and health, when weakness appears, when the body gets sick, when death approaches. Then great suffering arises in the person, and they cannot find peace. This suffering can be felt both physically and mentally. Physical suffering is felt in the body — weakness, pain. It is experienced directly in the body.
Mental suffering is when the person sees others — young people, beautiful, enjoying their youth and strength, rejoicing in their lives. When an elderly person realizes, “This is no longer mine, I can no longer do what they do,” then inner suffering arises. It is as if they have already lost it. People may try to hide this suffering from themselves, try not to see it, but it still exists.
A person who has already finished school might have a thought: “I’ve graduated, I can’t go back there anymore. That time has passed, that stage of life is over.” Such thoughts may arise, and with them — a certain kind of suffering.
Or when a person realizes: “I am getting older. My loved ones are getting older. I can die. My loved ones can die — and they do die.” Then an inner suffering arises. It may not be very noticeable at first, but it is there — and it will grow. It will become harder and harder to hide it from oneself.
What does Buddhism say about this? In Buddhism, we are given a different kind of advice: see suffering in the body. We should not perceive the body as happiness. We should see the body as suffering. We should not view the body as the self, not as “mine,” not as something that belongs to us. We should see the body in this way: “This body is not me, this is not mine, this does not belong to me.” We should not regard the body as something beautiful — we should see its unattractiveness.
For this very reason, the body is explained in great detail in the Buddha’s Teaching: how it originates, how it grows, what is inside the body, how it becomes diseased, ages, dies, and so forth. When a person reflects in this way, dispassion arises in them. Not aversion! Dispassion arises.
When one develops dispassion, they understand: “Yes, the body ages,” yet they do not suffer. They see: “Yes, beauty will fade,” but they do not suffer because of it — a certain tranquility remains in their mind. This serenity arises due to wisdom. Wisdom is the very cause of dispassion.
If a person practices thus, happiness develops within them. And this happiness is serenity. This is the highest happiness for a human being, and it can be cultivated. We say that the supreme happiness is Nibbāna: nibbānaṁ paramaṁ sukhaṁ. Nibbāna is the highest bliss.
The greatest of all gains is health,
Nibbāna is the greatest bliss,
The eightfold path is the best of paths
For it leads to safety, to the Deathless.
Māgaṇḍiyasutta: To Māgandiya (MN 75), translation by Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi
Ultimate happiness is Nibbāna, and there exists no happiness superior to Nibbāna. What kind of happiness is Nibbāna? It is precisely serenity. Etaṁ santaṁ — this is the peaceful, this is tranquility. Nibbāna is avedayita.
Thus, I have explained to you that there is present suffering, and its absence itself is happiness — avedayita sukha.
There is another definition: when certain sufferings have not yet occurred, but we are already free from them. A person faces the danger of rebirth in hell after death. Therefore, they understand: I am alive, but death is not the end of saṁsāra. After this, there will be continuation. And if I am reborn in hell, or in the realm of hungry ghosts, or in the animal realm — all of these will bring immense suffering. Then, even now, a certain anxiety arises in the person. And even if a person has no such anxiety, the danger of falling into those realms does not disappear.
Suppose a person practiced, understood the Buddha’s Teaching, and attained the stage of a sotāpanna (stream-enterer) — the first stage of enlightenment. It can be said that they saw a glimpse of Nibbāna, they saw what this happiness is. After this, there is no danger for them of rebirth in a lower realm. What is their happiness? How does the Buddha describe it?
The Buddha says this happiness is superior to being a universal monarch, superior even to being the king of the devas (gods). The Buddha says that the sotāpanna has only a very little suffering left.
Then the Buddha, picking up a little bit of dirt under his fingernail, addressed the mendicants: “What do you think, mendicants? Which is more: the little bit of dirt under my fingernail, or this great earth?”
“Sir, the great earth is certainly more. The little bit of dirt under your fingernail is tiny. Compared to the great earth, it doesn’t count, there’s no comparison, it’s not worth a fraction.”
“In the same way, for a person with comprehension, a noble disciple accomplished in view, the suffering that’s over and done with is more, what’s left is tiny. Compared to the mass of suffering in the past that’s over and done with, it doesn’t count, there’s no comparison, it’s not worth a fraction, since there are at most seven more lives. Such a person truly understands about suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path.
Nakhasikhāsutta: A Fingernail (SN 56.51), translation by Ven. Bhikkhu Sujato
These sufferings, from which a person who has become a sotāpanna is freed, are not only the sufferings of this life – they are the sufferings of future lives that could have been theirs. They could have been reborn in hells: there, lifespans are immense, spanning millions, billions of years of agony. Or they could have been reborn in the realm of hungry ghosts, or in the animal realm – for example, as some fish somewhere in the ocean. And from there, the wandering in saṁsāra would just continue and continue and continue — an endless cycle of suffering. But now, that person is free from all of that. And this happiness — it’s not something you can show to others: “Look how much happiness there is!” It can’t be shown — but it is there.
A monk has monastic happiness, and a layperson has worldly happiness. They are different. Laypeople experience more felt happiness — sensual happiness. A layperson rejoices, saying: “I have a house, I have children, I have wealth,” and so on.
But what does a monk rejoice in? “I don’t have a house, I don’t have children, I don’t have wealth.” The monk experiences a different kind of happiness. And both are happiness.
If the absence of houses, children, and wealth were not happiness — people wouldn’t become monks. Why would anyone choose to suffer needlessly? But there is another kind of happiness there. We usually call it “monastic happiness,” but in truth it is the happiness of peace — the happiness of calm.
But this monastic happiness, the happiness of tranquility, is also something laypeople should practice. How are you to practice it? What should you do? Clearly, you cannot leave home and become monks — but how, then, can you still practice this? You can practice renunciation. When a person practices renunciation, tranquility inevitably develops.
Everyone wants, everyone seeks, everyone seems to have gone mad — they all hurry about. But whoever cultivates renunciation — wishes to stop. And that, indeed, is happiness. So practice renunciation. How can a layperson practice renunciation?
When we speak of renunciation, many believe it means abandoning everything and entering monastic life. But that is the highest form of renunciation; in truth, renunciation is not practiced only in that way. We can practice renunciation by seeing suffering with right wisdom. If you begin to notice how harmful greed is — how greed gives rise to suffering — once you start to observe this, you no longer wish to cling; you wish to halt it. You wish to practice giving, generosity; you wish to free yourself from greed. Bit by bit, it will happen. As renunciation develops in your mind, your suffering gradually diminishes, and tranquility arises.
Your tranquility cannot be shown to others, nor can others take your peace away. Only you can lose it, only you can give it away, only you can surrender this happiness. Then your happiness no longer depends on the external world or external objects. Your happiness depends entirely on your wisdom and your practice. Therefore, practice renunciation, and little by little the happiness of tranquility will develop.
If a person has a good level of renunciation, they can be alone and be content with what is. They do not need many people, festivals, or parties. They can live alone and feel at peace. Their mind no longer generates constant suffering, and because of this they feel lightness and pleasantness in the body. This feeling of lightness, pleasantness, and peace is a felt happiness, but it arises also.
Conversely, when a person has more greed, aversion, and anger, they feel it in the body. They may feel heaviness or pain; their body will feel unpleasant.
On the other hand, when a person has less attachment, greed, and anger, and more loving-kindness, compassion, and wisdom, their mind will have more samādhi — harmony and mental collectedness. As a result, they feel lightness in the body.
Question
How can one recognize when they are clinging to this happiness of tranquility, and how can one counteract it? When something interrupts this state of peace and throws you out of it, aversion to the unrest arises, and you long to return to the state of tranquility — which only takes it further away.
Answer
A person enjoys being tranquil; this means they want no one to disturb them, they seek solitude and quiet around them. Yet this very preference can itself become a cause of suffering. When they see that their surroundings change, or that the condition they desired isn’t present, suffering arises. Why does this happen? Because they misunderstood this happiness of tranquility and misperceived its nature.
The happiness of tranquility arises from the absence of the three mental defilements. The three defilements are:
- lobha – greed;
- dosa – anger, aversion, hatred;
- moha – ignorance, delusion.
When they diminish, the happiness of tranquility appears. This is what we should strive for.
Many think: “I want seclusion, I’ll go to a countryside retreat, live there. Few people, few shops, no loud noises — that’s peaceful.” But in reality the person simply likes a certain environment. This too is a mental state they become attached to. So when they see it slipping away, suffering arises. They are striving not to reduce their defilements but to secure an external setting.
What should be done? Always see that our suffering arises because of our mental defilements. We must fight these defilements! Do not depend on the external world; instead, work on removing your defilements — then this won’t occur. You will no longer depend on external conditions or cling to any internal state.
In fact, I recall the first time I read about vedayita and avedayita sukha — happiness that we can feel and happiness that we cannot feel. And I didn’t understand it then. It is very difficult to grasp.
Some think it’s extremely easy, others feel it’s completely unclear what is being discussed. If we assume these are simple matters, it’s crucial to recognize that this is actually a manifestation of our ignorance. Our ignorance is so deep that we don’t even see it. To understand this, one must contemplate deeply; only then does a person develop a proper understanding of what the Buddha is teaching.
Here’s a fitting example. Imagine two people: one has the ability to instantly receive any food or drink they desire, consuming as much as they wish without any negative consequences. The other person never feels hunger or thirst and has no need for food or drink at all. Picture these two scenarios. People would dislike the idea of never eating or drinking again; they would think the second person is suffering. But in reality, that person has no great amount of suffering and enjoys tranquility! Because the first person has desire: they want one thing to eat, then another. The second person has no such desire. From this example, we can understand what we are aiming for.
To guide us, the Buddha gave a practice: first, virtue (sīla); second, concentration (samādhi); third, wisdom (paññā). Or, put differently: first, practice generosity (dāna); second, practice virtue (sīla); third, cultivate the mind (bhāvanā). But every practice is a striving for the happiness of tranquility. Every form of practice is a movement toward the happiness of peace.
A person’s highest happiness is tranquility. And I believe you know this happiness on some level. That is why you wish to take precepts, to practice, to study the Dhamma. That is why you are here. Those who keep precepts and practice virtue develop and experience the happiness of tranquility. They know it themselves; they feel it themselves. You too have become acquainted with this happiness — that is why you are here. Therefore, cherish your happiness, notice your happiness — it is very important, and cultivate it.
I wish you happiness and long life; may the merits of studying the Dhamma help you attain Nibbāna!
‘etaṁ santaṁ etaṁ paṇītaṁ yadidaṁ sabbasaṅkhārasamatho sabbūpadhippaṭinissaggo taṇhākkhayo virāgo nibbānan’ti.
This is peaceful, this is sublime, that is, the stilling of all activities, the relinquishment of all acquisitions, the destruction of craving, dispassion, nibbāna.
Girimānandasutta: Girimānanda (AN 10.60), translation by Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi
“There are, mendicants, these two kinds of happiness. What two?
The happiness of laypeople, and the happiness of renunciates. These are the two kinds of happiness. The better of these two kinds of happiness is the happiness of renunciates.”
Sensual happiness and the happiness of renunciation. These are the two kinds of happiness. The better of these two kinds of happiness is the happiness of renunciation.”
The happiness of attachments, and the happiness of no attachments. These are the two kinds of happiness. The better of these two kinds of happiness is the happiness of no attachments.”
Defiled happiness and undefiled happiness. These are the two kinds of happiness. The better of these two kinds of happiness is the happiness of no defilements.”
Happiness of the flesh and happiness not of the flesh. These are the two kinds of happiness. The better of these two kinds of happiness is happiness not of the flesh.”
Noble happiness and ignoble happiness. These are the two kinds of happiness. The better of these two kinds of happiness is noble happiness.”
Physical happiness and mental happiness. These are the two kinds of happiness. The better of these two kinds of happiness is mental happiness.”
Happiness with rapture and happiness free of rapture. These are the two kinds of happiness. The better of these two kinds of happiness is happiness free of rapture.”
Happiness with pleasure and happiness with equanimity. These are the two kinds of happiness. The better of these two kinds of happiness is happiness with equanimity.”
The happiness of immersion and the happiness without immersion. These are the two kinds of happiness. The better of these two kinds of happiness is the happiness of immersion.”
Happiness that relies on rapture and happiness that relies on freedom from rapture. These are the two kinds of happiness. The better of these two kinds of happiness is happiness that relies on freedom from rapture.”
Happiness that relies on pleasure and happiness that relies on equanimity. These are the two kinds of happiness. The better of these two kinds of happiness is happiness that relies on equanimity.”
Happiness that relies on form and happiness that relies on the formless. These are the two kinds of happiness. The better of these two kinds of happiness is happiness that relies on the formless.”
Sukhavagga: Happiness (AN 2.64–76), translation by Ven. Bhikkhu Sujato
Additional materials
Vedanānupassanā: Observation of Sensations
Upasamānussati: Recollection of The Peace of Nibbāna
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