What Is Happiness? The Same Plate of Food, Yet One Person Feels Joy and Another Suffers

I recall the story of a young woman who once confided in me. She said, "My life is full of misfortune. All the suffering in this world seems reserved for me alone." At first glance, one might think she was merely complaining. However, Venerable Thich Chan Quang perceived something deeper within her words. She still held onto hope. As long as there is hope, there is effort to live, and a belief that happiness will be found one day. So, what is happiness ultimately? And why does the same plate of food bring joy to some and pain to others?

Happiness Begins with How You Define It

Venerable Thich Chan Quang teaches that if we understand happiness correctly, we walk on the right path. If we define it wrongly, we stray into delusion. For instance, someone who believes happiness lies in pleasing others may become a healer or doctor. Conversely, someone who thinks happiness is found in delicious food will spend their life seeking gourmet dishes. These two people move in different directions, leading to entirely different outcomes.

He explains, "If you define happiness correctly, your journey continues until you reach the gates of heaven opening before you. But if you misunderstand happiness, you head in another direction. Often, you do not realize that the path you thought was happiness leads straight down to hell, into the deepest abyss." This shows that exploring the meaning of happiness is not just theoretical. It determines the entire course of our lives.

The Same Plate, Two Different Sorrows

Happiness is relative and subjective. To a hungry person, a plate of good food is bliss. But to someone who has just eaten their fill, or to a wealthy person worried about high cholesterol, that same plate becomes a burden. Venerable Thich Chan Quang shares, "For the hungry, the plate is happiness. For the full, that same plate is suffering."

This applies to houses and cars as well. To those living in leaking thatched huts, a modern house is a dream. Yet, those tired of city mansions often yearn to return to the countryside to build a simple hut by the river. A luxury car can feel like a prison when stuck in traffic. The value of an object changes completely depending on the person, the time, and the conditions.

Happiness Is a Combination of Two Factors

Venerable Chan Quang points out that happiness is not just an external object. It is the combination of the external object and the internal feeling. Money is an object, but true happiness arises only when a lottery winner feels immense joy upon receiving it. In contrast, a long-time practitioner may hold money without any stirring of the mind/heart, so the money creates no pleasure. Therefore, the internal feeling is the most important element.

As he states, "Happiness is the combination of two factors: one is the external object, and the second is the internal feeling." Ultimately, both suffering (dukkha) and joy reside within our own mind/heart. External conditions are merely supportive factors or suggestions.

Happiness Can Also Be the Starting Point of Suffering

This is a bitter yet profound realization. Venerable Chan Quang says, "Happiness is the value of life, but it is also the starting point of suffering." Every joy requires a trade-off involving sweat and tears. To buy a car, one must work hard, sometimes falling into debt. Furthermore, the more one indulges in worldly happiness, the more selfish they become. He notes, "All addicts are extremely selfish."

He tells the story of a man addicted to alcohol, spending all his money on drinking while leaving his wife and children to starve. Drug addiction is even more terrifying, as addicts are willing to kill to obtain their next fix. Thus, the stronger the sensation, the greater the harm. This is the hidden side of happiness that we often fail to see.

Seeking True Happiness

Each person’s journey to find happiness is actually a journey back to themselves. Venerable Thich Chan Quang teaches that a correct definition of happiness opens the gates of heaven, while a wrong definition leads to the abyss. Before rushing after external objects, we should listen to our own mind/heart. Through practice, meditative concentration, and contemplation, we learn to detach genuine joy from fleeting conditions.

In this fragmented world, there exists a happiness that needs no gourmet food or luxurious mansion. It is the peace of a mind/heart that remains serene, free from greed, hatred and delusion, seeing all things as they truly are. I invite all Buddhists to practice this path, to discover inner joy, and to live a life of true meaning.