Joy and Desire Give Rise to Sorrow and Fear – A Lesson from the Dhammapada, Verse Fifty-Eight

A lesson about joy and desire from the Dhammapada, verse fifty-eight, helping us distinguish true joy from joy that hides suffering, so that we may live in peace amid the world.

One morning, in the city of Vesali, the Buddha and the monks went on their alms round amid a festival filled with laughter, music, and crowds of admirers. But on the way back, they came upon blood and wounds from a violent brawl. The cause was nothing more than a beautiful girl, some flirtatious words, then insults, and then a fight. From this, the Buddha taught:

"Joy and desire give rise to sorrow; joy and desire give rise to fear. One who is free from joy and desire knows neither fear nor sorrow."

Joy – Both a Driving Force and a Trap

Every one of us needs joy. Happiness and delight are what give us the strength to live. But not every kind of joy is wholesome. There is joy that comes from success – and legitimate success is good – but if that joy arises from competition, from a proud and self-important ego, then it is precisely the seed of suffering.

Teacher Thích Chân Quang tells of people who rejoice when the team they idolize wins, even though they never set foot on the field. That joy comes from "being better than others." Or a student who is happy because of a higher grade than a classmate, a businessperson who is delighted at outdoing a rival. These joys conceal greed, hatred and delusion. As the teacher says: "That joy is joy at being better than others. Hidden within it is a tragedy of humanity – this matter of winning and losing."

There are even those who feel joy at seeing others suffer. The teacher tells the story of a schoolteacher who asked her students to do good deeds, and one student proudly reported: this morning, the whole group helped "escort" an old woman across the road. It turned out they had dragged her along, pushed her until she fell, and laughed as she cried out. Everyone who hears this thinks they could never be so cruel, but the teacher analyzes it: when we see someone in misfortune, do we secretly smile? That, too, is the seed of the ego, of indifference and callousness.

True Joy – Rejoicing in the Success of Others

So what kind of joy is worth cultivating? It is the joy we feel when we see others succeed, even surpass us. The teacher teaches: "When we see others succeed, we rejoice. This kind of joy makes life better..." This is the milestone that leads us toward the noble path. Why is it so difficult? Because the ego is always envious.

The teacher gives an example: two neighboring families live in simple one-story houses, and suddenly one day the other family has money to build a tall building. Our heart tightens just a little. The only joy we need to create is joy for others, even when they surpass us. When we are ahead, we are not arrogant; when we fall behind, we are not envious. That is the practice of transcending joy that clings.

The teacher also shares: "My joy is not that Buddhists listen to my recordings, but that I see them living better, loving one another more." That is the joy of the Buddhas, of true leaders, and of all whose hearts are turned toward goodness.

Desire – A Power That Must Be Restrained

Joy is delight; desire is sensual craving, especially romantic and sexual attachment. Hormones awaken naturally when we come of age. The difference between humans and animals is not the absence of desire, but the presence of the will to restrain it. The teacher makes this clear: "Human beings differ from animals precisely in this restraint."

When hormones stir and we feel attraction, we can use reason, ethics, and moral principles to stop ourselves. If we cannot, we become no different from beasts. Pleasure that indulges the senses leads only to suffering, to broken families, and to a society in disarray.

Right Education – Teaching Restraint

The teacher warns about articles calling for young people to engage freely in sexual activity. He calls this "destroying the entire world," because it drags people into the mire. Proper sex education does not teach how to indulge, but how to restrain oneself, how to master one's impulses. That restraint is a noble quality of being human.

He also criticizes an education that inflates the ego to excess, corrupting the beautiful nature of Eastern culture. When children become disrespectful and look down on their parents, society will decline. We must pray for the strength to preserve morality and uphold human dignity, rather than fall into despair.

Transcending Joy and Desire – The Path of the Noble Ones

Transcending joy and desire is not easy. In Buddhism, one must attain the third fruit of the Non-Returner to completely uproot sensual craving. But we can begin with small steps each day: observing our own mind, and grounding our joy in compassion and wisdom. The teacher teaches: "To transcend this desire, one must attain the third fruit of the Non-Returner." But even if we cannot attain that fruit right away, we can gradually practice letting go, step by step.

The Buddha gives us a precious lesson: joy is not bad in itself, but when joy is bound to desire and to the ego, it will surely give rise to fear and worry. Let us live with the joy of letting go, the joy of empathy, the joy of wakefulness. Only then can we truly live in peace, free of worry and free of fear.