13 upvotes, 1 direct replies (showing 1)
Personally, I have never ever even attempted to search for joy and happiness. I believe the right attitude is to first give up your thoughts of "gaining happiness". Going to or visualizing a place called "pure land of bliss" has never been my reason of trying to understand Buddha's teaching. My only goal is to understand the true nature of reality.
The first jhana is bliss, so an aversion to accepting and recognizing happiness will be counterproductive to your progress along the eightfold path. The Buddha also attempted denial and the life of an ascetic, but mastery of those practices did not help him realize nibbana. It was not until he remembered a blissful time in his childhood away from all unskillful desires that he made progress toward enlightenment and liberation from samsara, the destruction of karma, and realization of ultimate truth.
Comment by Mayayana at 03/02/2025 at 22:14 UTC
-2 upvotes, 1 direct replies
That's Theravada view, not Mahayana.