“It is like you have just decided to switch to using your non-dominant hand to perform
tasks instead of your dominant hand. Even though you can decide to switch and use it
immediately without any delay, because it is not yet very skilled, whenever there is an
urgent or sudden situation, you will often inadvertently revert to using your dominant
hand, perhaps for speed, better efficiency, or simply out of habit. Therefore, this is
considered normal to occur. What you must do is diligently maintain the feeling of
being the Divine continuously. When you lapse, quickly return to it. Therefore, the
mindfulness and concentration that you have practiced so diligently, you must now put
them to use.”

“After accomplishing the two points mentioned above, another phenomenon will
manifest: you will become one who ‘expresses being’ completely. Because when you
can focus on that being, and you can utilize it naturally, you will spontaneously become
pure love and goodwill. You will speak everything with kindness, you will do
everything with compassion, you will express yourself with respect and honor towards
everything around you, and you will create good things to appear. This expression does
not require gradual development based on how long you have ‘been,’ whether you are
skilled or not yet skilled. The moment you truly feel ‘being,’ this phenomenon will
manifest immediately, and it is an indicator of whether a person ‘is’ or ‘is not’ yet. If this
phenomenon of ‘being’ has not yet manifested physically, if there is no concrete
expression of love towards everyone, if there are no activities that are good, if there are
no intellectual results emanating from the spirit, it indicates that they have not yet
entered true being.”

“When the expression of ‘being’ appears, resulting in tangible benefits for people and
society, the final consequence is that you will become a creator of a society of ‘the
blissful,’ ‘the joyful,’ or those liberated from suffering, which is the highest state of
being human,” the Buddha explained.

“Does that mean happiness is the factor leading to this process of being, Lord?” Upasiva
the ascetic then asked.

“Listen, all of you… The blissful one is the result of this process, not the cause. The
happiness that manifests as a result can be categorized into two aspects and comprises
six levels,” the Buddha said.

“Please, Lord, enlighten us and dispel our doubts,” Upasiva the ascetic requested.

“Certainly… The two aspects I mentioned are: first, tangible or physical happiness, and
second, intangible or mental happiness.”

“Within these two aspects, it can be further categorized into six levels as follows:

First is the happiness of ‘comfort’ or what is also called ‘normal well-being.’ Although
this level of happiness is basic, if a human being experiences a level of happiness lower than this, they will immediately experience suffering. For example, someone who is
working hard, is sick, or whose body is imperfect or incomplete. For those in such a
state, sometimes their greatest desire is simply to return to comfort or normalcy, and
they are satisfied. This is the first form of tangible happiness.

However, this level of happiness also has a hidden intangible meaning. That is, if one
can experience this ‘comfort’ regardless of the abnormality they are facing, or in a state
of relaxation, detached from everything, letting go of everything, feeling clear and light,
causing such a state in body and mind, that person will discover a happiness that is a
factor leading to spiritual knowing.

Next, when ordinary people have a sufficient foundation of normal well-being, to the
point where they no longer see its importance, humans tend to seek the second level of
happiness, which is ‘pleasure’ or happiness derived from indulgence and enjoyment. It
is a happiness that exceeds normalcy, arising from the gratification of all the senses,
whether through hearing, sight, smell, taste, and touch. It is a happiness that is
embellished to be exquisite and luxurious. Currently, most people in the world are
seeking and competing for this level of happiness, even though it is only one of the
initial levels.

This happiness of ‘pleasure,’ although leaning more towards the tangible, also has an
intangible meaning. That is, if one can find joy in the work they do from what they
create, especially if that creation brings benefit and happiness to others, no matter
what it is, if done without the conditions of the past or future dictating it, done without
expecting reward, done without anticipation, the fact that one can be happy in such a
mental state, even though this type of happiness is for ‘pleasure,’ it will be a ‘pleasure’
that has spiritual value. That person will discover a happiness that is a factor leading to
spiritual knowing.”

“The third level is the happiness of ‘peace’ or what is called ‘peaceful happiness.’
Superficially, this level of happiness may seem similar to the happiness of ‘comfort’ or
normal well-being, but the difference lies in that ‘normal well-being’ occurs after
experiencing hardship, whereas ‘peaceful happiness’ occurs after experiencing the
second type of happiness, or ‘pleasure’ or indulgence, sufficiently, so much so that one
feels turmoil, difficulty, even suffering – suffering from seeking, suffering from striving,
etc. This type of happiness still relies on external factors, that is, due to much
indulgence and much interaction, many problems may arise during that time, so one
begins to seek a way out. The way out that can be seen is to stop seeking or reduce the
happiness that is pleasure-based, and this is the meaning of the word ‘peaceful
happiness.’”

“The consequence for those who can experience the third level of happiness or
discover peaceful happiness is that they will begin to understand the world,
understand the dimension of relationships, and see the interconnectedness of things,
causing them to know that in reality there is nothing substantial to cling to. It is merely
a self-created fabrication of the mind, composed of memories of the past and
expectations of the future. Once they experience happiness at the level of peacefulness, from this point on, they will more easily enter intangible happiness, which is a factor
leading to spiritual knowing more easily.

And when they naturally enter the third level of happiness, they will discover the
fourth level of happiness, which is the happiness of ‘renunciation’ or the happiness
derived from giving and sharing, happiness derived from sincere love and goodwill.
You might call this type of happiness ‘joyful happiness,’ because they have realized that
everything is insubstantial and without essence, everything is merely a conceptual
construct. This principle of teaching people to renounce is also used as a guideline for
ordinary people. However, if this step does not arise from a deep understanding of the
process of peaceful happiness, it may lead to confusion, because if one performs this
act of renunciation for the sake of accumulation or expecting to receive a reward, or
does it to exchange for something, such as doing it to gain merit or to be accepted by
society, instead of doing it to ‘give,’ it will become doing it to ‘take’ instead, which will
cause a reverse process back to tangible happiness but in the guise of the intangible.”

“The fifth level is the happiness derived from ‘tranquility’ or what is called ‘tranquil
happiness.’ You might feel that tranquil happiness and peaceful happiness are not
different, but in reality, there is a difference. Peaceful happiness arises from ceasing
and not engaging in conflict with people and society, reducing and abandoning
unnecessary things, which is still about the external world related to other people or
things. But the tranquil happiness I am talking about is happiness derived from the
inner world. This tranquil happiness can be brought about at any moment, even when
facing unrest. This tranquil happiness does not require any environment or factors.
This level of happiness is considered happiness derived from within, or truly intangible
happiness.”

“Those who are known to seek the truth, to seek the path of liberation, such as ascetics,
monks, hermits, recluses, and those like you, including myself, can mostly access the
happiness derived from renunciation, causing them to abandon everything and set out
to seek tranquil happiness or the fifth level of happiness. But no one has ever
discovered happiness beyond this, or the highest form of happiness,” the Buddha said
before pausing to allow everyone time to reflect.

“Please, Lord, quickly resolve our doubts as to what the final level of happiness is like,”
Achita said.

“The sixth level of happiness, which is the final level, I will call this happiness
‘illumination’ or ‘supreme bliss.’ It is the happiness derived from realization or from
understanding the ultimate truth, which comes from knowing who you are, where you
came from, why you came, what you are doing, where you will go, and how.

You might not consider this level of happiness to be happiness if you compare its
results to physical happiness, which is perceived through the five senses and has a
clearer effect on emotions and feelings. The happiness I am telling you about is not
about ‘adding’ something, but about realizing what ‘is already there,’ especially that
what is there is the greatest, is the most valuable.

If I were to compare it, it is as if you have been a pauper your whole life, but one day
someone tells you that you are the heir of a multi-millionaire, who has left you an
enormous inheritance. Upon knowing this, it is filled with completeness, freedom, and
joy, without needing to strive to add anything else. It is trust, it is the end of the
journey, it is the noble wealth that everyone already possesses, but they do not know
they have it and do not know how to use it,” the Buddha attempted to explain.

“Please, Lord, explain the mechanism of all knowing more clearly,” Achita said.