Happiness

Many spiritual masters have long emphasized a simple yet profound truth: “If someone is not happy wherever he is, he cannot be happy anywhere else.”

As always, this concept is also susceptible to misunderstanding and misinterpretation. At first glance, it may appear to suggest that no matter what happens, one should simply learn to be happy. But the real meaning lies far deeper—it points not to blind acceptance of suffering, but to the discovery of a happiness that no outer situation can disturb.

Such distortion occurs when we interpret spiritual teachings through a purely literal or unawaken mind. This is why only an awakened being can truly interpret the words of another awakened one.

The Story of Ananda

I always liked a Buddhist story that beautifully illustrates this. Ananda was the closest disciple of Buddha. For forty years, he remained with Buddha like a shadow. After Buddha passed away, Buddhists started collecting his teachings, and Ananda was the only person who had heard them all. So, they went to him and requested that he share Buddha's teachings.

Ananda gave them the words of Buddha, but before every sentence, he added a prefix: “As I heard from Buddha.” He never said, “As Buddha told…” or “Buddha meant to say that….”

This shows the honesty of Ananda. He was in such an authoritative position that whatever he said would have been taken as truth, yet he didn’t misuse that authority. When he said, “As I heard from Buddha,” he was acknowledging, “How could I know what Buddha meant to say? Only Buddha can know what he meant. I can only tell you what I heard and understood.

To understand or interpret any concept of the highest level, one must also have a consciousness of the highest level.

Inner Vs Outer Happiness

Most spiritual concepts concern inner growth and the soul’s evolution. They must be applied inwardly—toward self-awareness—rather than outwardly, toward external circumstances. Yet, because most of us live outwardly, this mistake of projection is bound to happen. That’s why it is important to find the right person who can bring the right meaning to light.

As I understand this concept - “If someone is not happy wherever he is, he cannot be happy anywhere else”—it speaks of inner peace, inner contentment, and inner happiness. Someone who has reached this state of inner happiness will not be disturbed by outer circumstances. You may put garlands on him or handcuffs; praise him or curse him—it will make no difference. He will remain as he is: silent and smiling.

But because most of us know only happiness derived from external circumstances, we easily misunderstand this concept. In the higher interpretation, the person is already happy within, and outer situations have no power to affect that state. In the lower interpretation, the person is unhappy and seeks happiness through outer situations.

This concept can also be understood through Jesus’s words: “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)

Once we find inner happiness and contentment, whatever is meant to happen in outer life will happen naturally. A person who is aware will take decisions in alignment with inner peace. If an association disturbs that peace, they will walk away without hesitation. But if one has not yet found that inner happiness, no change of place or partner will make a difference

As Osho says,

“If you are miserable in Poona, you will be miserable in New York. If you are blissful in Poona, you will be blissful in New York. Because misery and bliss are not geographical — they are psychological.”

Conscious vs. Unconscious Living

An unconscious person escapes situation without awareness. For example, a man unhappy in his marriage blames his partner and leaves her, only to repeat the same misery with another partner. He escaped one form of suffering, only to recreate it again—because he never faced the real cause, his own mind.

A conscious person, however, observes themselves deeply. They see how dependency, fear, or past wounds shape their reactions. When awareness arises, they may realize: “This relationship is abusive. Staying here blocks my growth.” So, they leave—not in anger, but with clarity. Their decision comes from awareness, not escape. As a result, peace follows, not regret.

Thus, this whole concept is about going inward to seek inner contentment and happiness first. Once we have that, our awareness naturally guides us toward people and situations that support our joy—and away from those that don’t.

If someone continues to stay with people or in situations that bring only misery, it means they still don’t know inner happiness and believe happiness lies outside. In no way does this concept suggest enduring abuse, crime, or manipulation. Spirituality is about bliss, not suffering.

As Osho says again,

“To be spiritual is to be intelligent with awareness. If someone slaps you and you just stand there saying, ‘I am happy, I am divine,’ then you are not divine — you are just stupid.”

If someone is caught in a situation of abuse or manipulation, it is their duty to get out through awareness and right action. The difference is that an awakened person leaves without hatred—only with compassion toward the abuser.

This is my understanding of this concept that it is to seek inner contentment and inner happiness and then you will automatically attract happiness from all sides. Conversely, if you don’t have that inner happiness then you will automatically create disasters wherever you go.

Misunderstood Concepts

Following are some other spiritual concepts which are similarly misunderstood or misinterpreted by us –

Apocalypse – “Apocalypse is a word that means "the end of the world" — or something so destructive it seems like the world has ended, like the event of a major earthquake. The apocalypse is the total destruction of the world, as prophesied in the Biblical book of Revelation.“

My understanding – For every individual, there is a separate world. As world’s population is 8 Billion right now, it means that there are at least 8 Billion ways of looking at this world or we can even say that there are 8 Billion Worlds within this one world. For every individual, there is a separate individual world.

Apocalypse is commonly seen as the end of the world, but in truth, it symbolizes the end of an individual’s old world—the destruction of the egoic mind and birth of new vision. It is an inner transformation, like a kundalini awakening or out-of-body experience that changes one’s perception entirely.

I won’t interpret Apocalypse as the end of the whole world but as the end of an individual’s world and shift in outlook of that individual; from very mundane to very mystical or paradoxical. 

Doomsday Prophecy – “In many religions, doomsday is the end of the world and the moment of final judgment. Doomsday means utter catastrophe, in both religious and secular contexts”

My understanding – Again as I understand, world here means the individual world – one for every individual. Doomsday represents not global destruction but the death of the individual world at the time of one’s death.

Final judgment can be understood as the analysis of karma from this life and all accumulated karma from many lives on which basis individual gets next life to learn his further lessons and live his karma. So, I would understand doomsday philosophy as the time of death and re-birth based on all accumulated karma.

Heaven & Hell – As Osho says, they are not geographical places but states of mind. Whenever you are happy, you are in Heaven; when you are miserable, you are in Hell. 

Salvation - I don't think there can be any doubt or confusion about what kind (inner vs outer) of Salvation Bible talks about when it says - Acts 4:12: "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved".

Holy War or Jihad - "Holy war" is a Western concept referring to war that is fought for religion, against adherents of other religions, often in order to promote religion through conversion, and with no specific geographic limitation.

My understanding – Rumi says –

“O kings, we have slain the outward enemy,

but there remains within us a worse enemy.

To slay this one is not the work of reason or wit —

the true lion is he who slays himself.

He who conquers his own self is the lion indeed,

not he who conquers other men.

O my beloved friends, this tale is true and fine:

the war with the self is the greatest holy war.”

Rumi draws on the Prophet’s saying: “We return from the lesser jihad to the greater jihad—the struggle against the self.”

For Rumi, the “outward war” symbolizes our efforts to reform the world, while the “inward war” is the real transformation — conquering greed, pride, and desire.

The real hero is one who defeats his own ego, not one who triumphs over others.

I think it is very clear from the poem and interpretation that the real Holy War is the inner one, fought against ego, greed, and pride. All outer wars are unholy.

Conclusion

Seek the higher meanings in spiritual texts. Leave interpretation to the awakened, for only they can read from the depth of awareness. And how to recognize the awakened? Through their interpretations—the deeper the meaning they reveal, the higher their evolution.

Ultimately, spiritual understanding is not about acquiring knowledge but about awakening perception—seeing the same words through the eyes of truth.

Gratitude!!!