Why bliss is different from happiness

By Sant Rajinder Singh

Bliss is fundamentally different from happiness. Happiness is a feeling and state of the mind, dependent upon circumstances unfolding according to our wishes, and therefore inevitably has an opposite: unhappiness. Bliss, by contrast, is a state of the soul. God is the source of all bliss, love, and joy, and because the soul is a spark of the Divine, these qualities are also inherent within us. The spiritual journey, therefore, is not one of attaining bliss, but of awakening to the bliss that already resides within.

Life in the human form brings challenges, disappointments, and periods of pain and sorrow. The ups and downs of life are inescapable, but they need not disturb our inner peace. Personal difficulties and turmoil in the world are part of the human condition. Yet we need not allow these experiences to overwhelm or consume us.

The mind is just like a busy marketplace, crowded with thoughts, desires, and distractions that continually pull our attention outward. The soul, by contrast, is a sanctuary, a place of stillness and silence beyond the noise of the world. It is within this inner sanctuary that the bliss of the soul may be experienced. Meditation is the means by which we enter that sanctuary. As we withdraw our attention from the outer world and partake more deeply of the divine Light and Sound within, we awaken to the bliss that is inherent in our true nature as soul.

The Divine is described as Sat-ChitAnand: Truth, Consciousness, and Bliss.

Because the soul is a spark of the Divine, bliss already resides within us as part of our true nature. Bliss is enduring because it arises from our relationship with God. At the heart of this relationship is love. Saints and mystics have spoken of the transformative power of divine love and the profound change that occurs when one experiences it firsthand. Through that experience, one gradually realises that all of creation is connected through the same divine Power that brought creation into being.

As the soul connects with the divine Light and Sound within, through meditation, a profound transformation unfolds. The experience of the Creative Power gradually dissolves the illusion of separateness. We begin to recognise that every soul is connected to the same Creator and that the love flowing from God belongs equally to all. From this realisation arise compassion, kindness, and selfless service, the natural expressions of a heart awakened to love. We no longer help others merely because it is our duty, but because we experience them as part of ourselves. We give of ourselves to alleviate their burdens, and in this giving, we receive the bounty of God’s love; we discover joy.

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