Indigenous Perspectives on Happiness: Insights from Indian Traditions

While the quest for happiness has been a perennial global concern, it’s meaning and ways to pursue it differ widely. The traditional Indian worldview situates human life on a broader spectrum of conditions encompassing physical, psycho-social, and spiritual modes of existence. According to this dynamic process, model happiness is achieving liberation from suffering. This Dharma-centric view considers the limits of the material world and treats regulating the ego and its attachments as an inevitable challenge. It aspires to seek mental peace and harmonious co-existence with other beings be they creatures, nature, or the environment. Thus, happiness incorporates optimism, the absence of illness, a sense of wellness, and securing the well-being of others. Pursuing happiness involves renunciation as well as self-control. An endeavor is made to maintain equanimity, accept positive and negative events, and engage in activities that constitute the pattern of a happy life. Mindful self-regulation is the key to the pursuit of happiness.