Take 5 & Give Up 5 = Make yourself Happy
Happiness is a need and everyone wants it. The question is how do we get it? One must take action to do anything and the answer given in Guru Granth is:
One must take on adding five positive and reduce/delete five negatives from our life.
Guru Nanak divines the following simple message to guide us:
ਕਾਮ ਕ੍ਰੋਧ ਮਾਇਆ ਮਦ ਮਤਸਰ ਏ ਖੇਲਤ
ਸਭਿ ਜੂਐ ਹਾਰੇ ॥ਸਤੁ ਸੰਤੋਖੁ ਦਇਆ ਧਰਮੁ ਸਚੁ ਇਹ ਅਪੁ ਨੈ ਗ੍ਰਿਹ ਭੀਤਰਿ ਵਾਰੇ ॥੧॥ Shed lust, anger, illusory pleasures (things transitory) and jealousy, like losing them in gambling;
and let sharing (sat), contentment (santokh), compassion (dya), dutifulness (dharam) and truthfulness (sach) enter the mind. (GG, p 379)
Let us briefly discuss those that should be imbibed. These are achieved by one who gives up ego and develops humility in life. Guru Nanak
1. Sat 2. Santokh 3. Dya 4. Dharam 5. Sach
Amazingly my search in "Psychology today" suggest the same ideas as Guru Nanak's and uses a very similar language to explain. Let's look at them one by one:
1. Sharing/ Charity (Sewa) SAT ਸਤ
Sat has two meanings: 'truth' and 'sharing/charity'. For our discussion sharing/caring has been taken because 'sach' or 'truth' is already one of the five.
Sharing is caring, simply to be experienced. With body, mind and money or resources. All 3 mediums are to be used to one's ability.
ਸੇਵ ਕੀਤੀ ਸੰਤੋਖੀਈ ਜਿਨ੍ਹ੍ਹੀ ਸਚੋ
ਸਚੁ ਧਿਆਇਆ ॥
ਓਨ੍ਹ੍ਹੀ ਮੰਦੈ ਪੈਰੁਨ ਰਖਿਓ ਕਰਿ ਸੁਕ੍ਰਿਤੁ ਧਰਮੁ ਕਮਾਇਆ ॥
So what have you accomplished by listening to the Puraanas/ religious books?
Everlasting1 devotion to serving has not welled up within you, and you have not given alms to the hungry. (P 1253)
For what good would their prosperity do them if it did not
provide them with the opportunity for good works? Aristotle
This is not only good for community relations but also is good for the morale uplifting of the person.
Sharing is an attitude. Sharing is 1/3 of Sikh teaching-way of Life.
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2. Contentment/ Santokh–ਸੰਤੋਖ
Contentment represents happiness, simply said. Contentment refers to a state of mind in which one feels satisfied and craves no more.
ਸਹਸ ਖਟੇ ਲਖ ਕਉ ਉਠਿ ਧਾਵੈ ॥ ਤ੍ਰਿ
ਪਤਿ ਨ ਆਵੈ ਮਾਇਆ ਪਾਛੈ ਪਾਵੈ ॥
ਅਨਿਕ ਭੋਗ ਬਿਖਿਆ ਕੇ ਕਰੈ ॥ ਨਹ ਤ੍ਰਿ ਪਤਾਵੈ ਖਪਿ ਖਪਿ ਮਰੈ ॥
ਬਿਨਾ ਸੰਤੋਖਨਹੀ ਕੋਊ ਰਾਜੈ ॥ ਸੁਪਨ ਮਨੋਰਥ ਬ੍ ਰਿਥੇ ਸਭ ਕਾਜੈ ॥ ੫ ੨੭੯
Earning a thousand, he runs after millions.Satisfaction is not obtained by chasing after maya.
He may enjoy all sorts of corrupt pleasures,
but he is still not satisfied; he indulges again and again, wearing himself out, until he dies.
Result per Guru Nanak -
“One whose mind is contented and shows compassion for all, has the purpose of his life fast fulfilled.”
3. Compassion/ Daya – ਦਇਆ
If you have no compassion; God's Light does not shine within you.
Creator-Being the treasure house of compassion.
Compassion is a fundamental Divine virtue by which the Creator shows unsolicited compassion.
We all understand Unconditional Love, Compassion is the unconditional love of God/ Saints.
I googled Wonderful Psychological Effects of Being Compassionate, and pasted below are the surprising result from www.Psychologytoday.com
Compassion should be learned and nurtured, Compassion motivates action.
Happier and Healthier.
Boost the Immune response.
Increased Empathy response.
More Helpful.
Less Afraid of Suffering.
4. Ethical Living and Religion/ Dharam - ਧਰਮ
Dharam in English language has wide coverage including dutifulness, ethical living and religion.
The highest religion/dharma is to meditate on ONE creator and to do the pure deeds.
“This township (of the body) is maintained by truthfulness, contentment, chastity, charity and self-control all-too-naturally, one is then met with the Life of life”- means Best of Life implying Happiness. Nanak (Ang 1037)
5. Truth/ Satu
Truth is the highest of all virtues, but higher still is truthful living. Nanak,
Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me the truth. Thoreau
Truth is not only for saying but must be practiced and become (our behavior) part of living (our) life.
Satisfaction as habit, Compassion as behavior, Dutiful work/ religion as prayer
“The city joyful is the name of the place,
Suffering and sorrow abide not there.
Neither is there worry of paying taxes,
Nor fear of punishment for error nor decline.
A beautiful homeland have I found,
Where perpetually reign peace and calm,
O friend”. (Nanak)
Above five qualities to adapt makes a person better, a leader at any level, a better society, if the world adopts- we have a happy place and peaceful condition/ environment to live and co-exist with our neighbors.
The following 5 should be restrained/ deleted from our living.
These are five thieves/ steal-take away from our lives & cause unhappiness
Five thieves Lust, Anger, Greed, Attachment and Vanity abide in this body, they deprive the mind of the nectar of goodness but the self-oriented man does not realize this; no one listens to his calls. - (Guru Nanak)
They are called thieves because they steal Divine virtues from the mind which makes one forget one’s responsibilities.
ਕਾਮੁ ਕ੍ਰੋਧੁ ਲੋਭੁ ਝੂਠੁ ਨਿੰਦਾ ਸਾ
ਧੂ ਸੰਗਿ ਬਿਸਾਰਿਓ ॥
ਮਾਇਆ ਬੰਧ ਕਾਟੇ ਕਿਰਪਾ ਨਿਧਿ ਨਾਨਕ ਆਪਿ ਉਧਾਰਿਓ ॥ ੫ ੫੨੯
Lust, anger, greed, falsehood and slander are given up in the company of the saint Guru; He is the treasure of compassion and lifts up the fallen (GG, Ang 529).
Kaam krodhu mani mohu sareeraa. Labu lobhu ahankaar su peeraa
1. Desire/ lust - Kaam,
2. Wrath/ krodh,
3. Greed/ lobh,
4. Attachment/ moh &
5. Ego or excessive pride/ Ahankar.
1. Lust/ Desire - Kaam
The entire world is burning in rage and sensual pursuits. Nanak 1062
2. Wrath/ Anger
“Excessive anger can cause problems. Increased blood pressure and other physical changes associated with anger make it difficult to think straight and harm your physical and mental health." - Adapted from the Encyclopedia of Psychology.
Studies have shown that anger can actually lead to heart attacks and an increased risk of cardiovascular problems - perhaps not surprisingly, as a sudden burst of anger can cause an over-the-top surge of chemicals throughout the body, like adrenaline and noradrenaline.
"During a bout of anger, the brain's amygdala overreacts; blood rushes to the frontal lobe, the area in charge of reasoning. But along with this impaired judgment, anger also brings with it dangers to your cardiovascular system. There are a number of physiological changes that occur in our bodies when we get angry." - Dr. Elizabeth Mostofsky, a researcher at the Harvard School of Public Health.
"Kaam and Krodh/anger dissolve the body as borax melts gold". Nanak 932
Cruelty, material attachment, greed, and anger are the four rivers of fire.
Falling into them, one is burned,
O Nanak! One is saved only by holding tight to good deeds. GG Ang147
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3. Greed/ Lobh
Their intellect and understanding are perverted; they just don't understand. They are filled with greed and corruption. Nanak Ang 1129
Whatever is visible must pass away.
But still, the utterly blind one clings to it. Nanak Ang 268
Greed makes an individual selfish and self-centered. Do not trust a greedy person.
...the root of evil is greed. Greek Bible translation
...there is no torrent like greed.” - Siddharta Gautama
In the swamp of emotional
Cruelty, material attachment, greed, and anger are the four rivers of fire. Falling into them, one is burned, O Nanak! One is saved only by holding tight to good deeds. GG Ang 147
4. Attachment/ Moh
It is related, on the one hand, to Sex (desire, love) and Greed (possessiveness, covetousness) and on the other to Ego (sense of I, my and mine).
That is how attachment/moh has been referred to as a net (snare). GG Ang 266
Guru Nanak advises shedding of attachment as it is the source of all bad and a cause for restlessness in life. GG Ang 356
5. EGO/ Ahankar
EGO and virtues are one another’s opposite and they do not abide together. Nanak Ang 560
Humility is a coveted virtue. Absolute determination to be humble controls ego.
Ego= More the knowledge lesser the ego,
Lesser the knowledge more the ego. Albert Einstein
People should aim to treat each other as they would like to be treated themselves – with tolerance, consideration and compassion.” (Golden Rule) 5
May leaders of all religions and nations practice above and our global community be Happy.
May all religions/ at least 5 largest world religions leaders joining together to make a council like UN, 5 nations defending together, This is MY Prayer and wish to the Almighty One Creator source of us/ ੴ Ek Oh Beant/ 'The One and Only That is Infinite'.
