Removing Illusions to Find True Happiness

By Martin Ettington

The history of the search for happiness is one of philosophical discussion going back to ancient times. Many philosophers have had views on happiness from at least the Greek’s time.

The pursuit of happiness is even written into the U.S. Declaration of Independence as a right of every individual.

Many wise persons belief that an individual’s search for true happiness should be the highest goal in one’s life.

In this book we review the history of the search for happiness.

This is followed by trying to define what happiness is—and is not.

Then there are several Chapters on illusions in our lives and how these impeded finding true happiness.

Finally, a spiritual approach is provided to help the reader in their own search for true happiness.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Martin Ettington
• Release date: Dec 16, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465950215

Martin Ettington

The owner Martin K. Ettington is an Engineer by training and has had multiple careers. These include technical sales for GE and HP. Martin also Owns his own software and consulting business.Martin’s interest in the Paranormal and Occult goes back to his childhood. He has had many paranormal experiences and has been a student of Eastern Philosophies and Meditation for 35 years.Seeking Enlightenment; he knows that we are already all Enlightened. We just have to realize this deeply.His books are expressions of his creativity to help others understand what he has internalized through study, experience, and membership in different societies.Not many technical persons or scientists spend a lot of time in parallel studying the Metaphysical and have had many spiritual or psychic experiences too.Therefore, Martin believes that he can provide a unique vantage point to integrate Western Scientific thinking with Eastern exploration of the mind and spirit.

Book preview

Introduction

The goal of this book is more complex than my recent writings.

I really want to make readers more aware of all of the types of illusions they live under from a micro to a macro level throughout their whole lives. This is important for our spiritual growth.

The more I thought about it though, the more I figured that a motivator to get people to read the book would be to provide them some immediate perceived value from not only what illusions are, but why it is important to rid themselves of them.

The thought came to me that one of the great benefits in banishing illusions is that each person can become more centered and have happier lives as a result.

The challenge then is to explain all about illusions—what they are, examples of them, how to get rid of them, without losing track of one of the main benefits—to be an overall happier and more satisfied person.

Related to this is helping people realize what true happiness is and how to find it.

To me true happiness is also part of what you get out of the enlightenment process which involves the removal and penetration of illusions.

In fact it could be said that the purpose of life is to find your own happiness.

A good starting point is to see what different sages throughout the ages have said about illusions and their impacts on our lives.

Many thinkers and wise persons throughout history have said that our lives are illusions in many ways. Here are some quotes from those persons to ponder:

Behold! Human beings live in an underground cave. (…) They only see their own shadows, or the shadows of one another, which the fire throws on the opposite wall of the cave.

Plato, 428-347 b.C., Greek philosopher, in The Republic

Castles in the air – they are so easy to take refuge in. And easy to build, too.

Henrik Ibsen, 1826-1906, Norwegian writer, The Master Builder

We are such stuff

As dreams are made on, and our little life

Is rounded with a sleep…

William Shakespeare, 1564-1616, English writer, The Tempest

A man that is born falls into a dream like a man who falls into the sea.

Joseph Conrad, 1857-1924, Anglo-polish writer, Lord Jim

What is life? An illusion, a dream, a fiction, and the biggest well is small, because all life is a dream, and the dreams, themselves are only dreams.

Calderon de la Barca, 1600-1681, Spanish writer, Life is a Dream

In the night that brings the sleep, the dreams laugh of us, wandering in front of our eyes.

Petronius, Satiricon, I Century b. C., Roman writer

Dreams are true while they last, and do we not live in dreams?

Alfred Lord Tennyson, 1802-1809, English poet, The Higher Pantheism.

Those who compared our lives to a dream have more reason than they thought.

Montaigne, Essays, 1533-1592, French writer and philosopher

Illusion (viparyaya) is false knowledge in the sense that perceived form or characteristic is not inherent in the object.  [An actual object is misjudged here.] Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

As you read on in this book, you will see why your actions, goals, and happiness are artificially bound by your illusions on who you really are and how they can limit your happiness.

You will need an open mind to take advantage of some of the concepts in this book since many of them are not accepted by the common wisdom of western civilization.

Chapter 1: A History of the Search for Happiness

The history of the search for happiness is one of philosophical discussion going back to ancient times.

Many philosophers have had views on happiness from at least the Greek’s time. Some of the more famous person’s beliefs on happiness are described below:

The Buddha

Gautama Buddha was born in about the fifth to sixth centuries B.C. in what is now the kingdom of Nepal in Tibet.

The Buddha said, No one can escape death and unhappiness. If people expect only happiness in life, they will be disappointed.

He developed the Four Noble Truths to address the problem.

There is Suffering-- Suffering is common to all.

Cause of Suffering-- We are the cause of our suffering.

End of Suffering-- Stop doing what causes suffering.

Path to end Suffering-- Everyone can be enlightened.

The Buddha believed that what most people call happiness is transitory and the only way to true peace is through the path of enlightenment through his Four Noble Truths and the Eight Fold Path.

The Eight Fold Path consists of the following:

The eightfold path consists of the following actions:

Right understanding

Right thought

Right speech

Right action

Right livelihood

Right effort

Right mindfulness

Right concentration

Plato/Aristotle

(1) True happiness, according to Plato, is found only in the performance of one's own duty, which is determined individually by the degree of evolution achieved, and politically by the position one occupies in the State. Aristotle disagrees with Plato's view that individual happiness should be sacrificed for the good of the community. He believes that individual happiness depends not only upon virtue, but also upon wealth, pleasure and the opportunity for leisure. He does not advocate spending those leisure hours in the cultivation of any art, as he considers that artistic craftsmanship belongs to the field of manual labor, and that professional skill in any of the arts is