HAPPINESS

Once there was a king who had presented his daughter, the princess, with a beautiful diamond necklace. The necklace was stolen and his people in the kingdom searched everywhere but could not find it. Some said a bird might have stolen it. Finally, the king announced a reward of 10,000 gold coins for anyone who would bring the necklace.

One day a clerk was walking home along a river next to an industrial area. As he was walking, the clerk saw a shimmering in the river and when he looked, he saw the diamond necklace. Immediately he put his hand in the filthy, dirty river and grabbed the necklace, but some how missed it. He tried again, this time he walked in the river and spoiled his trousers in the filthy river and put his whole arm in to catch the necklace. But strangely, he still missed the necklace! At last he decided to plunge into the river, although it was a disgusting to dive in such filthy river. He plunged in, and searched everywhere for the necklace and yet he failed. This time he was really surprised and confused why he can’t get the necklace!!

Just then a saint who was walking by, saw him, and asked him what the matter was. He told the whole story to the saint. The saint then told him that perhaps he should try looking upward, toward the branches of the tree, instead of looking in the filthy river. The clerks looked up and true enough; the necklace was dangling on the branch of a tree. He had been trying to capture a mere reflection of the real necklace all this time.

Material happiness is just like the filthy, polluted river; because it is a mere reflection of the TRUE happiness of the spiritual world.

We are looking for happiness, that’s right, but the place we are trying to find it, is not the right one. We can never achieve happiness we are looking for, no matter how hard we endeavor materially. Instead we should look upwards, toward God, who is the source of real happiness, and stop chasing after the reflection of this happiness, which none the less very dazzling.