Ultimate Happiness Research Articles

Personal Life in the Context of Globalization

The purpose of this study is to clarify the role of the individual in social life; each individual is not only a subject of cognition but also an object of cognition in the context of globalization. To achieve the above purpose, the author uses the methodology of humanistic philosophy and social philosophy, as well as qualitative, analytical, synthetic, comparative, and vice versa. The result is that the subject satisfies his capacity and needs through different activities and lifestyles. Respecting personal life is respecting differences in tradition, culture, religion, beliefs, occupation, and job position. The purpose, method, and results achieved by the author can lead to the conclusion that personal life is human communication. The capacity of an individual is the need of another individual. Mutual satisfaction between individuals is the ultimate happiness of life. In globalization, individuals have many opportunities to assert their abilities and needs, but at the same time, each faces challenges.

THE CONCEPT OF HAPPINESS IN GIVING ALMS ACCORDING TO THE QUR'AN FROM A RELIGIOUS PSYCHOLOGY PERSPECTIVE

The path to achieving happiness in life of each individual has its own uniqueness and way. Many feel happy but there is still a sense of anxiety in their hearts, happy simply because the happiness they get is not the ultimate happiness. In Islam, the real happiness is the happiness of ma'rifatullah. One way to get it is to give alms to others in need. Happiness is achieved by abstinence from various physical pleasures. Those who have attained a high level of holiness are the ones who obtain good fortune and happiness. The research used in this study is a type of literature study research with a qualitative descriptive analysis approach. The data sources used in this study are secondary data sources. The result of this research is that to achieve true happiness, humans can establish a good relationship with the Creator, one of which is by giving alms with the intention of lillah (because of Allah) not because they want to be seen or known by others. According to religious psychology, happiness can be achieved by getting closer to Allah such as self-muhasabah, gratitude, and almsgiving.

Împotriva utopiei

The strong belief into the possibility of a comprehensive harmony lies at the core of the European political thought. A Great Harmony, a perfectly planned world in order to achieve equality, uniformity and control was for centuries the goal of many rationalists. With this purpose in mind, they worked for achieving the final stage of human society, no matter the cost. The underlying assumption is that human nature is immutable, permanent in its essence, everywhere and every time one could look at. Despite historical, cyclical defeats of his practical application, the utopia is always ready to start again, with better tools and more eager to plan the ultimate happiness. This is the challenge of our times, facing the immortal utopia in its effort to impose the final harmony, equality and peace. This time, the idealist planners hope that new tools as powerful computers, digital identity, surveillance cameras and digital currency will make the difference.

Menyikapi Kematian dengan Optimisme: Studi Komparasi Pemikiran Jalaludin Rakhmat dan Komaruddin Hidayat

Death, an inevitable reality for every living being, has a deep and diverse meaning in human views. This article examines the meaning of death with an optimistic approach through a comparative study of the views of two Indonesian thinkers, Jalaluddin Rakhmat and Komaruddin Hidayat. Jalaluddin Rakhmat, in his book Memaknai Kematian, considers that death is a purification process for the soul to a holy place. Meanwhile, Komaruddin Hidayat, in his book Psikologi Kematian, states that death is a gateway to continuing a new, quality life. Jalaluddin Rakhmat's view of death illustrates that death is something that is closest, certain, and faithfully waiting for the next day. For humans, death is an unavoidable certainty. If someone considers death as a frightening threat, he tends to forget about it by being immersed in the pleasures of the world. However, if one longs for God, all good deeds will be prepared to achieve ultimate happiness after death. Meanwhile, Komaruddin Hidayat interprets death as a process that will make humans more perfect, bringing positive news for self-awareness rather than haunting themselves with excessive fear. Death is considered a cleansing moment that will make humans more holy, take a higher degree, get closer to God, and increase the spirit of worship

Budist Uygur Metinlerinde Dinî Bir Terim Olarak ünüş = Skr. niḥsaraṇa İfadesi

The article discusses the Old Turkic religious vocabulary and its association with belief systems such as Buddhism, Manichaeism, and Islam. It highlights the role of Uyghurs in embracing Buddhism and creating an extensive body of literature through translation. The Uyghur monks played a crucial role in translating Buddhist concepts into Turkish, carefully selecting terms that corresponded to source languages like Sanskrit, Chinese, and Tibetan. This effort was not limited to Buddhism but also extended to conveying Islamic religious terms using Buddhist terminologies. A central concept in Buddhist teachings is saṃsāra, which refers to the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth within the Indian philosophical framework. The article discusses the Sanskrit term niḥsaraṇa, which signifies ‘escape from saṃsāra’. This term carries various meanings in Sanskrit, such as ‘departure, death, path, solution, and ultimate happiness.’ In the Old Uyghur religious vocabulary, the corresponding term for niḥsaraṇa is ünüš (yol), which directly translates to ‘path’ in Old Turkic. This term is distinctively used within the Buddhist context of the Old Turkic religious vocabulary and is found in various combinations within Buddhist Uyghur texts. The article aims to analyze the thematic interpretations of this expression aligned with Buddhist philosophical systems. It seeks to elucidate how the term is used within Buddhist Uyghur texts, shedding light on its significance within the context of those writings.

Savoring as a Predictor of Happiness and Positive Affect among Adolescents

Across the globe the nations are trying to explore and identify the strategies which
 would help in enhancing the positive affect leading to ultimate happiness in each and
 every stratum of the society specifically among adolescents. Positive Psychological
 Interventions (PPIs) such as mindfulness, savoring, gratitude, kindness, empathy,
 meaning, flow exercises etc. are being applied to generate positive feelings and to
 attain the goal of sustainable happiness and well-being. Savoring is believed to be one
 such strategy in positive psychology which has shown promising effects in enhancing
 happiness, positive affect and reducing negative affect. The present study comprising
 of 300 (N=300) adolescents from the state of Haryana (India) made an attempt to
 explore relationship between savoring, happiness, positive affect and negative affect.
 Savoring Beliefs Inventory by Bryant (2003), Oxford Happiness Questionnaire by Hills
 & Argyle (2002) and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule by Watson et al. (1988)
 were applied to measure the variables. Savoring emerged as a significant correlate
 and predictor of happiness and positive affect among adolescents

Embarking on the Path of Serenity: Unraveling the Impact of Buddhist Meditation on Modern Life in Bandung

The inexorable flow of modernity throughout the world has changed the fabric of life tremendously, leading to various social problems. In response to this, religious individuals, who already have standardized guidelines in their lives, are seeking ways to navigate and address the complexities brought on by modernization. This research delves into the impact of meditation practiced by Buddhists in Bandung, West Java, utilizing a qualitative method. The study unravels the profound influence of meditation on the pattern of daily life, emotional regulation, and overall mental well-being of the meditators. The findings indicate that regular meditation practice not only cultivates a calmer and composed mindset but also enhances the ability to cope with stress, facilitates emotional control, and fosters quicker problem-solving skills in their everyday activities. Moreover, the research sheds light on how meditation serves as a transformative tool, leading to increased wisdom and tranquility, ultimately aiding individuals in seeking enlightenment and attaining ultimate happiness amidst the challenges of modern life. The significance of this research in academia lies in its contribution to a deeper understanding of the transformative impact of Buddhist meditation on daily life and mental well-being, providing valuable insights into the role of meditation practices in navigating the complexities of modernity.

Refining the Concept of Eudaimonia

There have been different views about " happiness " since ancient Greek times. By combining subjectivism and objectivism, in his philosophical work Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle tried to tackle the science of happiness. His work led to the creation of Eudaimonia, which roughly translates to happiness. However, some of his principles inevitably resulted in controversy. This paper will analyze two philosophers' views on ultimate happiness and the difference between their views and Aristotelian claims. Richard Kraut and Laura Sizer are two prominent figures who have dedicated their lives to reviewing Aristotelian works. Richard Kraut criticized Aristotles doctrine for being overwhelmingly rigid and with a distorted objective, while Laura Sizer tried to reconcile both the objectivist and subjectivist ideals embedded into the concept of Eudaimonia using affect theory. Then, the paper will demonstrate my thoughts on these two authors' claims in Aristotles concept of eudaimon. Finally, the paper will conclude with my definition of eudaimonia."

Meron! Meron! Constructing the Nature of Man in Sabong (Cockfighting)

This paper examines the nature of man in the context of Sabong or cockfighting. It presents the biological and rational being of man as manifested in cockfighting. This qualitative study employed interviews among active members of the United Ilocandia Game Breeders Association (UNIGBA) in Northern Philippines. It reveals that the biological and rational being of man are evident (meron) in his pursuit for the highest good or happiness through sabong. The study found that sabongeros continue to engage in sabong at various stages for various reasons leading to the fulfillment of their goals of ultimate happiness and self-development, as well as that of other individuals.

The Views of al-Fārābī and al-Ghazālī on Achieving Happiness through the Rational Faculty of the Human Soul

Throughout history, Muslim thinkers from various schools of thought have tried to unleash the metaphysical insights of humanity while discovering its link to the material world. Al-Fārābī’s psychology is deeply rooted in the theory of the faculties of the soul, especially the rational faculty, which according to him, is the source of ultimate happiness in this life and the hereafter. A similar view is shared by al-Ghazālī, but the distinguishing factor in his understanding is that he classifies knowledge into two categories, mainly religious and intellectual, and places this rational power of the soul in the religious category, which according to him, ultimately becomes the source of eternal bliss. This paper elaborates on this intellectual faculty of the human soul and its correlation with happiness (sa‘ādah) through the lens of these two renowned thinkers.

Pedagogy of life beyond happiness

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to react to COVID-19 and is intended to transcend the regular thoughts to deeper issues towards humanity and nature. This paper also extends further the article “pedagogy of life beyond extinction” published in the Journal for Multicultural Education. This paper continues this discussion by further inward reflections on the self and the search for ultimate happiness amid the current pandemic that emerged in 2020. The study focusses on a holistic perspective towards a pedagogy that extends further the previous article by focussing on issues of happiness, dialogue and self-awareness.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts a reflective and exploratory, style that is an enabler for future research into a pedagogy that is focussed on humanity and nature.FindingsThe conceptual paper explores a holistic perspective towards a pedagogy that considers issues of happiness, dialogue and self-awareness.Originality/valueThis study’s intention is to extend the notion of pedagogy that looks beyond educational institutions in seeking a wider understanding of humanity and nature. The concept of “pedagogy of life beyond happiness” is used as a way to understand levels of the “self” as a way to gain deeper self-awareness. This provides a lens for seeking ultimate happiness.

Spirituality, happiness and auditors' commitment: an interbeing perspective

PurposeThis study attempts to explore the meaning and implication of spirituality in an accounting firm by using a Buddhist perspective of interbeing. It explains how the happiness of individuals (auditors, partners, clients and auditor family members); organisational performance and growth and auditors' commitment are interconnected and impermanent.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed an interpretive case study in an Indonesian accounting firm. The researchers explored the collective and individual feelings, thoughts, actions and experiences of the firm's actors. The data collection methods were interviews, participant observations and documentary analysis.FindingsLeadership plays a major role in cultivating spirituality in an accounting firm. The spirituality increases auditors' commitment, (conditional) happiness and performance resulting in client satisfaction and the firm's growth. From an interbeing perspective, partners, auditors and clients are interconnected and impermanent. A firm's growth creates a growing sense of unhappiness due to the diminishing of auditors' comfort zone. Spirituality in the workplace can only engender conditional happiness and organisational commitment that offset the importance of material rewards and career prospects. To reach ultimate (unconditional) happiness, one requires a continuous spiritual development.Research limitations/implicationsThe insights gained from this study need enrichment from cases in different contexts, e.g. multinational firms with members from different countries and cultures.Originality/valueThis study develops the discourse of emancipation in the accounting literature by taking into account spirituality and happiness.

Ordinary and Extraordinary

A theological and historical background is needed for understanding the terms ordinary and extraordinary regarding the care required for one seriously ill. This background is theological, since one’s care is directed to our life on earth and our ultimate happiness that comes from God. So, one needs the knowledge given by God in revelation and in natural law written in our hearts. Besides our own powers of acting, we need the help of others as well as of God, through his grace and sacraments. The historical view is given because situations change, and so our judgment must change. In God’s law, one must eat to live but not if it becomes a torture. Domingo de Soto gave the name ordinary for the former and extraordinary for the latter. With the arrival of anesthesia and antiseptics, the pain and terrible outcomes, which made amputation an extraordinary means, no longer did so.

‘Yet in my flesh I will see God’

Abstract In Christianity the final goal of human life has usually been indicated as seeing God, but not in the sense of really seeing, with bodily senses. From Christology, however, the idea of the body’s desire for ultimate happiness received a new impulse. This article focuses on a crucial moment in its history: the theology of Robert Grosseteste. The appearance of God in the flesh, he claims, was not only needed for saving man, but also fulfilling man, and for fulfilling not only the mind, but also the body. Starting from his innovating argument this article points out how this idea is sustained in his wider theological vision.

Pascal on Happiness

Pascal sees happiness (bonheur) as the ultimate goal of all human activity, but argues that experience shows it to be unattainable; our underlying condition is unhappiness. In the immediate, he argues, human activities are forms of diversion or distraction, by which we seek to screen from ourselves our unhappiness and mortality and to gratify our vanity. This analysis omits the role of pleasure, which he elsewhere identifies as the motive force of all volition. In order to reconcile this anomaly, we need to distinguish between the motive of our actions, the ultimate end they have in view, and the Supreme Good. The motive of our actions is pleasure, their ultimate end happiness, and the Supreme Good God, in union with whom authentic happiness consists.

Filsafat Manusia; Sebuah Kajian Teks dan Konteks dalam Memahami Hakikat Diri

<p><em>Humans actually have two bodies when born in this world, namely the material body and spiritual body. The material body is a form of physical-physical form that is crude and serves to carry out all forms of desires from the five senses, the respiratory system, the digestive system, muscles, neural networks, blood circulation and others. Whereas the spiritual body is a psychic body that is subtle and consists of a causal body (buddhi), a supra causal body (subtle ego) and atman.</em><em></em></p><em>Born as a human being is the ultimate happiness in life because by being born into the world, a person is given the opportunity in his life to achieve the essence of himself by doing and increasing karma, bhakti, jnana to finally achieve contemplation by realizing the nature of self and atman in his body. This is what gives happiness to be born into a human being compared to being a creature in the world</em>

THE ‘NAFS’ (SELF), AS OUTLINED BY EARLY PHILOSOPHERS AND SUFI MYSTICS OF AFGHANISTAN AND IRAN

The understanding of the self is of paramount significance because as individuals we wonder who we are; where we come from; what the purpose of our life is, and what true happiness and misery entail. Muslim philosophers such as Razi, Farabi and Avicenna as well as Sufi mystics like Sanai, Attar and Rumi believe mankind is composed of an external form or body, and an internal entity, which is one’s true substance, ‘nafs’, self, mind or soul. Sufi mystics likewise the Muslim philosophers believe that mankind is a union of mind and body; nevertheless, they consider the physical body is a deception, as the true essence of human consists of his soul that is eternal and divine. They emphasize the immortal nature of the soul, created by God that returns through various stages to be in closer proximity to its Creator. They concur “although man is not primordial, he is eternal; while his corpus is terrestrial, his soul is divine; and although his essence is mixed with animal and voracious attributes; if he gets rid of his maleficence, man will reach the proximity of God, which represents its ultimate happiness.

THE VARIOUSITY OF HAPPINESS PERSPECTIVE AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION IN LEARNING PROCESS

Happiness is the ultimate goal of all activities. The desire for happiness makes humans look for the source of happiness that its existence is worthy of several elements of life. Education as one of the crucial elements of life has varied learning models that can increase the willingness of students to learn. The conscious effort to learn becomes more optimal in a happy psychological condition. This research discusses the ultimate happiness in the Koran described with scientific theories of happiness and explains the Quantum theory of happiness in the learning model. The research method used was literature study and content analysis as the data analysis technique. The results of this study indicate that first, happiness in the Koran was not caused by wealth but our faith as a believer. Second, there are endorphins in humans that emit happiness and calmness. Third, someone who is happy will have a change in thoughts, words, actions, facial expressions, and positive muscle activity. Fourth, the learning model that can create happy learning begins with creating happy emotions, giving both material and non-material rewards, and good habituation. Fifth, the understanding about happiness from various perspectives can provide a variety of positive developments in all aspects of life and will lead into a better life.

The maturing of positive psychology and the emergence of PP 2.0: A book review of Positive Psychology(3rd ed.) by William Compton and Edward Hoffman

Compton and Hoffman’s third edition of Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness and Flourishing is commended for advocating an inclusive positive psychology that not only honours the rich humanistic heritage and the major contributions from mainstream psychology, but also recognizes the two emerging trends within what has become known as PP 2.0. The first is the recognition that suffering and vulnerability provide the foundation for building a solid existential positive psychology of flourishing that can endure the inevitable vicissitudes of life. The second trend is the importance of indigenous positive psychology, especially Eastern psychological systems that offer viable insights and hypotheses about the nature of the self and ultimate happiness.

Categories at al-Farabi, what are they?

The Categories took root with the Arab philosopher Abu Ishaq Yaqoub al-Kindi as one of the most important logical, philosophical and linguistic investigations. And before al-Farabi’s works the understanding of the Categories, the basis for the acquisition of logical and philosophical knowledge was not completed. Abu Nasr Al-Farabi, who was a student of Bishr Matta bin Yunus, and took the making of logic from Yuhanna Ibn Haylan, was the first to develop the science of Aristotelian logic in its comprehensive and detailed form. Al-Farabi became the first teacher for those who wanted to stand on the truth of Aristotelian logic, and to understand the meaning of Categories, and how they are the firsts established for all sciences The text of al-Farabi was the mayor in Ibn Baja’s philosophy in Andalusia. The main goal and purpose of this study is to try understanding the Categories in the thought of Abu Nasr al-Farabi, by arranging the al-Farabi texts that dealt with this topic, in an attempt to reveal his understanding of the Categories, and to try to answer the question of what is the purpose of the Categories. He made of logic a race that includes three types, the first is linguistic logic, the second is philosophical logic, and the third is intellectual logic, making the strength of the soul the bearer of this logic, this power which is the utterance and from which the name of logic is derived. Since the goal of philosophy is to reach the final perfection, and to reach the truth, which is the ultimate happiness, and proof was the conductor of truth and certainty, according to Al-Farabi, the Categories were the bearer of this perfection by force, as the proof material was twice, the first being the material for proof in terms of words, and in the second the material for proof in terms of meanings, and the last being the purpose. Key words: philosophy, logic, categories, intelligibles, sayings, Aristotle, al-Farabi.