Having known the happiness of freedom from debt,
one should recall the happiness of ownership.
Enjoying the happiness of enjoyment,
a mortal then sees things clearly with wisdom.While seeing things clearly, the wise one
knows both kinds of happiness.
The other is not worth a sixteenth part
of the bliss of blamelessness.
This quote is from a discourse called the Ananyasutta found in the Anguttara Nikaya, a collection of Buddhist scriptures, which discusses four kinds of domestic happiness for laypeople:
- Ownership: the pleasure of possessing wealth accumulated through honest and ethical efforts and initiative.
- Wealth: the pleasure of using one's wealth with generosity, virtue, and mental development.
- Debtlessness: the pleasure or relief and owing nothing to anyone.
- Blamelessness: the pleasure of living with ethical conduct through body, speech, and mind.
The Buddha (as recalled through oral tradition) suggests that when one experiences these four worldly joys with wisdom, they realize that the three material and financial forms of happiness (i.e., ownership, wealth, and debtlessness) are inferior to the deep peace of blamelessness, which clears the mind of defilements and creates a stable foundation for spiritual growth.
The fifteenth chapter of the Dhammapada, the Sukhavagga, extends on this matter further for mendicants (i.e., monks and nuns) through contrasting pairs. In essence, the Buddha argues that the superior form of happiness is spiritual (non-conditional), rather than worldly (conditional). This involves renunciation, non-attachment, equanimity, and formlessness. It arises with independence (i.e., developed internally) and does not rely on external conditions, such as sensory input, capital, or environment, which are unstable, fleeting, and ultimately temporary. Moreover, happiness without corruption (i.e., greed, hatred, delusion) frees the mind from craving or apprehension which perpetuates the cycle of clinging.
As a young adult who wants to enjoy life, the Ananyasutta is enough (for now). I am grateful to be born in a place and situation where I can work towards the three kinds of material happiness. However, these conditions alone do not guarantee happiness. It requires a supplementary change in mindset and values. For instance, focusing on one's actions in the present moment, rather than worrying outcomes in an ambiguous future. Additional texts also extensively discuss the importance of social relationships as humans living in an ecosystem of interconnected, reciprocal responsibilities to support each other.
Basically, rudimentary happiness is financial security, goodwill, and wholesome relationships, according to Early Buddhist texts.