Schopenhauer's "On Happiness: A Treatise on Life" Synopsis Commentary - Schopenhauer's Way of Getting Rid of the World, Strongly Influenced by Buddhism
On Happiness - A Treatise on Life" is a translation of "Proverbs on the Art of Living" from Schopenhauer's 1851 book "A Brush's Turban and a Picking Up the Harvest" and was published in Japan under the title "On Happiness". Schopenhauer himself did not write "On Happiness.
I read "On Happiness - Life Theory" translated by Fumio Hashimoto, Shinchosha.
Let's take a quick look at this book.
Happiness is one of man's greatest delusions. It is a mirage. But it cannot be realized. Let us save this unenlightened person while letting him pursue his dream of happiness without being able to realize it. Life is in this sense a comedy and a play. Therefore, the theory of life that guides us must be satirical and humorous. This book is a complete translation of "Proverbs on the Art of Living," a famous book by a pessimistic philosopher who explains the meaning of life and teaches happiness with abundant quotations and plain expressions.
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Happiness is a mirage. It is a delusion. The title "On Happiness" suggests that we are to be taught how to make our lives happy, but Schopenhauer's character is in full force when he suddenly and bluntly dismisses happiness as nothing more than a mirage.
In this book, Schopenhauer shreds the "illusion of happiness that people believe in" and talks about how to live and what true happiness is.
His masterpieceThe World as Will and Representation."The stories are short, specific, and very easy to read, unlike It is an excellent introduction to Schopenhauer.
And what is described in this book is quite close to Buddhism. This is because Schopenhauer was a philosopher who was strongly influenced by Indian thought and Buddhism. This influence is quite strong in this book. You can sense this by reading the sentences I am about to introduce.
In this article, I would like to introduce some of Schopenhauer's theories on life.
Schopenhauer's Theory of Life
When it comes to the pleasures of life, ordinary people rely on things external to themselves. He relies on his possessions, his rank, his wife, his children, his friends, his social circle, and so on. On these things he depends for his happiness in life.
Thus, the loss of these things, or the disillusionment with them, would destroy raw happiness. We could describe this relationship in terms such as, "The center of gravity of such a man falls outside of him.
That is why he is always unperturbed and fickle in his wishes. He buys a villa, a horse, a banquet, a trip, or any other great extravagance as long as he can afford it, because he seeks external satisfaction regardless of what it is.
It is the same as a debilitated person trying to gain health and strength through vegetable juices and drugs, even though the true source of health and strength is one's own vitality.
Shinchosha, Hashimoto Fumio translation, On Happiness - Life Theory, p. 55
When we humans think of happiness, we imagine a state of fulfillment in terms of status, honor, property, love, marriage, and family. However, Schopenhauer says that such things are illusions. They are only external factors, and true happiness lies within each of us.
He states that because people do not realize this, they seek external happiness, buy things, build luxurious villas, and try to fill their own emptiness by floating around at banquets.
Needless to say, it is clear that what is primary to the happiness of man, or rather to the whole way of human life, is that which resides in man himself, that which occurs within man himself. It is here that the pleasure and displeasure of the inner mind reside directly. This is because the pleasure and displeasure of the inner mind are, in any case, the result of the workings of man's feeling, will, and thinking.
On the contrary, everything external to us has only an indirect influence on our inner feelings of pleasure or displeasure. Therefore, the degree to which people are inspired by the same external transition or circumstance is completely different for each individual, and even under the same circumstances, the world in which each person lives is different.
The reason is that the only things with which one directly interacts are one's own ideas, feelings, and will-activities, and the things of the outside world only affect one as they trigger these ideas, feelings, and will-activities.
The world in which we live depends first and foremost on the way we view the world, and it depends on the differences in our brains. Depending on the brain, the world can be poor, tasteless, and boring, or it can be rich, interesting, and tasteful.
Shinchosha, Hashimoto Fumio translation, On Happiness - Theory of Life, p. 12
Some line breaks have been made.
The happiness we feel is determined by our internal feelings of pleasure or displeasure. In other words, how we feel about external things determines whether we are happy or not. Therefore, he says, external factors such as wealth, status, and love themselves do not make us happy.
That the subjective is incomparably more important for happiness and enjoyment than the objective is demonstrated by everything from the fact that nothing is better than an empty stomach, to the mindset of an old man who overlooks the woman who beguiles him, to the way of life of geniuses and saints.
A truly healthy beggar is happier than a sick king, because health is more precious than any external treasure.
A calm and cheerful temperament born of perfect health and good physical condition, an open and free mind, a clear and penetrating intellect, a mild will that has attained moderation, and ultimately, a single point of view.(having a) guilty conscienceA good conscience is a virtue that neither rank nor wealth can replace. (omitted).
A resourceful person can be comforted by his or her own thoughts and imagination even when completely alone, but if one is a dullard, no amount of socializing, acting, excursions, and amusements can overcome the tedium that can be so painful that it can kill you.
A good, moderate, and mild nature can be satisfied even in poor circumstances, but a greedy, jealous, and wicked nature is not satisfied even with great wealth. However, when it comes to those who constantly enjoy their spiritual excellence and extraordinary individuality, most of the pleasures sought by the average person are nothing at all, but rather are a bother and a nuisance.
Shinchosha, Hashimoto Fumio translation, On Happiness - Life Theory, p. 16-17
Some line breaks have been made.
He then concludes
Therefore, for the happiness of life, ourthe way something ought to beThe first requirement, i.e., character, is unquestionably the first and most essential. (omitted).
Character is not enslaved to fate and therefore cannot be taken from our hands.
Shinchosha, Hashimoto Fumio translation, On Happiness: A Theory of Life, p. 18
Schopenhauer states that "the way we are, our character," is the fundamental factor of happiness.
He also says that it is not enslaved to external environmental factors or fate, but is fundamentally free and cannot be taken away from anyone. This is why Schopenhauer tells us to value character and the way we live our lives.
Hmmm... I see what Schopenhauer is getting at. But what exactly should we do? We are struggling to be happy, but if you say, 'Happiness is not out there. Your character is the condition for happiness.' That doesn't solve anything, does it?"
Such questions may come to mind.
But don't worry. Dr. Schopenhauer will tell us exactly what we need to do afterwards.
For our part, we simply make the best use of the character we have been given. Therefore, we should concentrate our efforts only on the plans that suit our character, follow the path of practice that suits our character, avoid all other paths, and choose the position, job, or way of life that best fits our character.
If a strong person blessed with extraordinary physical strength is forced by external circumstances to do menial manual labor, or to do research or brain work that requires a completely different kind of ability that he is not endowed with, and thus does not make use of his superior abilities, he will be unhappy for the rest of his life. If they are forced to engage in research or brainwork that requires a completely different kind of ability that they are not blessed with, and therefore do not utilize their superior abilities, they will be unhappy for the rest of their lives.
However, it would be even more unfortunate if a person with overwhelmingly superior intellectual abilities had to be left alone to develop and utilize them in trivial jobs that do not require them, much less in physical labor where they cannot be used to their fullest potential. Nevertheless, in such cases, especially when one is young, one should avoid the danger of overconfidence in one's abilities that are not there.
Shinchosha, Hashimoto Fumio translation, On Happiness: A Theory of Life, p. 19-20
Some line breaks have been made.
The great philosopher Schopenhauer's first words to us were quite straightforward: "Choose a way of life that fits your character. This is a bit surprising.
He then goes on to say
It is also clear that it is wiser to strive for the maintenance of health and the cultivation of abilities than to strive for the acquisition of wealth. However, this should not be mistaken for a failure to obtain the necessary and adequate resources for living.
However, wealth that can be called riches, that is, wealth in excess, contributes little or nothing to our happiness. This is why many rich people are unhappy. They are unhappy because they have no real spiritual education, no knowledge, and therefore no objective interest that can serve as a basis for spiritual work.
In fact, the many burdens that inevitably arise from the maintenance of large fortunes can be detrimental to our true sense of happiness. However, the way we are as human beings is more important than the way we are as a person.belonging toThe contribution to our well-being must be much greater than that of the
Nevertheless, people devote ten million times more effort to accumulating wealth than they do to spiritual cultivation. So many people are so busy trying to increase the wealth they have already acquired that they have no time to warm up their seats, and they toil like ants from morning to night.
He sees himself in the world of means to increase his wealth and knows nothing once he steps outside this narrow field of vision. The spirit is empty, and therefore has no power to accept anything else. The highest pleasure, that is, spiritual pleasure, is a high peak.
They try to make up for the finest pleasures by indulging in ephemeral and sensual pleasures that do not require time but cost money in between, but this does not make up for the finest pleasures at all.
And now, as for the final settlement at the time of his death, if he was lucky, he would accumulate a huge pile of gold and bequeath it to his heirs, but it is impossible to know whether they would multiply it further or spend it like water. Therefore, a life like this, even if it is a life spent with a serious and contemptuous look on one's face, is no less foolish than the lives of countless people who have crossed the world wearing a red cape and bells and saying, "I am a clown.
Shinchosha, Hashimoto Fumio translation, On Happiness: A Theory of Life, p. 20-22
Here, Schopenhauer says that spiritual cultivation, not wealth, is the key to true happiness. True happiness is not achieved by pursuing wealth.
That's why people'sinherent possession（It is what is most essential for the happiness of a person's life.
However, since what people inherently have is usually very little, the majority of those who have made it through the struggle against hardship end up having the same misfortunes as those who are still struggling to make ends meet.
Their inner emptiness, their lack of awareness, and their poverty of spirit drive them to social gatherings, and these social gatherings are also made up of people just like them. Like attracts like. And so they collectively scavenge for entertainment and comfort.
They seek entertainment and comfort in sensual pleasures and various forms of amusement at first, but eventually they seek them in debauchery.
The cause of such uncontrollable spending is, in fact, nothing but boredom caused by the poverty and emptiness of the spirit as I have just described.
This kind of young man is born rich on the outside, but poor on the inside, and he is not a man who can afford anything.From the outsideThey tried their best to substitute their inner wealth for their outer wealth, but they were unable to do so. It is similar to an old man with gray hair trying to rejuvenate himself by being exposed to the fragrance emanating from a young girl. Heavenly PunishmentinstantaneousnessIn the end, inner poverty has brought about outer poverty as well.
Shinchosha, Hashimoto Fumio translation, On Happiness - Life Theory, p. 22-23
Some line breaks have been made.
The inner emptiness, the rarity of consciousness, and the poverty of spirit drive them to social gatherings, and these social gatherings, Schopenhauer dismisses, "are also a collection of people just like them." But this social circle is also a group of people just like them," Schopenhauer dismisses. This is a thought that goes back to Nietzsche.
A man of wisdom seeks first and foremost to be free from pain and suffering, and to have time to rest and relax. For this reason, he seeks a quiet, humble life with as few temptations as possible, and after becoming somewhat close to the so-called normal human beings of the world, he prefers seclusion and solitude, even solitude if he is a man of superior spirit.
That is as it should be. The greater a person's innate possessions, the less he or she needs from the outside, and the less importance he or she needs to place on people other than himself or herself. Therefore, the better one's spirit, the more unsociable one becomes.
Shinchosha, Hashimoto Fumio translation, On Happiness - Life Theory, p. 37
A resourceful person does not seek stimulation from the outside, but seeks rest and time alone to quietly enjoy his or her happiness.
Schopenhauer describes a quiet, sedentary life with few temptations as a wise life with few sufferings.
But many may think this way.
I don't want to live like that. I don't want to live such a boring life.
Schopenhauer, anticipating such voices, also said, "I am not a fan of the 'one-size-fits-all' approach.
Our actual real life would be boring and tasteless if it were not driven by our passions. However, if we are driven by vexations, it quickly becomes painful.
Shinchosha, Hashimoto Fumio translation, On Happiness - Theory of Life, p. 53-54
Many of you may be surprised to read these words. It is a very Buddhist concept, isn't it?
Schopenhauer was strongly influenced by Buddhism. This passage is a clear example of that.
It is true that without sensory pleasures and stimuli such as entertainment, amusement, gastronomy, and debauchery, which are rooted in vexations, we may think that we are bored and tasteless. However, these afflictions eventually give birth to suffering, and in an attempt to heal that suffering, we indulge in pleasure and stimulation again, which leads to the reproduction of new suffering, and a cycle of suffering ensues.
What arises from this inner emptiness is the desire for all kinds of socializing, entertainment, amusement, and extravagance. This is the reason why so many people are wasteful and eventually fall into poverty. The safest way to prevent such poverty is through inner wealth, spiritual wealth.
Shinchosha, Hashimoto Fumio translation, On Happiness - Life Theory, p. 36
The only way to prevent such poverty of mind and suffering is to increase one's inner wealth, one's spiritual wealth. This is what Schopenhauer taught.
"You must work on your spiritual cultivation."
Enrich yourselves."
That is how I would summarize his theory in a nutshell.
In this book, I describe what the source of happiness is and why it does not come to many people. It also asserts that what is needed to be happy is inner wealth.
But in fact, the book doesn't go into detail about what exactly we should do. In Schopenhauer's words, "You'll have to figure it out for yourself.
Happiness is this. If you do this, you will be happy. If you are told, "This will make you happy, so do this," and you say, "Yes, I'll try it. If you follow the instructions and say, "This will make you happy," you are already doing the opposite of what Schopenhauer taught.
If you take what you are told and assume that is happiness, it is no different than assuming that "outside factors" are happy.
Character and inner wealth" are the conditions for happiness. But to refine it, each person has his or her own "what-have-you" and circumstances. That is what makes it so different in a thousand ways. You have to think for yourself what is happiness for you and what is your inner wealth.
It is not a simple "do this and you will be happy." Schopenhauer only shows us the direction we should aim for. How to proceed from there is a matter for each individual to consider. That is the way to find happiness not by seeking it externally, but by finding it within oneself.
As one would expect from Dr. Schopenhauer. It is not a simple task.
I cannot present them all here, but I encourage anyone interested to read the book. I am sure you will find many interesting discoveries.
This is one of Schopenhauer's most readable books. Highly recommended.
The above is a synopsis of Schopenhauer's "On Happiness" and my impression of it - Schopenhauer's style of life theory strongly influenced by Buddhism.
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