The Happiness in Buddhist Philosophy and Philosophy of paradigm

Abstract

The people in the present day have their own paradigm to understand and apply the Buddhist teaching on happiness. This research had objectives to study the concept of happiness in Buddhist philosophy and to interpret according to philosophy of paradigm. This research employed the method of postmodernist interpretation. The findings of this research indicated that Buddhism emphasis on happiness is a state of liberation of all passions and the happiness of Nirvana to be the highest. So Buddhist happiness could be divided into 2 level, such as worldly-level happiness and transcendental happiness. The interpret according to the philosophy of paradigm could be 1) the primitive paradigm has given domain in the bodily level happiness, 2) the ancient paradigm was varied the bodily-level, mind-level and intellectual happiness, according to each 6 schools of thought, 3) the medieval paradigm was preferred the transcendental happiness, 4) the modern paradigm was not believed in the transcendental happiness but accepted all worldly-level happiness, and 5) the postmodern paradigm was accepted the worldly-level happiness is the good to be done and religious supreme happiness such as transcendental happiness is re-acceptance to practice under the domain of the supporting factor to the world tranquility. These findings can serve as a rationale for and guidelines to the development individual happiness and could apply to Buddhist moral and virtue training program to layman.