The CeasingofSorrow.^93
believethat throughitlies theshortest pathto
adeeperandmoreabidingjoy.
Nowwhatistheessenceofhappiness,found
alike in the delirious passion of the sensualist
and in the rapt ecstasy of the saint? It is
union with the object of desire,the becoming
one with that which promises delight. The
drunkard who swallows his drink, the miser
whoclutches hisgold,the loverwho embraces
his mistress,the artistwhosaturates himselfin
beauty,thethinkerwhoconcentrateshimself on
hisidea, the mystic who loses himself in the
empyrean, the yogin who merges himself in
Deity-all are alike in finding happiness in
union with the object of desire. This one
thing theyhave in common. But their place
inevolutionisshownbythe objectwithwhich
unionissought. Notthesearchforhappiness,
butthenatureof theobjectwhichyieldshappi-
ness is the distinguishing mark of the base or
loftysoul.