Pursue Permanent Joy Rather Than Passing Pleasures

Pleasure fades like vapor; spiritual joy stays with you forever.

“The joy of the spirit ever abides,
But not what seems pleasant to the senses.
Both these, differing in their purpose, prompt
Us to action. All is well for those who choose
The joy of the spirit, but they miss
The goal of life who prefer the pleasant.
Perennial joy or passing pleasure?
This is the choice one is to make always.”
— Katha Upanishad, Section 2, Verses 1–2

The World: An Unstable Source Of Temporary Joy

Worldly joy is the joy that you expect from external things, circumstances, and other people. Lots of money, perfectly sunny weather, praise and admiration — that would be a happy life, right?

The problem is: those things can be taken from you. All things in the world are subject to the law of change. If your joy is based on external, temporary and largely uncontrollable things, then your joy is fragile, fleeting.