Pleasure and happiness are not the same thing in my view. Pleasures are sensory stimuli through the senses. Animals are motivated to seek compulsively a combination of pleasures.

Humans are naturally motivated by pleasure seeking as much as the animals. The animal nature of the body is something that should never be denied – as in aesthetic practices. Abstention from pleasure for controlled periods of time for a specific psycho / physiological purpose may be directed by a teacher, dietician or medical practitioner. For instance, seven days of a water fast puts the body into a state where stem cells are released into the damaged parts of the bodies, replacing cells that the body is beginning to consume as a source of protein. In this way organs can be rejuvenated and the life of the body enhanced and even extended.

In general though, most people living in a western culture or aspiring to western style culture, are orientated principally towards pleasure. The body craves satiation of it’s desires and a state of comfort and rest results. I can observe this simply in my cats. They crave their food. When it appears and they consume it – they will retreat to a favourite place to wash and then sleep.

At this level humans are no different. The technology of the western cultures has enabled food to available in supermarkets continually. Hunger is something to be avoided. The same process is mirrored in the other sensual pleasures.

Sexual gratification is deemed a right – even in a war zone where children are not going to have a good life. The pervasion of pornography and places for dignified and undignified sexual gratification are available – if not openely condoned. Humans are animals and the gratification of the desire to have sex is no different to the lusts felt by a stallion of a mare in a field. The indoctrination of philosophies such as Puritanism and social remnants from societies such as the Victorians in England – have left a hypocritical attitude to sex and other pleasures.

Swinging the other way in the ‘swinging sixties’ has left present societies with a liberalism moving ever towards citizens demanding unrelenting pleasure. Social media and it’s content reflect this starkly. Even the gratification of committing suicide is instructed and awarded a status of ‘do-able’.

All of these pleasures and desires put humans on a ‘one track’ direction that is hard to leave. Prince Sidhartha in Indian legend, became disenchanted with his life of luxury and left his family, his palace and social status to search for a reality that was not transient – as is desire for pleasure.

After practising extreme aestheticism he moved into what is now called ‘a middle way’ where ‘just enough’ is enough. For whilst the desire for pleasure and it’s satiation produces problems if totally ignored, too much pleasure also blinds the soul to an inner life with qualities that are not transient – a true ‘heaven’.

From pleasures come a state known as ‘contentment’. This state is also temporary and dependent on the outside world for it’s perpetuation – so contentment is not a destination for seekers of Heaven! Immortality has to be earned.

In my view pleasure palaces contain only the first steps on a long ladder reaching into the heavens. We can remain on the lower steps if we wish. Animals find it hard to climb ladders but humans do not. We have the potential to move vertically through our desire for pleasure and contentment, not negating them, but not seeking them either. They will always come along one way or another. As Jesus the Christ says in Matthew 6

31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

To the modern western mind this sounds like a recipe for disaster – for planning and preparation, is a key to the pursuit of perpetual pleasure.

In the Taoist philosophy we find exactly the same aim as Christianity;

It is more important

to see the simplicity

To realise one’s true nature

To cast off selfishness

And temper desire

(chapter 19 of the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tsu)

Note that desire is only tempered not destroyed. When desire becomes a small part of life, it can no longer dominate a person’s being and purpose. The void that is left will be filled by the Divine – in it’s own time.

In the words of the Sufi poet and seer – Sabistari

Go sweep out the chamber of your heart.
Make it ready to be the dwelling place of the Beloved.
When you depart out,
He will enter it.
In you,
void of yourself,
will He display His beauties.

The tavern-haunter wanders alone in a desolate place,
seeing the whole world as a mirage.

The tavern-haunter is a seeker of Unity,
a soul freed from the shackles of himself.

 Through the chamber of the heart is small,
it’s large enough for the Lord of both worlds
to gladly make His home there.

Note the reference to ‘both worlds’ – for Sufism does not deny our presence as a soul in a material body. Both the physical world and it’s pleasures and the non-physical worlds are the abode of the Beloved. The task of the human is merely to become lost in the love of the Beloved and everything else, will follow – including happiness and pleasure.