Definition of Pleasure and Its Types: From the Lowest to the Highest Pleasure

Have you ever stayed up all night to watch your favorite movie? Or do you resist the tempting sweets winking at you in the pastry shop to keep your body fit? Or would you rather quarantine yourself for months and sacrifice your leisure time in order to win a place in a scientific or sports competition?

Sometimes, we find ourselves in situations where we have to choose only one out of several favorite activities. Our choices in this situation depend on various factors, but one of the most important ones is to get pleasure. We typically choose actions that give us the highest pleasure.

• What is the mechanism of pleasure, and how does this phenomenon occur within us?
• Why do some things bring us more pleasure than others?
• What is our highest pleasure, and to which dimension of our being does it relate?

We enjoy different things, and this is completely normal. But our highest pleasure is an important criterion which determines the soundness of our heart and the balance in nourishing the soul’s faculties.

In this lesson, we will first discuss the concept of pleasure and its relationship with the dimensions and faculties of the human soul. Then, we will introduce the idea of the most high-quality, everlasting, and highest pleasure using these concepts.

What Is Pleasure, and What Are Its Levels in the Human Soul?

All of us have a clear understanding of the concept of pleasure and are able to distinguish between enjoyable and tiresome aspects of our lives. However, we may not be able to exactly explain why we enjoy one thing more than another or why what is pleasurable for us may not be so for others.

We all have different needs in different dimensions of our existence, and when these needs are fulfilled, we experience pleasure. For example, when we are hungry, we enjoy eating, but when we are full, eating no longer brings us pleasure. Therefore, pleasure primarily comes from the satisfaction of a need, and the root of this need lies within our soul’s structure.

In previous lessons, we discussed the concept of the Law of Pairs and its connection with the dimensions and faculties of the soul. We mentioned that each dimension and faculty of our soul has its own beloved and unique pair. We also stated that the relationship between each dimension with its match or partner is like a lock and key; it means the partner of every dimension is compatible with that dimension and is not compatible with other ones. For example, the stomach pairs with food, and the partner of the intellect is knowledge and learning. This relationship exists in all dimensions, including inanimate, vegetative, animal, and intellective ones, and also in sensate, imaginal, estimative, intellective, and supra-rational faculties.

So if we want to explain the mechanism of experiencing pleasure based on the structure of the soul and the concept of need, we can state, “Pleasure is the outcome of the pairing of each level and faculty of our soul with its unique partner. In fact, pairing exists in all dimensions of our existence, and this pairing fulfills our needs in each dimension. Every time these needs are satisfied, we experience pleasure.”

Now that we have understood the mechanism of experiencing pleasure, another important question arises: “Why are some things more enjoyable than others?” The answer to this question lies in how gentle the faculties of the soul are and in the pleasures they bring.

Tenderness of the Soul and the Pleasures They Give

Each of our faculties has its own pleasure, but the intensity and quality of these pleasures are not equal. The reason for this difference is the tenderness of the soul. In general, as our faculties move away from the material world and approach immateriality, they become more tender, and as a result, they experience greater pleasure. Based on this, we can classify the types of pleasure into five groups, ranging from the lowest to the highest pleasure:

• Sensate pleasures: Sensate pleasures are completely dependent on matter, as they are gained through body parts and the five senses. To understand these pleasures, there must be two factors. The first one is the body, and the second one is an external factor. For example, in order to enjoy eating, our sense of taste must be active and there must be an external factor called food. Without any of these, there will be no pleasure.

In sensate pleasures, it is possible to identify the specific part of the body that experiences pleasure. As a result, these pleasures are considered shallow and weak, offering the lowest level of pleasure compared to other forms of pleasure. Of course, it is important to note that in all pleasures, including sensate ones, it is our soul that enjoys, not our body. The body is merely an intermediary, and without the soul, it lacks any form of life to comprehend suffering or pleasure.

• Imaginal pleasures: Often, the act of imagining a scene or being in a place can be more enjoyable than actually being there physically. The reason for this is the power and tenderness of imagination. Imaginal pleasures are stronger than sensory pleasures. Firstly, imagination serves as the boundary between material and immaterial matters, functioning independently of matter to a significant degree. Secondly, pleasure derived from imagination is not confined to a specific location because when we imagine something, we are filled with pleasure with all our being. This rule also applies to estimative, intellective, and supra-rational pleasures.
• Estimative pleasures: Estimative pleasures result from the perceptions of the faculty of estimation, and they are more intense than imaginal pleasures. The pleasure derived from playing games, watching movies and football matches, winning a sports competition as a champion, holding a superior position as the head or manager of a company, receiving praise from others, etc., can be among estimative pleasures. Imaginal and estimative pleasures hold significant power, to the extent that many people are willing to disregard physical and sensate pleasures in pursuit of these ones.
• Intellective pleasures: Among the pleasures we have mentioned so far, intellective pleasures are the strongest and have the most intensity. The pleasure of learning and discovering the truth is so great for those who have experienced it that they are willing to endure many sufferings to get this pleasure. Studying the biographies of scholars and scientists clearly shows this point.

Of course, the amount of enjoyment from a thing also depends on the lifestyle and conscious decisions of people. For example, those who frequently engage in imaginal activities, such as various forms of art, will gradually become stronger in that dimension. As a result, imaginal pleasures become more intense and important to them compared to other people.

What Is the Highest Pleasure, and How Does It Relate to the Soundness of the Heart?

Among all the faculties of the soul, the highest pleasure is related to the supra-rational faculty. Supra-rational faculty or the heart is the most tender dimension of human existence, and its perceptions generate the most enduring, delightful, and profound pleasures within our soul. However, this is only possible if we have provided the necessary conditions for such pleasures.

Supra-rational pleasures are profound feelings of happiness that arise from connecting with Infinity and experiencing a sense of being eternal in the soul. This pleasure is unparalleled and has the power to end suffering in all levels of existence. All of us have experienced connecting with God and getting into good spiritual states. However, the duration and frequency of this feeling in our lives depend on various factors, the most important of which is the amount of nourishment provided to the soul.

As we mentioned, when we give more value to a dimension of our existence and fulfill its needs, that dimension will gradually become stronger and its pleasures will become more intense to us. So if connection and intimacy with God are not our highest pleasure, we must find which of our faculties has grown excessively and taken control over our existence: sense perception, imagination, estimation, or intellect?

Not enjoying the beloved is a sign of disorder at all levels of existence, but this issue is more important when it comes to our supra-rational level because our dignity, honor, and humanity are related to this faculty. If this dimension cannot rejoice in its Beloved, it means that we have strayed from the path of humanity and are suffering from a severe disease called the “hardened heart.” The problem is that although engaging in any of the faculties of the soul and its pleasures is enjoyable, it deprives us of the highest pleasure that exists in the world. Immortality is the most important characteristic of this pleasure; it is the only eternal pleasure which if we gain, we will find eternal happiness and peace; it is the pleasure of uniting the supra-rational dimension of our being with our Infinite Beloved.

Therefore, it does not matter where we are on the path of life, it is necessary for each of us to take a moment and honestly answer these important questions:

• What is my highest pleasure in life, and how do I spend my sweetest moments?
• Do I enjoy talking and being alone with God as much as I enjoy talking with my wife, my friend, etc.?!

What is your answer to these questions? How do you think we should manage our pleasures?