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Buddhism about Happiness
"The first step in seeking
happiness
is
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learning. We first have to learn how negative emotions and behaviors are
harmful to us and how positive emotions are helpful. We must also realize
that these negative emotions are not only very bad and harmful to one
personally, but are also harmful to society and the future of the whole
world," teaches
Dalai Lama.
Everyone wants to
be
happy and no one wants to suffer, but very few people understand the real
causes of
happiness and suffering.
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Happy vs. Unhappy People:
10 Differences
We tend to look for happiness outside
ourselves, thinking that if we had the right house, the right car, the right
job, and the right friends we would be truly happy. We spend almost all our
time adjusting the external world, trying to make it conform to our wishes.
All our life we have tried to surround ourselves with people and things that
make us feel comfortable, secure, or stimulated, yet still we have not found
pure and lasting happiness.
It is time we sought happiness from a different
source.
Happiness
is a state of mind, so the real source of happiness must lie within the
mind, not in external conditions. If our mind is pure and peaceful we shall
be
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happy, regardless of our external circumstances, but if it is impure and unpeaceful we can never be truly happy, no matter how hard we try to change
our external conditions. We could change our home or our partner countless
times, but until we change our restless, discontented mind we shall never
find true happiness.
 The Art of
Happiness in Buddhism
Abhidamma is an ethical-psychological teaching
presented in the body of ancient
Buddhist scriptures of the same name. Based on various techniques of
Buddhist mind training, the Abhidamma represents the systematic knowledge of
the Dharma, or "good teaching" – that is, the liberating,
happiness-promoting way of
life.
Dharma strategies for self-transformation help
you feel at home in your body, protect
well-being through mindfulness, and perceive reality with clarity and
wisdom. They help you deal skillfully with painful events and negative
emotions, and also offer direct ways of promoting positive emotions such as
cheerfulness, sympathetic joy, and
compassion.
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The
Dalai Lama's Approach to
The Art of Happiness
"There are two kinds
of happiness - the temporary pleasure derived primarily from material
comfort alone and another more enduring comfort that results from the
thorough transformation and development of the mind. We can see in our own
lives that the latter form of happiness is superior because when our mental
state is calm and happy, we can easily put up with minor pains and physical
discomforts. On the other hand, when our mind is restless and upset, the
most comfortable physical facilities do not make us happy."
Dalai Lama
believes
that
happiness can be achieved through
compassion and training the mind.
From his perspective there is an inextricable link between one's own
personal happiness and kindness and caring and compassion towards others.
It's not only from the Dalai Lama's perspective –
from his particular view of life and Buddhist philosophy –
but also from the scientific standpoint that shows that happy people are
much more likely to show compassion.
→
The Wheel of Life:
Eastern vs. Western View
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The Wheel of Life in
Buddhism
What's remarkable is this amazing link between happiness and kindness
towards others.
Happier people are more likely to help the other person. But
the Dalai Lama feels that it works the other way around as well.
That the deliberate cultivation of kindness and compassion and caring and
tolerance and forgiveness and these type of things will make one a happier
person.
Dalai Lama's approach to achieving happiness
begins with distinguishing between spirituality and religion. To have a
spiritual dimension in your life, you should appreciate your potential as a
human being and recognize the importance of inner transformation through a
process of mental development.
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Self-Improvement: Thought Power
The art of happiness has many components. It
begins with developing an understanding of what are the truest sources of
happiness and setting your priorities in life based on the cultivation of
those sources. "It involves an inner discipline, a gradual process of
rooting out destructive mental states and replacing them with positive,
constructive states of mind, such as kindness, tolerance, and forgiveness."
Balance
is a key element of a
happy life.
→
10 Affirmations
for
Happiness
→
5 Keys To
Happiness |
