Happy

From the book ‘The art of happiness‘ by the Dalai Lama and Mr Howard Cutler (a psychiatrist):

Mr Cutler asks the Dalai Lama whether he is happy?

‘Yes …yes absolutely.’

Mr Cutler asks: ‘but is happiness for most of us a real goal ? Is it really attainable?’

‘Yes, for sure. I am convinced that one can reach happiness by practicing the mind.’

When Mr Cutler states that in Western psychology happiness is a very vague and undefined and even mysterious notion, the Dalai Lama says that when talking about the ‘mind’, he doesn’t only mean someones cognitive capacity or intellect but … more in the sense of the Tibetan word ‘Sem’ that has a much broader meaning and is closer to ‘psyche’ or ‘soul’; it contains intellect and feelings, heart and spirit. By attaining a certain inner discipline we can transform our behavior, our total view and our approach to life. .. In general one would first establish which factors lead to happiness and which factors to suffering. After having done this one would start eliminating the factors that lead to suffering and start cultivating the factor that lead to happiness. That is the right method.

The Dalai Lama mentions four elements of satisfaction or happiness: wealth , worldly satisfaction, spirituality and enlightenment. Together they contain the total of a persons search for happiness. Within the context of everyday life there are certain elements that, we normally assume, contribute to joy and happiness. A good health for instance is seen as a necessary element for a happy life. Furthermore he mentions material wealth and good friends and companions. But these elements will only contribute to a happy life with the right mindset. As an example: long term hate and anger will destroy your health. In a lot of very well developed parts of society with a high level of material wealth there are a lot of people not very happy. Under the goodlooking surface of prosperity there is a kind of mental unrest that leads to frustration, unnecessary fights, drugs- or alcohol abuse and, worst case, suicide. Wealth or friends are no guarantee for happiness. This shows that the state of the mind, the spiritual factor, is of great influence on our experience of daily life. Talking about a happy daily existence: the calmer the mind, the greater the peace of mind and the more you can enjoy a happy and joyful life. Talking about a calm mind or peace of mind, this should not be mistaken for a totally insensitive, apathetic state of mind. It doesn’t mean out of this world or totally empty but peace of mind and a calm mind are rooted in affection and compassion. There is a lot of feeling and sensitivity in there.

If you do not have the inner discipline to establish a calm mind it does not matter what for external provisions you have or in what conditions you are, they will never give you the feeling and happiness you are searching for. If on the other hand you do have that inner quality – calm mind and a certain inner stability – it is possible to lead a happy and joyful life even if you miss certain external provisions that are normally considered essential for happiness.

You can most likely find a lot of books and a wealth of information on the internet on the subject of happiness. This is just a small - but in my view quite essential – piece or view on it.

There is a research program going on at Harvard that is the oldest research on 'human flourishing'. It started in 1938 and followed then youngsters in their now old age. And their 'ofspring'. Can you believe that? I will most likely report more on that in another upcoming blog.

Ludicolous