Each of us has hopes, worries, fears, and dreams. We all aspire to happiness and we all shun suffering. We all share basic needs for food, shelter, safety, and love. Physically, emotionally, and mentally, we are all equal. “Whether one is rich or poor, educated or illiterate, religious or non-believing, man or woman, black, white, or brown, we are all the same. “Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.ġ9. It depends on the happiness of others and it is based on love and affection.”ġ8. Profound happiness, unlike fleeting pleasures, is spiritual in nature. “Material progress and a higher standard of living bring us greater comfort and health, but do not lead to a transformation of the mind, which is the only thing capable of providing lasting peace. Therefore, it is important to discover what will bring about the greatest degree of happiness.”ġ7. “I don’t know whether the universe, with its countless galaxies, stars and planets, has a deeper meaning or not, but at the very least, it is clear that we humans who live on this earth face the task of making a happy life for ourselves. “Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it”ġ6. So there is no guarantee that wealth alone can give you the joy or fulfillment that you are seeking. Just underneath the beautiful surface of affluence there is a kind of mental unrest, leading to frustration, unnecessary quarrels, reliance on drugs or alcohol, and in the worst case, suicide. “Today there are societies that are very developed materially, yet among them there are many people who are not very happy. “The ultimate source of happiness is not money and power, but warm-heartedness”ġ4. That feeling of discontentment, of wanting more and more and more, doesn’t arise from the inherent desirability of the objects we are seeking but rather from our own mental state.”ġ3. But the very basis of seeking more is a feeling of not having enough, a feeling of discontentment. “Our ultimate aim in seeking more wealth is a sense of satisfaction, of happiness. So, I think, the very motion of our life is towards happiness.ġ2. Whether one believes in religion or not, whether one believes in that religion or this religion, we are all seeking something better in life. “I believe the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness. What greater folly could there be than to spend this short time alone, unhappy or in conflict with our companions? Far better, surely, to use our short time here in living a meaningful life, enriched by our sense of connection with others and being of service to them.”ġ1. Each one of us is a just visitor to this planet, a guest, who will only stay for a limited time. “Given the scale of life in the cosmos, one human life is no more than a tiny blip. The wiser course is to think of others when pursuing our own happiness.”ġ0.
It then becomes both morally wrong and pragmatically unwise to pursue only one’s own happiness oblivious to the feelings and aspirations of all others who surround us as members of the same human family. “We begin from the recognition that all beings cherish happiness and do not want suffering. Yet true happiness comes from a sense of inner peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved through the cultivation of altruism, of love and compassion and elimination of ignorance, selfishness and greed.”Ĩ.
People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their happiness or satisfaction. “I believe all suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their own happiness or satisfaction. In fact, whether we are feeling happy or unhappy at any given moment often has very little to do with our absolute conditions but, rather it is a function of how we perceive our situation, how satisfied we are with what we have.”Ħ. “Our moment-to-moment happiness is largely determined by our outlook. “Once basic needs are met (food, clothing, shelter, etc), the message is clear: we don’t need more money, we don’t need greater success or fame, we don’t need the perfect body or even the perfect mate – right now, at this very moment, we have a mind, which is all the basic equipment we need to achieve complete happiness.”ĥ. “Happiness is determined more by one’s state of mind than by external events.”ģ. Sometimes it comes when we least expect it.”Ģ. “Happiness doesn’t always come from a pursuit.
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