| A common assumption about personal happiness is | | | | So how do you overcome hope and fear, jealousy, |
| that it can only be obtained through external factors | | | | anger, suffering? |
| such as obtaining wealth, fame, physical beauty, | | | | From the Buddhist perspective, you can overcome |
| finding a perfect love relationship, perfect family, etc. | | | | anything through Bodhicitta, the practice of |
| But from a Buddhist perspective, when we place so | | | | undiscriminating compassion for all beings that |
| much dependence on external circumstances for our | | | | understand pain. |
| emotional and mental well being, we face problems: | | | | When we learn to act out of empathy and concern |
| 1) We spend much of our lives working towards | | | | for others, our personal dramas become simple and |
| these goals that are hard to control (accidents, | | | | light because our view has broadened to include the |
| delays, break-ups, etc.) | | | | world around us. When we are less invested in our |
| 2) Everything is subject to impermanence. Whatever | | | | own self-interest, anything that occurs in our life |
| we have obtained this current moment - wealth, | | | | becomes manageable. Our internal peace and |
| fame, beauty - it is a guarantee that you will have to | | | | happiness is no longer at stake whenever something |
| part with it eventually. | | | | does not go our way. |
| Think about our experiences with loss. | | | | When we live for the sake of others without |
| Every time we lose something that we think belongs | | | | expecting anything in return, our actions and our lives |
| to us - be it an object, a lover, our reputation, | | | | suddenly carry more meaning because we have |
| money - we feel jealous, angry, hate. And often | | | | transcended acting out for the sake of personal |
| times we devote great energy and effort acting out | | | | survival. |
| of our jealousy, anger, pride, hatred completely | | | | Clinging to the self is the source of suffering |
| ignorant of the fact that it is precisely these feelings | | | | according to Buddhism. If we practice selflessness, |
| that causes our suffering. | | | | our endless list of needs and wants start to dwindle. |
| Because of the unstable and erratic nature of | | | | It is then we feel content with simply what we are, |
| external circumstances, we are tossed constantly | | | | with what we can do given the present moment, |
| between waves of hope and fear, love and hate, | | | | and happiness will come as a side effect without us |
| attraction and repulsion, excitement and boredom. | | | | trying so hard. |