The Dalai Lama’s Guide to Happiness
“I describe happiness in a sense of more satisfaction. Happiness is not necessarily some pleasure experience, but a neutral experience that can bring deep satisfaction.”
~ The Dalai Lama
So what does it take to be truly happy? Peace of mind. Here are a few of his wise words…
- Have a warm heart – This reduces the bad feelings we have toward other people. It also reduces the amount of distrust we carry with us. Be open.
- Don’t label yourself as “special” – The Dalai Lama doesn’t put himself on a pedestal or label himself as anything special. He doesn’t feel better than anyone else simply because he is “The Dalai Lama” or a “Nobel Laureate”. If you do this, if you put yourself on a pedestal, you make yourself a prisoner. “I simply consider I am one of the 7 billion human beings. We are mentally, emotionally, and intellectually the same.”
- Satisfaction is within you – You reap what you sow…if you do negative things, you’ll get negative consequences. If you do positive things, you get positive consequences. If you make others happy, you’ll benefit from that.
- There’s a lot to be happy about, if you just look for it. –
- Friendship is essential – We have been taught to fear everyone and everything, which interferes with our nature as social animals. With friendship comes trust. Fear and trust contradict each other. If you fear you cannot trust, and cannot develop friendship.
- Loneliness is a mental attitude – You can be surrounded by an entire city of people and still feel lonely. A self-centered attitude, no sense of love, too much competition, too much jealousy, all leads back to distrust, which brings frustration and fear. This creates an automatic sense of loneliness.
- Pledge to yourself to become a new person