By Matthieu Ricard — 2011
In this essay, I discuss what enduring happiness means according to the Buddhist perspective and the ways in which the Dalai Lama embodies this enduring happiness.
Read on www.internationaljournalofwellbeing.org
CLEAR ALL
Question: Buddhist teachers, including the Dalai Lama, often speak of happiness as a goal (if not the goal) of Buddhist practice. I don’t begrudge anyone happiness, but making it so central to spiritual life feels self-serving. Am I misunderstanding what’s meant by “happiness”?
It’s surprisingly easy to achieve lasting happiness — we just have to understand our own basic nature. The hard part, says Mingyur Rinpoche, is getting over our bad habit of seeking happiness in transient experiences.
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Our expert explains the etymology of samsara.
Essentially each practitioner of Buddhist meditation makes the journey alone, but many find that committing themselves to the three jewels—Buddha, dharma, and sangha—helps take them further.
One of the roots of the word parami conveys the sense of “supreme quality.” Pāramītā means “going toward” something, going toward perfection.
Often, when teaching a new idea or practice, it helps to try to boil it down to its essentials. Getting to the pith of things is very important and being able to do so in a way that reaches and sticks with others is a sign of genius.
Why are Buddhist concepts and techniques so popular lately?
How can Buddhism and mindfulness help people?
Mining my spirit for enlightenment, I have been able to unearth treasures of boundless compassion such that I feel genuine appreciation for everyone and everything. Instead of complaining, I commit to using all that is dumped on me to fertilize my wisdom, courage and determination.
Roxanne Dault, Meido Moore, and Lopön Charlotte Z. Rotterdam discuss what it means to understand Buddhism through the body — the heart of the Buddhist path.