Cultivation of intelligence creates a mind that never ceases to search for more knowledge.
Success is not happiness;
To arrive at success, the mind must be developed as to never be satisfied with past achievements, or the way things are in the present.
Wealth is not happiness;
To gain wealth, the mind must be trained to always seek more, and to worry about what has been earned.
Pleasure is not happiness;
To achieve pleasant feelings, the mind must be trained to be satisfied only with certain things, and to yearn when those things are not present.
Skill is not happiness;
Developing a skill requires a mind that constantly seeks improvement over what currently is.
Seeking happiness through any of these paths develops a mind that clings to the past, is unsatisfied with the present, and is anxious for a better future.
Happiness is love for all beings at all times;
Happiness is relinquishment of gain;
Happiness is compassion and generosity;
Happiness is satisfaction with reality, with the present moment;
Happiness is freedom from the self -- the delusion that there is something to gain, or something to lose.
Freedom is to fully experience the present, fully satisfied with what is;
Nothing to gain, nothing to lose, nothing to do,
All in a world filled with people we love.
But lacking effort and attention, too, is not happiness.
ReplyDeleteI suppose that happiness lies in the middle way.
As a result of your comment, I can see my personal bias. I think I have way too much "effort" to ever have to worry about having too little. But I suppose it's true; without any effort at happiness is difficult to find.
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