Happiness

I just finished a book called The Essence of Happiness by the Dalai Lama. It's a collection of his quotes and I wanted to write down some of my favorite ones:

I believe the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness. That is clear. Whether one believes in religion or not, whether one believes in this religion or that religion, we all are seeking something better in life. So, I think, the very motion of our life is toward happiness.

The purpose of our life needs to be positive. We weren't born with the purpose of causing trouble, harming others. For our life to be of value, I think we must develop basic good human qualities- warmth, kindness, compassion. Then our life becomes meaningful and more peaceful- happier.

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion; and if you want yourself to be happy, practice compassion.

In searching for some meaning or practical value of suffering, there is one aspect of our suffering that is of vital importance; awareness of your pain and suffering helps you develop your capacity for empathy, the capacity that allows you to relate to others' feelings and suffering. This enhances your capacity for compassion toward others. So as an aid in helping us connect with others, it can be seen as having value. Looking at suffering in this way, our attitude may begin to change- our suffering may not be as bad as we think.

The more honest you are, the more open, the less fear you will have, because there's no anxiety about being exposed or revealed to others. So, I think that the more honest you are, the more self-confident you will be.

We often hear people say that all human beings are equal. by this we mean that everyone has the obvious desire of happiness. Everybody has the right to be a happy person. And everyone has the right to overcome suffering. So if someone is deriving happiness or benefit from a particular religious tradition, it becomes important to respect the rights of others; thus we must learn to respect all these major religious traditions. That is clear.

Real spiritual practice is in some sense like a voltage stabilizer. The function of the stabilizer is to prevent irregular power surges and instead give you a stable and constant source of power.

Change takes time.