Dear friends
How much do we really know
about happiness? From a Buddhist perspective, all sentient beings, including
animals, seek happiness. We have a subconscious instinct to seek happiness -
even though many of us don't have a clear idea what it is, or how to achieve
it.
From a Buddhist perspective,
there are two types of happiness: Emotional Happiness and Timeless Happiness.
Emotional Happiness could be described as seeking relief from the cold, or
searching for sources of earning, position, or status. Although there is
nothing wrong with this type of 'worldly' happiness, when we reflect on it, we
might understand that all of these examples, by their very nature, are
temporary. Emotional Happiness does not last. Therefore, Timeless Happiness
becomes something very important to seek.
Timeless Happiness
Timeless Happiness is gained
from understanding our own inherent qualities, such as compassion and loving kindness,
and gaining wisdom about our true nature. When we reflect on the nature of this
type of happiness, we find something unchanging, permanent - and therefore
worthwhile to seek.
We might find ourselves
confused about 'Timeless Happiness.' We are, after all, so closely connected to
Emotional Happiness, and get an instant reward from it every day. Timeless
Happiness might sound noble, even wonderful, but is it visible, attainable in
everyday life? Actually, yes.
Happiness in Family
My late grandmother led a very
simple life, as a mother to my father. But the way she lived her life is
something that will stay with me always, and is perhaps my greatest personal
example of Timeless Happiness. Without having particular responsibilities that
one might consider 'amazing' or 'newsworthy' - but simply by being a mother,
just practicing loving kindness, and other basic qualities of life, and of
herself - what I witnessed is that no matter who approached her, no matter what
kind of situations she was in, she had an unaltering attitude towards life.
Whomever she met, she had the attitude of kindness and care - just like a
mother. Visibly, you could see it, verbally, you could hear it. All of her
words were extremely warm and gentle. And of course, all of these qualities
stemmed from her own consciousness.
As Karmapa, I of course lead my
life as a spiritual practitioner, but I learn so much from the way she carried
herself, the way she carried her attitude to life. This memory for me is very
precious because it helps remind me that Timeless Happiness is visible and
evident in all of us. The happiness we are seeking is already here. So this
example always helps me, always puts a smile on my face, and in my heart.
Buddha and Happiness
I am sure that every one of you
have similar experiences, memories, that you can recall. From a Buddhist
perspective, it is said that the potential, the seed and the quality of true
happiness or enlightenment, are all there within every sentient being's centre.
Therefore, it is important not
to consider Timeless Happiness as something that is distant or unattainable, or
something to be celebrated on special occasions, and put on the shelf for the
rest of the year. Instead, Timeless Happiness is something that we can really
get involved in, take part in, no matter what type of life we are living, no
matter what type of conditions we might have. But first we have to notice it.
The benefit from taking the
first step of achieving Timeless Happiness is captured in the word 'timeless'
itself. From a Buddhist perspective, the benefits are noble, decent and
virtuous from the very beginning. It is noble, decent and virtuous in the
middle. And it is noble, decent and virtuous at the end as well - not just in
this life, not just later on, but until the end, until we have given full rise,
full realisation to Timeless Happiness.
From a Buddhist viewpoint, the
best example of this unchanging happiness would be none other than Buddha
himself. Buddha means 'Enlightened Being' - a fully awakened being. Now if we
reflect on the way he sought and ultimately achieved Timeless Happiness, it is
the same as we are doing today: reflecting on and examining the causes and
conditions of happiness.
The Happiness Exam
The only way in which we can
truly examine happiness, is by looking deep into ourselves: our way of being;
the way we carry ourselves; our everyday behaviour and habits. By doing so, it
helps us understand more about ourselves. If we understand more about
ourselves, we understand more about others.
All of us have the basic
qualities to attain happiness, we all share the potential - simply because we
all have consciousness. We all have the same wish and aspirations, as we are
all searching for happiness.
If you look at Buddha's life
story, it is clear that he could have had, and indeed he did have, everything
he could wish for from worldly life. But after examining it, he could see that
- no matter how pleasant or satisfactory a feeling or situation he was
experiencing - these were all temporary. He saw that it was not the ultimate
goal or priority to attain this type of experience, what we are calling
Emotional Happiness. Therefore, he left that life in search of something that
is lasting, something that is unchangeable. This is what students of Buddha's
way and path are practicing: the practice of Timeless Happiness.
Having said all of this, to
seek happiness, do we need to suddenly change the way we live? Do we need to
renounce and abandon things from our lives? We may naturally have these kind of
questions and doubts. I would say that it is all about the attitude - how we
want to live our lives. It all depends on our priority, our ultimate goal. If
our priority is to seek Timeless Happiness, the first thing we must do is
reflect.
Five minutes a day
It is beneficial to reflect
every day on what we are really seeking, the conditions that we have been
gathering, and the methods that we have been applying. There is no harm in
taking a little time every day from our schedules. We can start by taking just
five minutes a day - it's not much - and the practice itself doesn't need to
involve intensive methods or rigorous procedures. All we need to do is sit, or
stand in a place where we feel comfortable, quiet and peaceful.
Then, simply meditate and
reflect, with a calm state of mind and body. Reflect on the past 24 hours -
nothing more - reflect on exactly what has happened. Do this in an unemotional
way, without judgment. By doing so, there is so much benefit. You will
understand more about yourself, the various interesting aspects of your life.
Not only will this help your memory, gain clarity, but it can truly help you
understand yourself, and the true nature of happiness.
I encourage all of you to try
this. I follow this practice as much as I can, and it definitely brings a lot
of benefit. It helps me to understand exactly where I am, what I have
experienced in the past, and by doing so it also helps me understand what may
happen, the possibilities. In this way, this simple practice can help us
understand the past, the present and the future. We feel confident, and can
gain an insight into happiness.
I hope this is beneficial to
all of you. I offer my aspirations and prayers that we all are able to achieve
Timeless Happiness. I pray that we will all gain clarity, and that we will all
find the conditions to appreciate the connection that we have. I pray that we
cultivate the conditions to realise the potential that we have, the bond that
we all share such as the bond of family, the bond of friends. And I pray that
this will grow not just Emotional Happiness, but Timeless Happiness in our world.
This is an edited transcript of
a live-streamed public talk by Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa
Karmapa, which he gave on the occasion of the United Nations International Day
of Happiness 2015. Karmapa can be followed @karmapaorg, on Facebook, or his
website is www.karmapa.org
Follow His Holiness Karmapa
Thaye Dorje on Twitter: www.twitter.com/karmapaorg
