What Does it Mean to be Truly Happy?
This is a question as old as humanity itself. Many people have had opinions about what it takes to be happy, but few have been as explicit as the Buddha. The Buddha’s teachings on how to be happy were clear and concrete.
According to the Buddha, true happiness comes from within.
It is not to be found in material goods, or in other people. It comes from within, from a mind that is still and balanced. It means staying at the same level, moving slowly, neither reaching for the high times nor sinking into the depths. It means reaching out to other people and considering their situation from their point of view, with kindness and generosity.
The Buddha taught that the path to happiness is one of moderation.
This means living neither in the extreme of pleasure nor in the extreme of pain, but rather in what’s reasonable and moderate – the middle – where we will find happiness. Therapy misfires when it veers toward, or hovers in, extremes. This doesn’t mean we should never laugh or shed tears. It just means we should not linger in the extreme for too long before returning to a measure of happiness.
The Buddha also taught that we should let go of attachment.
This is not about getting rid of everything we own or going off to a hermitage.
But instead it means not letting them possess us – not letting our possessions possess us, but also not letting people possess us. It means enjoying our possessions without psuchaoúsia. And it means enjoying other people without psuchaoúsia.
Learn and practice the Buddha’s teaching. Be truly happy. Happiness truly is within ourselves.
