Happiness, Dalai Lama-Style

Sitting at work, wondering (again) how I would fill my hours until the blessed start of the weekend, I began perusing the NY Times.

This is a habit I have only picked up recently, mostly because the stupid updated web filter here at work has decided that D-listed, a celebrity gossip site that is truly hysterical, is suddenly not work-appropriate (not that I’m one for celebrity gossip, but I’ll take the rantings of a foul-mouthed Hispanic gay man any day of the week).

I suppose I’m better off for it, more educated and up-to-date on the latest politics and current affairs and whatnot, but I can’t help but wonder what Michael K, author of D-listed, would have to say about Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson’s most recent fall-out.

Regardless…

I stumbled across this article today discussing the Dalai Lama’s pragmatic approach to happiness. I’ve always been interested in Buddhism (as a philosophy, not a religion), and have found that the principles of this philosophy/religion are often align with my personal beliefs on how life ought to be lived.

The Middle Path and all that jazz…(Erin, we need to talk girl)

The article was fascinating, but I found myself stuck on a particular paragraph outlining the differences between happiness and pleasure, unhappiness and suffering:

"Happiness is not pleasure, [Buddhists] know, and unhappiness, as the Buddhists say, is not the same as suffering. Suffering — in the sense of old age, sickness and death — is the law of life; unhappiness is just the position we choose — or can not choose — to bring to it."

I was really struck with the opposing definitions of these words. “Happy” and “sad” can define a mental state that is, according to the Dalai Lama, completely divergent from one’s physical state of “pleasure” and “suffering.” When you think about it – really think about it – what he’s saying is that your physical condition does not necessarily have to dictate your mental condition.

And that’s some pretty powerful stuff.

You see dirty, smelly chickens. I see dinner.

As someone who was once “depressed” (in so far as my therapist prescribed me little blue pills that were supposed to make me better), it’s almost inconceivable to think that people have control over their moods. I certainly didn’t choose to be depressed, but getting out of bed was a challenge, nonetheless. But to think that we can be happy - truly happy - despite what’s going on around us is a message that is both uplifting and empowering.

But (and there’s always a but)….it takes work.

As the author of the article says later on,

"…happiness is within the reach of almost anyone. We can work on it as we work on our backhands, our soufflés or our muscles in the gym."

I think the message is that you can’t just sit around and wait to magically feel happy again. You have to take action; choose to feel happy and do what it takes to make it happen. Maybe it’s all about appreciating what you DO have instead of focusing on what you DON’T have. Maybe it’s all about seeing your life from a new perspective. Is it a state-of-mind thing or a remove-yourself-from-a-bad-situation thing? I honestly don't have the answer – I’m pretty new at this stuff and am probably in no position to lend advice.

But the Dalai Lama’s message is that, at the end of the day, whether you have to move across the country or simply appreciate the way the light shines through the window in the morning, happiness is everywhere. It’s a renewable resource, and it’s accessible to every single person out there.

You just have to know where to look.



So I hope that everyone has a great weekend.

It's Friday, y'all - And if that isn't a happy thought, I don't know what is ;-)