“If science was to conclusively prove that some part of the Buddhist scriptures or basic beliefs turned out to be untrue, then the Buddhist scripture or belief would have to change.”
— His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
As someone who believes firmly in the power of thorough scientific inquiry, the Dalai Lama’s book ‘The Art of Happiness’ (1998) discusses the theme of human happiness with American psychologist Howard Cutler.
Although human beings have, knowingly or unknowingly, sought happiness since they first became conscious, the official pursuit of happiness is only about 70 years old. Psychologist Abraham Maslow began the process in the 1950s with his pyramid of human needs and the concept of self-actualization. Carl Rogers, who followed, was the first psychologist to study what’s ‘right’ with people. Till then, psychology had been only concerned with mental illness, human weakness, and dysfunction. Yet, it was only in 1998, when American psychologist Martin Seligman established positive psychology as a branch of independent research and devoted the rest of his career to it, that the official and worldwide search for human happiness truly began. Over the last quarter-century, a filter-down effect has led to happiness being discussed worldwide across all sections of society as something tangible, something that can be built or produced by individuals themselves.
The Buddhist Blueprint for Joy
Buddhists, on their part, have been seeking human happiness for thousands of years, giving it the term ‘enlightenment’. Shakyamuni Buddha advocated that one could attain this elusive quality by training one’s mind and modifying one’s lifestyle. The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, interestingly, acknowledges in his dialogue with American psychologist Howard Cutler in the aforementioned book the importance of rigorous mental and spiritual training in contributing to human happiness. As the duo discusses happiness in this landmark book, it becomes clear that happiness is a state of mind, not closely tied to lasting achievements in the material world.
To illustrate, three well-known economists, Erik Lindqvist, Robert Ostling, and David Cesarini, conducted one of the most comprehensive studies on the long-term effects of lottery wins on psychological well-being in 2020. The Swedish study found that while life satisfaction improved, there was little evidence that winning a large amount of money in the lottery had any significant impact on the winners’ happiness after a certain period. They also found that winning big in the lottery does not substantially improve people’s current mental health. Furthermore, the Swedish study provided no evidence that a $100,000 lottery win significantly improved people’s satisfaction with their health, relationships, housing, neighborhood, or society. In fact, some previous scientific studies have suggested that it is only after a year of a significant lottery win that the recipient returns to a state of mind almost identical to that before the jackpot.
Happiness is not a Fluke, it’s a Discipline
Moreover, over the last twenty-five years, people have rejected the idea of happiness as something that is a chance occurrence or by-product of our external circumstances — in favor of seeing happiness as something that can be systematically developed. Or as the Dalai Lama says: “In my own Buddhist tradition, numerous mental trainings are offered to systematically cultivate greater compassion and well-being… Our aim (in the book) has been to share with others the conviction that there is a lot each of us can do to achieve greater happiness in our lives and, more importantly, to draw attention to the tremendous inner resources that are at the disposal of each of us.”
In Buddhist terms, the basis of true and lasting happiness, according to the Dalai Lama, is an awareness of the interconnectedness of all life on our planet. As he says, “I believe that the profound recognition of the sameness of the human family and the deeply interconnected nature of our well-being are crucially important (to happiness). When you feel connected with others, you are able to open your heart, which I often call our ‘inner door,’ and reach out to others. In doing so, you acquire a deep sense of security and trust and a true sense of freedom. A key element of this process entails cultivating some degree of greater awareness with respect to one’s own mental states, especially one’s emotions and moods. With these (spiritual) practices, you can lay a strong foundation within you, a kind of anchor that provides a true inner home. This is the basis of true inner happiness, a genuine wellspring of joy.”
So there, the Dalai Lama said it! Happiness is about our inner state of life, and this inner state can be developed through mental and spiritual training and practices. True happiness also necessarily involves an outlook of benevolence and kindness to others, which, incidentally, is NOT natural to the human condition and needs to be acquired and cultivated for most people. Unfortunately, what IS inherent in the human heart are the negative emotions of anger, lust, greed, resentment, envy, jealousy, and the like—which, if left unchecked, almost certainly lead one to unhappiness. Therefore, to attain happiness, practicing mental hygiene is a must. One must strive to tamp down on (or expiate or sublimate, as you like) the negative emotions, as well as practice spiritual or mental techniques to cultivate the positive emotions. This is the work of a lifetime, but it’s always good to make a beginning in the here and now.
• If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
• We need to learn how to want what we have, not to have what we want, in order to get steady and stable happiness.
~ The Dalai Lama
Compassion, the Shortcut to Joy
What else does the Dalai Lama say that we can build our lives and happiness upon? As he puts it charmingly, “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” Actually, this could be akin to asking for the moon. In a world built primarily on competition and a race for domination, this might be akin to swimming against the tide. Nevertheless, it is practicable if we start small and within our immediate circumstances. Whether it is offering our seat in the bus to an elderly or handicapped person, helping a student out with his/her studies in some way, offering a smile to someone who needs cheering up, offering encouragement to someone in distress, or encouraging a young person, compassion can take many and varied forms. The essential thing is to want to relieve the person in front of us from distress and replace it with happiness for them. Be warned, however, that in the real world, most of the time, your actions are likely to be misunderstood or misinterpreted, including, often, by the subject of your very attentions… but as long as your intentions are pure, you shouldn’t let that affect you. Just do the good deed anyway, if you can handle it, and let the universe work it out. The universe, after all, looks at the intention, even if sometimes the methodology can be worked out through trial and error.
Want What You Have
The Dalai Lama also says, “We need to learn how to want what we have, not to have what we want, in order to get steady and stable happiness.” That’s another way of saying that if we are seeking happiness, we must learn to be content with what we have… and to take it one step further, to have gratitude for what we have. It’s quite the opposite of the Western materialistic paradigm, which is always seeking to add material things to one’s life. When we have gratitude for what we have, we have more than enough. If we are discontent, we never have enough, and we cannot be happy. As the Buddhist text, the Dhammapada says:
“Health is the greatest gift; contentment, the greatest wealth; faithfulness, the best relationship.”
You Matter More Than You Think
For those who tend to underestimate their worth, and, for varied reasons, far too many of us do, the Dalai Lama quips, “If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.” What he’s essentially saying is that even a tiny insect can have a huge impact on its environment for better or for worse. Scientists who’ve studied the ‘butterfly effect’ validate this premise—how a butterfly flapping its wings in the Amazon can supposedly produce a tidal wave on another part of the planet. As far as humans are concerned, Buddhists believe that each human life born on earth is extremely precious and is the result of a complex interplay of various ultra-dimensional causes and conditions. Each human being is born with a purpose in life, Buddhists believe, a task that they alone can fulfill, whether big or small. Therefore, during our journey on planet Earth, it is vital for us to awaken to our unique purpose in life and then strive to fulfill it. As the famous Buddhist philosopher Josei Toda says,
“A person does not die until he/she has completed his/ her mission in life.”
So do not underestimate yourself—instead, strive to train and master your mind with a spiritual practice so that you can derive the maximum satisfaction and joy from life even as you complete your life’s purpose.
Also read this article about the Dalai Lama’s life:
