The Jewel Lamp: A Praise to Bodhicitta Verse 160

With bodhicitta one enjoys happiness.
With bodhicitta one enjoys even sorrow.
With bodhicitta one enjoys what is there.
With bodhicitta one enjoys even what is not there.

-- The Jewel Lamp: A Praise to Bodhicitta Khunu Rinpoche

The Jewel Lamp: A Praise to Bodhicitta Verse 153

Amongst happinesses, the cessation of samsara is true happiness.
Amongst suffering, the Avici hell is suffering.
Amongst what is tenable, the true nature of dharmas is tenable.
Amongst wholesome thoughts, bodhicitta is supreme.

-- The Jewel Lamp: A Praise to Bodhicitta Khunu Rinpoche

The Jewel Lamp: A Praise to Bodhicitta Verse 76

Be it immediate or through a sequence of events

bodhicitta unites wandering beings

equal to the limits of space

with present and lasting happiness.

--The Jewel Lamp: A Praise to Bodhicitta  Khunu Rinpoche

The Jewel Lamp: A Praise to Bodhicitta Verse 48

Bodhicitta comes from knowing that all have served as one's mother,

from recollecting and repaying their kindness, from love,

from compassion, and from surpassing intention;

it is the source of happiness and benefit for oneself and others.

--The Jewel Lamp: A Praise to Bodhicitta  Khunu Rinpoche

Public Teaching: What is Happiness?

On Tuesday, Sept. 7,  Geshe Damdul Namgyal will give a talk on "What is Happiness? From the Buddhist Perspective" at Drepung Loseling Monastery in Atlanta.  Click on the link for more info.

Every Day is a Lesson

This morning, while reading through blogs, I found a new posting from one of my favorite writers on Open Salon, Steve Blevins.  He posted a funny, insightful story entitled "Why I'm Happy".  His tongue-in-cheek humor made for an entertaining trip to Walmart.

First up, was the woman in front of him in the check out line that is distressed and furious after reading the People magazine in front of her - she's upset about the Sandra Bullock and Jessie James relationship.  Steve reveals to her that he doesn't know either of them and turns to the man behind him.  He, too, is upset because he's going to miss the LeBron James decision show since he's waiting in line at Walmart.  Steve again is clueless about the details.  When he gets to the check out clerk, who is very upset and punching the keys of the cash register, he asks her what's wrong and is told that she is tired of her daughter's obsession with Justin Beiber.  Clueless again.  So he leaves:

Walking away, I thought about the unhappy people at Walmart. They all had something in common: Each of them knew something I didn't -- and what they knew was causing them distress. 

That's when the epiphany hit. I had unwittingly stumbled upon the key to happiness: Happiness doesn't come from money, fame, or good looks. It doesn't come from love or genes or a positive attitude. 

Happiness comes from not knowing what the hell is going on. 

Ignorance truly is bliss. That's why stupid people are happier than smart people: They lack vital information.

That's where I said out loud, "Wait that's not right.  You just illustrated the second Noble Truth".  

The origin of suffering is attachment to transient things and the ignorance thereof. --The Big View

The second truth states the cause of dukkha, which is craving-attachment, stemming from ignorance into the nature of reality.-- Lama Surya Das

Yep, right there on Open Salon a little lesson in the causes of suffering even though the conclusion was a bit off.  Ignorance, you see, is NOT bliss it's just ignorance and happiness doesn't come from ignorance, it comes from its opposite: understanding. Understanding that grasping at things that aren't reflective of reality results in true happiness.

Book Review: The Art of Happiness

What else needs to be said about a classic?  This book literally changed my life.  When I first read the book I was in a really bad spot in my life and need to "change my perspective" and sure enough this book that me how.   The 10th chapter of the book is entitled "Shifting Perspective".  His Holiness explains his philosophy on perspective as such "The ability to look at events from different perspectives can be very helpful.  Then, practicing this, one can use certain experiences, certain tragedies to develop a calmness of mind.  One must realize that every phenomena, every event, has different aspects.  Everything is of a relative nature."  He goes on to explain that allowing our perspective to be so narrow and self-center just furthers our problems and doesn't allow us to see solutions.

The book, in my opinion, is required reading for anyone.  It isn't a Buddhist book, its a wonderful self discovery book written by a psychiatrist and a monk.  Their discussions are incredibly relevant to our busy, over-loaded society where issues of anxiety, depression, anger far outweigh those instances of true sublime happiness.  We all need to learn this Art of Happiness.