Episode 56: The Happiness Enigma

Happiness seems to be something we all want but don’t often get; and when we do get it, it doesn’t seem to last  •  the search for happiness can seem like a receding horizon: we keep trying to get there, but it keeps eluding us  •  is there such a thing as lasting happiness?  •  what is the role of happiness within the path of meditation?  •  the Buddha saw that it’s possible to be happy in this world just as it is, with all its pain and suffering  •  this is different than struggling to force some kind of happiness, which never seems to work  •  it is also different than “if-then happiness,” which puts us at the whim of circumstances  •  is there a third option, a middle way?  •  in the practice of mindfulness meditation, when we are not doing anything or trying to get anywhere, we connect with something that goes beyond the ups and downs — we are connecting with a kind of ease  •  there is a traditional Buddhist short prayer for developing loving kindness which goes like this: May all beings enjoy happiness and the root of happiness  •  by making this aspiration we arouse kindness and concern for others, which puts us on the right track