8/30/2023 0 Comments Dalai lama happy![]() The hardships include being plucked from his peasant parents as a toddler and ensconced in a spooky old palace, where he was tasked with relearning nearly every ounce of the knowledge he had managed to sponge up in his previous life as the 13th Dalai Lama. In times of trouble, the Dalai Lama’s story is one that bears repeating. We’ll discuss why later in the chapter.His Holiness on his new music and how altruism and love can help get you through the pandemic However, when humans developed an agricultural lifestyle, altruism was by necessity replaced with self-serving behavior and hierarchies, which led to conflict. Researchers have tried to account for this by proposing that in the hunter-gatherer societies of 15,000 years ago (and in modern-day ones), altruism was an important survival mechanism. ![]() (Shortform note: While there is, as the Dalai Lama and Cutler say, evidence of humans’ innate altruism, kindness, and caring, we can’t deny the existence of war, poverty, and hatred. Cutler adds that there’s scientific research proving humans are inherently kind and altruistic. We’ll call such innate, life-sustaining emotions positive emotions. Because they’re necessary to survival, these emotions must be fundamental to human nature. If you don’t believe in Buddha Nature, you’ll find proof of humans’ innate compassion by observing our behavior, claims the Dalai Lama: Children need the compassion, care, and love of their families to survive. Your goal, then, is to rid yourself of those misconceptions.) Others believe that your Buddha Nature is already fully developed but hidden by your misconceptions of the world. ![]() Some believe that you’re born with the seed of Buddha Nature but must nurture it into bloom yourself. ![]() (Shortform note: Buddhists of different schools perceive Buddha Nature differently. This belief stems from the Buddhist doctrine of Buddha Nature, the belief in humans’ intrinsic state of purity and positivity. Therefore, until we reach the highest tier, self-actualization-comparable to the attainment of happiness as described by the Dalai Lama-we can’t practice generosity toward others because we’re too busy meeting essential needs.) You Can Achieve Happiness Because You’re Innately CompassionateĪccording to the Dalai Lama, happiness is your natural predisposition because you’re innately compassionate and loving. Abraham Maslow posited that human motivation is tiered: We’re first motivated to satisfy simple needs-for shelter, food, and so on-and only motivated to tend to higher-tier needs-friendship, love, and the like-once the simple needs are met. (Shortform note: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs echoes the idea that we’re able to do our best for others when we’re happy and explains why this might be the case. However, when you look at the micro-goals of joining this program, you see they serve the macro-goal of happiness: You join the program to get fit. Let’s say you join a high-intensity fitness program, which, with its grueling exercises, may not seem in service of your happiness. According to him, every goal you set in life, however distant it may seem from happiness, actually is in service of attaining happiness. (Shortform note: Aristotle also believed that your purpose in life is to achieve happiness. That’s why it is your purpose as a human to seek happiness. But the Dalai Lama argues the opposite is the case: Unhappy people are more self-absorbed than happy people, who are compassionate, helpful, and generous. Some westerners see striving for personal happiness as a selfish act. Here is how to cultivate true happiness, according to the spiritual leader Dalai Lama. Cutler), he proposes that all humans should seek out happiness by training themselves to be happy in four different ways. It’s about being content with your life on all levels. In his book The Art of Happiness (co-authored with Howard C. What is happiness at its core? Do you think happiness is a natural human state?Īccording to the Dalai Lama, happiness is not merely an emotional state, but a mental and intellectual one. Like this article? Sign up for a free trial here. ![]() Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading. This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "The Art of Happiness" by Dalai Lama. ![]()
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