What is Happiness?

About 500 b.c. The founder of Buddhism. Gautama Buddha used the Sanskrit word “SUKHA” to describe happiness. It translates to PEACE. He said we all seek SUKHA but encounter DUKHA which means suffering.

Roughly about 200 years later a Greek philosopher named Aristotle called Happiness the GOAL OF ALL HUMAN DESIRE.

Psychologist have been studying and researching happiness since the 1990’s They call it subjective well-being. An individuals perception of themselves and their lives.

United Nation calls it a fundamental human goal.

Most recently i came across a formula the defines happiness created by an engineer and former CEO of many leading companies. Mo Gawdat. HAPPINESS = A LIFE EVENT (-) minus YOUR EXPECTATIONS FROM THAT EVENT. If a situation in your life exceeds your current expectations of it, you are happy. If not you are unhappy. Very insightful and useful formula.

Lastly i personally define Happiness as a spiritual state of peace which can only stem from contentment. Why spiritual? Because the world of matter. The world that you and i can see, smell, touch, feel and taste are in a state of constant flux. It is the Buddhist law of impermanence at play. The only thing capable of lying still in a world of constant change is the spirit that dwells in you and me. The silent witness and awareness.

No matter how you define happiness, no matter who you are, no matter what your chosen path, whether you realize it or not, we all seek the very same destination. HAPPINESS.

A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness.” – Albert Einstein

 

Tshering Dorji

An ordinary human being with an acquired ability to endure, learn, grow and share. I help people build a mindset and body that serves them.

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