Conditions for Inner Happiness

Commercial interests with their advertising industry do not want people to develop contentment and less greed.  Military interests in economic, political, ethnic or nationalist guises, do not want people to develop more tolerance, nonviolence and compassion.  And ruling groups in general, in whatever sort of hierarchy do not want the ruled to become too insightful, too independent, too creative on their own, as the danger is that they will become insubordinate, rebellious, and unproductive in their alloted tasks.” Robert Thurman, Ph.D., American Buddhist, writer, and Je Tsongkhapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University

We can never share the above comment by Bob Thurman enough as either a wake-up call or a reminder. We are indeed forever being worked by the media, business, and political interests. Here in Matthieu Ricard’s “The Habits of Happiness” is a discussion of the inner conditions for happiness, which help us maintain a frame of mind that is not susceptible to fool’s gold offered by the “ruling groups.” Jamie Dedes

Video posted to YouTube by TEDtalksDirector

19th Century Padma Sambaba sculpture from Nepal is courtesy of the currator of The Buddha Gallery