Happiness - 2 (By Matthieu Ricard)

1. The narrow world of the self is like a glass of water into which a handful of salt is thrown - the water becomes undrinkable. If, on the other hand, we breach the barriers of the self and the mind becomes a vast lake, that same handful of salt will have no effect on its taste. When the self ceases to be the most important thing in the world, we find it easier to focus our concern on others. The sight of their suffering bolsters our courage and resolve to work on their behalf, instead of crippling us with our own emotional distress.
2. Most of the time it is not outward events, but our own mind and negative emotions that make us unable to maintain our inner stability and drag us down.
3. This knot in our chest was tied not by our unfaithful husband, our object of desire, our dishonest colleague, or our unjust accuser, but by our own mind. It is the result of mental constructs that, as they accumulate and solidify, give the illusion of being external and real. What provides the raw material for that knot and allows it to form within us is an exacerbated sense of self-importance. Anything that does not respond to the self's demands becomes a disturbance, a threat, or an insult. The past is painful, we are unable to enjoy the present, and we tremble before the projection of our future anguish.
4. it is by transforming our minds that we can transform our worlds.
5. The disturbing emotions tend to distort our perception of reality and to prevent us from seeing it as it really is. Attachment idealizes its object, hatred demonizes it!! These emotions make us believe that beauty or ugliness is inherent in people and in things, even though it is the mind that decides if they are "attractive" or "repulsive". This misapprehension opens a gap between the way things appear and the way they actually "Are".
6. it is essential to be mindful of the movement of thoughts in our minds, to identify the types of mental activity that lead to well being and hence encourage them, and discourage those that lead to suffering, even when the latter give us brief instances of pleasure!

The remedies for "disturbing emotions" will be highlighted in the next e-mail.

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"Anything that is of value in life only multiplies when it is given."

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"Anything that is of value in life only multiplies when it is given."