I’m
a science geek as well as a Buddhist geek, and recently when I was
leading a retreat on how to bring more joy into our lives I found myself
making a lot of references to an article published in Yes magazine,
which touched on ten things that have been shown by science to make us
happier. It seemed natural to draw upon the article because so much of
the research that was described resonated with Buddhist teachings.
So I thought it would be interesting to take the main points of the article and flesh them out with a little Buddhism.
1. Be generous
“Make
altruism and giving part of your life, and be purposeful about it,” Yes
magazine says. “Researcher Elizabeth Dunn found that those who spend
money on others reported much greater happiness than those who spend it
on themselves.”
And in fact Buddhism has always emphasized the
practice of dana, or giving. Giving hasn’t been seen purely as the
exchange of material possessions, however; giving in Buddhist terms
includes non-tangibles such as education, confidence, and wisdom.
“And which are the three factors of the donor? There is the case where
the donor, before giving, is glad; while giving, his/her mind is bright
& clear; and after giving is gratified.” (Anguttara Nikaya)
2. Savor everyday moments
“Study
participants who took time to savor ordinary events that they normally
hurried through, or to think back on pleasant moments from their day,
showed significant increases in happiness and reductions in depression.”
This
of course is an example of another fundamental Buddhist practice —
mindfulness. When we’re mindful we stay in the present moment, and
really pay attention to our experience. Walking meditation, and even
eating, can be ways of savoring everyday moments. In being present, we
dwell in the present without obsessing about the past or future, and
this brings radiant happiness:
They sorrow not for what is past,
They have no longing for the future,
The present is sufficient for them:
Hence it is they appear so radiant. (Samyutta Nikaya)
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3. Avoid comparisons
“While
keeping up with the Joneses is part of American culture, comparing
ourselves with others can be damaging to happiness and self-esteem.
Instead of comparing ourselves to others, focusing on our own personal
achievement leads to greater satisfaction.”
Buddhists are advised
to avoid “conceit.” Now in the west we think of conceit as a sense of
superiority, but in Buddhism conceit includes thinking you’re inferior
to others, AND it includes thinking that you’re equal to others! What’s
left? Just not thinking in terms of self and other at all. The ideal in
Buddhism is a kind of “flow” state in which we un-selfconsciously
respond to others without any conceptualization of there being a self or
an other.
“Though possessing many a virtue one should not
compare oneself with others by deeming oneself better or equal or
inferior.” (Sutta Nipata 918)
4. Put money low on the list
“The
more we seek satisfactions in material goods, the less we find them
there,” [researcher Richard] Ryan says. “The satisfaction has a short
half-life—it’s very fleeting.” People who put money high on their
priority list are more at risk for depression, anxiety, and low
self-esteem.
Despite western preconceptions to the contrary, the
Buddha wasn’t against people making money. In fact he encouraged it!
Money’s useful to the extent that it supports our physical needs, allows
us to make others happy, and — most importantly — to the extent that we
use it to support genuine spiritual practice. In Buddhist terms we
validate our wealth creation by giving our money away to support what’s
really important in life, which is the pursuit of wellbeing, truth, and
goodness. The idea that materialism can bring us genuine happiness is
what Buddhism calls a “false refuge.”
There is no satisfying sensual desires, even with the rain of gold coins. (Dhammapada 186)
Knowing the bliss of debtlessness,
& recollecting the bliss of having,
enjoying the bliss of wealth, the mortal
then sees clearly with discernment.
Seeing clearly — the wise one —
he knows both sides:
that these are not worth one sixteenth-sixteenth
of the bliss of blamelessness.
(Anguttara Nikaya)
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5. Have meaningful goals
According
to Harvard’s resident happiness professor, Tal Ben-Shahar, “Happiness
lies at the intersection between pleasure and meaning.”
The
Buddha’s last words were “with mindfulness, strive.” The whole point of
being a Buddhist is in order to attain spiritual awakening — which means
to maximize our compassion and mindfulness. What could be more
meaningful than that?
“He gains enthusiasm for the goal,
gains enthusiasm for the Dhamma, gains gladness connected with the
Dhamma.” (Majjhima Nikaya)
6. Take initiative at work
“How
happy you are at work depends in part on how much initiative you take.
Researcher Amy Wrzesniewski says that when we express creativity, help
others, suggest improvements, or do additional tasks on the job, we make
our work more rewarding and feel more in control.”
The Buddhist
teaching on work is called the practice of Right Livelihood. And the
Buddha saw work as being a way to show initiative and intelligence:
“By whatsoever activity a clansman make his living … he is deft and
tireless; gifted with an inquiring turn of mind in to ways and means, he
is able to arrange and carry out his job.” (Anguttara Nikaya)
Heedful at administering
or working at one’s occupation,
… [these are factors] leading to welfare & happiness.
(Anguttara Nikaya)
7. Make friends, treasure family
“We don’t just need relationships, we need close ones,” says Yes magazine.
To
the Buddha, spiritual friendship was “the whole of the spiritual life.”
And even though people tend to think about monks and nuns leaving home,
for those who embraced the household life, close and loving
relationships with others was highly recommended. “Generosity, kind
words, beneficial help, and consistency in the face of events” are the
things that hold a family together, according to the Buddha.
Let him associate with friends who are noble, energetic, and pure in
life, let him be cordial and refined in conduct. Thus, full of joy, he
will make an end of suffering. (Dhammapada 376)
Support for one’s parents,
assistance to one’s wife and children,
consistency in one’s work:
This is the highest protection [from suffering].
(Mangala Sutta)
8. Look on the bright side
“Happy
people … see possibilities, opportunities, and success. When they think
of the future, they are optimistic, and when they review the past, they
tend to savor the high points,” say [researchers Ed] Diener and
[Robert] Biswas-Diener.
Buddhism doesn’t encourage us to have a
false sense of positivity, but neither are these researchers. They’re
suggesting that we find the good in any situation we find ourselves in.
Buddhism encourages positivity through practices such as affectionate
and helpful speech, where we consciously look for the good in ourselves
and others.
The strongest expression of this is where we’re told
to maintain compassionate thoughts even toward those who are
sadistically cruel toward us:
“Monks, even if bandits were to
carve you up savagely, limb by limb, with a two-handled saw, he among
you who let his heart get angered even at that would not be doing my
bidding. Even then you should train yourselves: ‘Our minds will be
unaffected and we will say no evil words. We will remain sympathetic,
with a mind of good will, and with no inner hate. We will keep pervading
these people with an awareness imbued with good will and, beginning
with them, we will keep pervading the all-encompassing world with an
awareness imbued with good will — abundant, expansive, immeasurable,
free from hostility, free from ill will.’ That’s how you should train
yourselves.” (Majjhima Nikaya)
9. Say thank you like you mean it
“People
who keep gratitude journals on a weekly basis are healthier, more
optimistic, and more likely to make progress toward achieving personal
goals, according to author Robert Emmons.”
The Buddha said that
gratitude, among other qualities, was the “highest protection,” meaning
that it protects us against unhappiness. And:
“A person of
integrity is grateful and thankful. This gratitude, this thankfulness,
is advocated by civil people.”(Anguttara Nikaya)
To one ever
eager to revere and serve the elders, these four blessing accrue: long
life and beauty, happiness and power.(Dhammapada 109)
Gratitude
in Buddhism helps us to align our being with the good (kusala) so that
we’re more likely to live in a way that leads to happiness and
wellbeing.
10. Get out and exercise
“A Duke University study
shows that exercise may be just as effective as drugs in treating
depression, without all the side effects and expense.”
And the
Buddha said — well, I don’t think he said much about exercise! In a
culture like the Buddha’s where most people worked manually, and where
walking was the main form of transportation, there wasn’t much need to
emphasize exercise as a thing in itself. It’s only in sedentary cultures
like ours that people have to make a special trip to the gym to
exercise — although they usually park as close to the entrance as
possible to minimize the amount of exercise they have to do in order to
get to the exercise machines! But walking meditation was, and is, a key
practice in Buddhism, even though it’s sometimes done very slowly.
However the Buddhist scriptures commonly mention that such-and-such a
person was “walking and wandering up and down beside the river for
exercise,” suggesting that monks, with their own form of semi-sedentary
lifestyle, needed to set aside special time to get their bodies moving.
Monks, there are these five benefits of walking up & down. What five?
One is fit for long journeys; one is fit for striving; one has little
disease; that which is eaten, drunk, chewed, tasted, goes through proper
digestion; the composure attained by walking up & down is
long-lasting.
These, monks, are the five benefits of walking up & down. (Anguttara Nikaya)
Police f!*re shot$ in the air after prote$*ters attempted to set ablaze police personnel on duty in a police station in Mahabir chowk, Rani, Biratnagar.
