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July 27, 2012
MONEY AND HAPPINESS
Generally speaking, even if money brings us happiness, it tends to be the kind that money can buy: material things and sensory experiences. And these, we discover, become a source of suffering themselves. As far as actual possessions are concerned, we must admit that they often cause us more, not less, difficulty in life. The car breaks down, we lose our money, our most precious belongings are stolen, our house is damaged by fire. Or we worry about these things happening.
The problem is not materialism as such. Rather it is the underlying assumption that full satisfaction can arise from gratifying the senses alone. Unlike animals whose quest for happiness is restricted to survival and to the immediate gratification of sensory desires, we human beings have the capacity to experience happiness at a deeper level, which, when achieved, can overwhelm unhappy experiences. |
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| EXCERPTED FROM
The Pocket Dalai Lama,
pages 3-4.
$7.95 $3.97
To save 50%, use code DL72712 at checkout through 8/10.
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Teachings by His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, excerpted from works published by Shambhala Publications and Snow Lion Publications. |
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Shambhala Publications | 300 Massachusetts Ave | Boston | MA | 888.424.2329
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I have been meditating daily since I lost my son to suicide 5 years ago. Since then I have learned how important it is to maintain a joyful state, even when life isn’t exactly going as we wish. When your heart is happy, the chemicals it produces are life enhancing. Happiness and joy result from total acceptance of living in the present moment… Love yourself, love your family, love the world and keep doing your acts of kindness to yourself and to others. You will be rewarded with more joy than you have ever imagined or experienced.
It was a very hot day, which is not very normal in our little town. We were going to the supermarket and my daughter asked me if we could get some water and something for the man to eat. I said, "Yes." So we bought a bottle of water and a couple of pain au chocolate. These are my daughter’s favorites, but she she preferred to give them away!
