Episode 55 – Loving Kindness and the Root of Happiness

Buddhist training is not just about clarifying and taming the mind; it is also about cultivating the heart • loving kindness is the wish that all beings enjoy happiness and the desire to remove the suffering of others • generally speaking, our happiness is dependent on circumstances: when circumstances are just right, we feel happy for a while; but then the circumstances change, and we don’t feel happy any longer • is there such a thing as happiness that is not so fickle or unreliable or temporary? • is it possible to not need to close off awareness of suffering and pain in order to feel happiness? • is it possible that actions coming from a base of happiness and love and kindness can be more effective than actions based on hatred and frustration? • my teacher preferred to use the word “cheerfulness” instead of happiness because happiness is so linked with unhappiness and suffering • cheerfulness has less of a sense of the conditions needing to line up; there can be some kind of cheerfulness in the midst of pain, in the midst of suffering, in the midst of all the unsolved problems of the world.