Happiness can just refer to the pleasure we find on a sensory level, but real happiness is related to peace of mind. If we have a calm mind, fear and suspicion are reduced. Fear is a major source of unhappiness.
Here and now in the 21st century, with the help of what scientists have learned about the brain, we need to learn how to achieve peace of mind. This is crucial, since world peace can only be built by individuals who are at peace with themselves.
Joy and happiness are mental events and, according to our day to day experience, mental satisfaction is superior to physical pleasure. We need material development, but it’s a mistake to depend on material things alone to find happiness. We also need to be warm-hearted.
Anger, suspicion and jealousy disturb our minds. The antidote to these emotions is to cultivate patience and tolerance. Who provides us the opportunity to develop it? The one we call our enemy. Therefore, we can see him or her as a teacher.
As human beings we are all the same. We have this marvellous intelligence, which sometimes creates problems for us, but when influenced by warm-heartedness it can be really creative and helpful. This is the context in which having moral principles is of such great value.
Every morning when I wake up, I dedicate myself to helping others to find peace of mind. Then, when I meet people, I think of them as long term friends; I don't regard others as strangers.
If you develop a pure and sincere motivation, if you are motivated by a wish to help on the basis of kindness, compassion, and respect, then you can carry on any kind of work, in any field, and function more effectively.
While many people consider sensory experience as the main source of happiness, really it is peace of mind. What destroys peace of mind is anger, hatred, anxiety and fear. Kindness counters this—and through appropriate education we can learn to tackle such emotions.