QUOTES OF THE DAY

A longer quote:

None of us really need dead
Greek philosophers, nineteenth-century psychoanalysts, or twentieth-century scientists to help us understand
pleasure.

We know it when we feel it.
We know it in the touch or smile
of a loved one, in the luxury of a
hot bath on a cold rainy afternoon,
in the beauty of a sunset.

But many of us also know
pleasure in the frenetic rhapsody
of a cocaine rush, the ecstasy of
a heroin high, the revelry of an
alcohol buzz, the bliss of
unrestrained sexual excess,
the exhilaration of a winning streak
in Las Vegas.

These are also very real pleasures—
pleasures that many in our society
must come to terms with.

Although there are no easy solutions
to avoiding these destructive
pleasures, fortunately we have
a place to begin: the simple
reminder that what we are seeking
in life is happiness.

As the Dalai Lama points out, that
is an unmistakable fact. If we
approach our choices in life keeping
that in mind, it is easier to give up
the things that are ultimately harmful
to us, even if those things bring us momentary pleasure.

The reason why it is usually
so difficult to “Just say no!” is
found in the word “no”; that
approach is associated with a
sense of rejecting something,
of giving something up, of
denying ourselves.

But there is a better approach:
framing any decision we face by
asking ourselves, “Will it bring me happiness?” That simple question
can be a powerful tool in helping
us skillfully conduct all areas of
our lives, not just in the decision
whether to indulge in drugs or that
third piece of banana cream pie.

It puts a new slant on things.
Approaching our daily decisions
and choices with this question in
mind shifts the focus from what
we are denying ourselves to what
we are seeking—ultimate happiness.
A kind of happiness, as defined by
the Dalai Lama, that is stable and
persistent. A state of happiness
that remains, despite life’s ups and
downs and normal fluctuations of
mood, as part of the very matrix of
our being. With this perspective,
it’s easier to make the “right decision” because we are acting to give
ourselves something, not denying
or withholding something from
ourselves—an attitude of moving
toward rather than moving away,
an attitude of embracing life
rather than rejecting it.

This underlying sense of moving
toward happiness can have a
very profound effect; it makes us
more receptive, more open,
to the joy of living.”

Source:
The Art of Happiness, Dalai Lama