True Happiness

Certain areas of life like contentment, confidence, gratitude, personal growth, cheerfulness, relationships and optimism are known to determine our happiness.

They affect our happiness, that much I agree to, but to me it seems impossible to be able to achieve happiness without other people to share your life with.

According to the Buddhist concept of the Ten Worlds, happiness can be achieved through different means, but any happiness attained in the lower six worlds is completely temporary and conditional.

Heaven according to the concept of the Ten Worlds is the ultamate state of concentrated happiness, but is temporary and fragile. It is the happiness resulted from a fulfilled desire or stimuli (ex: if someone you love loves you back, if you win a billion dollars, if you win the super bowl, if you achieve some long life goal, etc.)

However, as strong and powerful as this happiness is, it will be short lived.

Hell is the opposite, the failure to acheive Heaven, and the state of sorrow, self-pity and misery over failure to live out a desire. Hell is the result of one failing to achieve this conditional happiness, and is caused by holding on to those attachments.

Buddhahood is a state of happiness where we put our own needs last, we are free of our superficial desires, and we put the knowledge, growth, and happiness of other people before our own.

According to Buddha, true happiness can only be achieved by bringing peace, knowledge, and happiness to other people. This kind of happiness is not self-dependent, is not conditioned by self fulfilling desires, is only fueled by the effort to make the quality of life of other people its fullest.

Originally posted by Smallville
Does it exist? If so, how does one achieve it?

Yes it does exist. How do you achieve it? There are many ways, but none of them are easy. The main problem is; we never choose to be happy. We always make excuses about needing this or wanting that and limit ourselves by saying “If I only had (fill in the blank) I could be happy. The truth is, you can be happy like a mad man, for no reason what so ever.

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
The truth is, you can be happy like a mad man, for no reason what so ever.

I experience that every now and then 😆

Happiness for no reason is the most sincere happiness of all

Originally posted by Lord Urizen
I experience that every now and then 😆

Happiness for no reason is the most sincere happiness of all

I know what you mean. I believe that the happiness we are talking about is eternal, it is just you and I who can't always see it.

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
I know what you mean. I believe that the happiness we are talking about is eternal, it is just you and I who can't always see it.

I beleive that the Happiness that comes from no particular cause is the most sincere because it is unconditional. There is nothing that created it or can destroy it; there are no attachments to it, it simply is

We, however, as limitted, thinking, feeling human beings tend to travel between experiencing it and not experiencing it.