"There are two kinds of happiness, mental happiness and outer happiness. Outer happiness comes through meeting with an external object, and is transitory. Mental happiness comes about through meditation and positive thought, it is stable and does not cause suffering.One cannot be happy if one does not have mental happiness, no matter how abundant the external sources of outer happiness are, but if one is truly happy in ones mind, then one is unaffected by outer problems."
Ven. Tenzin Dongak (Fedor Stracke)
"Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions." Dalai Lama
Question: You often speak about the need for mental peace. What do you mean by it? Does it denote a specific state of mind?
Dalai Lama: Mental peace? If you reduce anger and attachment, you reach a point when your mind always remains calm or stable. It is as simple as that. Strong anger and attachment create waves in your mind. People may not realize when they yield to desire or develop attachment that it will cause them mental unrest. But actually, when a strong desire or attachment occurs, during that moment mental peace is lost. To reduce attachment, especially anger or hatred, leads to mental calmness. This is what we call mental peace.
In essence, keep your mind relaxed at all times and accept the manifold experiences of life. Look at all situations with a sense of cheer and humor and, just as we may watch a comedy on the television to relieve tension, we should laugh at ourselves and have no tension.
Geshe Namgyal Wangchen
Ven. Tenzin Dongak (Fedor Stracke)
"Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions." Dalai Lama
Question: You often speak about the need for mental peace. What do you mean by it? Does it denote a specific state of mind?
Dalai Lama: Mental peace? If you reduce anger and attachment, you reach a point when your mind always remains calm or stable. It is as simple as that. Strong anger and attachment create waves in your mind. People may not realize when they yield to desire or develop attachment that it will cause them mental unrest. But actually, when a strong desire or attachment occurs, during that moment mental peace is lost. To reduce attachment, especially anger or hatred, leads to mental calmness. This is what we call mental peace.
In essence, keep your mind relaxed at all times and accept the manifold experiences of life. Look at all situations with a sense of cheer and humor and, just as we may watch a comedy on the television to relieve tension, we should laugh at ourselves and have no tension.
Geshe Namgyal Wangchen