What is Happiness?

Summary

The talk is a question-and-answer session held on July 9, 2014, in the Stillwater Meditation Hall at the Upper Hamlet in Plum Village during a summer opening retreat. It begins with a guided mindfulness practice centered on breathing in and out, smiling to the sunshine, and recognizing that one is alive. The speaker then explains the format of the session: participants listen to the bell, breathe together, and ask questions from the heart rather than abstract questions about Buddhism. The emphasis is on practice, suffering, happiness, and healing, and the gathering includes children, teenagers, young adults, and adults, with translation support when needed. A major theme is the practice of mindfulness as a way of truly seeing and caring for others. The speaker explains that when one is attentive and concentrated, one can often sense another person’s suffering without words. If the other person is distracted by worry or anger, then direct communication is needed, such as asking for a minute to speak. This is presented as an expression of love: to be present, to notice suffering, and to help the other person suffer less. Mindful walking and mindful breathing are described as ways to cultivate this capacity for attention and compassion. The talk then turns to happiness. In response to a question about what happiness means, the speaker says happiness is possible in the present moment and is experienced through appreciation of sunshine, trees, fresh air, friends, and one’s own body and senses. Happiness is described as an art and a habit that must be learned. At the same time, suffering also has to be learned in a skillful way. Anger, fear, irritation, and jealousy can block happiness, so practitioners must learn how to take care of these emotions. The speaker stresses that a happy person can help others suffer less, and that one must learn to be happy before one can effectively help others. Another substantial section addresses the relationship between body and spirit, and the nature of birth and death. Using the example of a dead bird, the speaker argues that body and spirit cannot be separated in the way people often imagine. A paper’s left and right sides are used as an analogy: they cannot be separated from one another. Likewise, the spirit does not “go” anywhere at death; rather, manifestation ceases when conditions are no longer sufficient. The speaker extends this to a flame, a cloud, and the transformation of water into rain or snow. The conclusion is that there is no real birth or death, only transformation. This view is linked to both Buddhist meditation and the scientific insight associated with Lavoisier: nothing is born, nothing dies, everything transforms. The talk also addresses the suffering of animals and the ethical implications of human consumption and lifestyle. A question is raised about the immense suffering caused to animals, the environment, and human health by meat production and consumption. The response emphasizes that one must first ask whether one is doing one’s best not to contribute to suffering through one’s way of living, consuming, moving, and working. The speaker insists that individual effort is not enough; a Sangha or community is necessary to sustain a compassionate way of life. A community helps preserve a vision of harmless living and supports long-term transformation. The speaker says that great beings and meaningful social change depend on collective practice. The session then moves to questions about aging, identity, and continuation. Asked whether he feels old, the speaker replies that he feels both very old and very young. He explains this through the teaching of continuation: when sitting with a child, he feels young because the child is his continuation. He refers to a retreat image of the corn kernel and the corn plant, and to the teaching that one has multiple bodies, including a cosmic body. The stars, trees, rivers, mountains, and the cosmos are presented as part of one’s being. This perspective dissolves a narrow sense of self and places human life within a larger continuum. A long and important section addresses violence, especially the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The speaker explains that peace work requires right view, which depends on mindfulness and concentration. In conflict, each side often believes it is the sole victim and that the other side is the sole cause of suffering. This is not right view. Both sides suffer, and both sides have roots of fear, anger, and wrong perception. The speaker describes Plum Village’s work with Israelis and Palestinians: the two groups were first kept separate, then helped to calm down through breathing and walking meditation, and only later brought together for deep listening and compassionate speech. Participants were encouraged to speak honestly about their suffering without blaming or condemning, and to listen without interrupting or correcting. This process led to recognition of shared humanity, the birth of compassion, and gradual healing. The speaker concludes that peace negotiations should include such practices of calming and deep listening, not just intellectual discussion. The final major theme is chronic pain and the relationship between suffering and happiness. A questioner describes years of persistent head pain and asks how to appreciate life’s beauty while pain remains. The speaker responds that suffering and happiness are not separate entities. Like the lotus and the mud, happiness needs suffering in order to arise. Right view means recognizing that happiness is possible now, even with pain present. The speaker advises accepting the pain, stopping the habit of running, and returning to the present moment through breathing and walking. Peace is described as possible with every step and every breath. The talk closes by encouraging participants to use the collective energy of the Sangha, to walk in peace, and to touch the Kingdom of God or Pure Land in the present moment.