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TitleGross National Happiness: a path towards the true welfare ofhuman society

Citation

Issued Date 2011

URL http://hdl.handle.net/10722/174301

RightsThe author retains all proprietary rights, (such as patent rights)and the right to use in future works.

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Abstract of dissertation entitled

Gross National Happiness: A path towards the true welfareof human society

 Nina Frances Mueller

in lieu of two courses for the degree of Master of Buddhist Studies

at The University of Hong Kongin August 2011

In this paper, I propose that we abandon the concept of Gross National Product(GNP) to measure wealth, and that instead we follow the Buddhist country of

Bhutan’s example by measuring wealth through Gross National Happiness (GNH).

I begin by examining what happiness is from a Buddhist perspective and

demonstrate that it is linked to the law of Interdependent Co-arising. I argue that

consumer societies go against this definition of happiness, because they rely on

 people’s egocentric desires and overall dissatisfaction in order to be sustainable.

In contrast, Buddhism offers compassion and mindfulness as a means to happiness.

Drawing on many sources about Buddhism, as well as various sociological,

 psychological and scientific works, I investigate the relationship between the

happiness of the individual and the happiness of society as a whole, and

demonstrate that inner cultivation – rather than material gratification – is the means

to ensure a peaceful community. In order to encourage inner cultivation on a

national scale, I propose that we use societal elements such as politics, the family,

education and popular culture to promote compassion and mindfulness. It is

demonstrated that by doing this, positive seeds will be planted in the consciousness

of individuals and society in general, making happiness and peace a real possibility.

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I also investigate whether or not Buddhist concepts can be taught independently of

the Buddhist tradition, and come to the conclusion that because of its adaptability,

this is certainly a possibility. Finally, I take a critical stance on the mistaken belief

that the Buddhist goal of inner contentment will make individuals and society

monotone. Instead, I demonstrate that Buddhism encourages individuals to

experience life to the fullest.

Words Count:

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Gross National Happiness: A path towards the true welfare of human society

 Nina Frances Mueller

Master of Arts at the University of Glasgow

A dissertation submitted in lieu of two coursesfor the Degree of Master of Buddhist Studies

at the University of Hong Kong

August 2011

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

I am deeply grateful to the Centre of Buddhist Studies at the University of Hong

Kong for teaching me so much about happiness. I would particularly like to thank

my supervisor, Ven. Guang Xing, for offering me the chance to write this work and

inspiring me in his lectures to do so. I am also grateful to all my other professors,

whose classes truly inspired me: Dr Helen Ma, Dr Helena Yuen, Dr Kong,

Professor Karunadasa and Ven. Dhammajoti. This work is a compilation of the

valuable teachings that they so generously passed on to me. I also wish to express

deep respect for my classmates and Sangha, whose kindness and wisdom have

made our practice together so genuine and joyful.

I would also like to say a very special thank you to my parents, for giving me the

opportunity to learn about Buddhism, and to Pat Baxter, who so kindly proofread

my work. And of course, thank you Jeff, for holding my hand on this path.

May you all be happy.

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

GNH Gross National Happiness

GNP Gross National Product

MBSR Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction

SEL Social and Emotional Learning

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1

Gross National Happiness

Ultimately, without peace, security and happiness we have nothing 

1

 (King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, 2008)

1.1. The Buddhist Path towards Happiness

We all seek happiness. This is true for all who are looking at this page. You who are

reading, and I who am writing, we have this in common, if nothing else. Whoever we

are, whatever our upbringing, our religion, our beliefs, we all want to be happy. It is

something that we yearn for, from the depths of our being. We must try to remember

this at all times, because it is what unites humanity and all sentient beings.

Unfortunately, many of us do not know what happiness is. We know that it is

something positive, that it is something we desire, but we do not know how to attain

it. We think that it is something elusive, only for rich people or for monks, or that it

will only be possible tomorrow. But if we look at happiness, as taught by the Buddha,

we can see that all of these beliefs are false – because happiness is accessible to all of

us, in this very instant. To understand this, let us turn to that moment when, over 2500

years ago, sitting under the Bodhi Tree, Siddhattha Gotama Buddha became

enlightened and discovered true happiness.2 

We might be surprised to find out that what the Buddha discovered and taught to so

many people over the centuries begins with the simple truth that all beings suffer.3 

This finding is so important to our existence that the Buddha called it the First Noble

Truth. It shines a light on the fact that, all over the world, people experience sadness,

anger and despair; that suffering is universal, that it is an inevitable part of life.

Unfortunately, because of this, many people think that Buddhism depicts life in a

! King Khesar of Bhutan, ‘Coronation Address of His Majesty King Khesar, 5 th Druk Gyalpo of Bhutan’,

(2008) [online]2 Walpola Rahula, What the Buddha Taught , (1974) pp. 16–283 Walpola Rahula, What the Buddha Taught , (1974) pp. xv, 15

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very negative way. But this is not correct. To understand this, we may turn to

Walpola Rahula, a monk from Ceylon who explains Buddhism in a way that is

accessible to people in the modern world.4 According to him, the Buddha is like a

doctor who observes the human condition as an illness: if we are sick, and our doctor

does not admit it, how could we ever be cured?5 It would not be possible, and so the

first step towards happiness is realizing and admitting that we are unhappy.

But because the Buddha is a very good doctor, he does not stop at offering the

diagnosis. He continues his analysis by looking deeply into the human condition to

notice the causes for our suffering. And what he realizes is that our suffering comes

from our inability to see things as they are. We may liken this to wearing sunglasses:

the world as it is and the world as we see it seem very similar, but there is a

difference. When the performer puts on his sunglasses, he has a sense of security,

 because it seems that the audience cannot see him directly. He thinks that this makes

him safe, but in fact it causes him more pain. It creates an invisible wall between

himself and the people who surround him. They all come to believe that he is

somewhat separate from everyone else, and he believes it also. Most of us are like

that performer. We feel that we are apart from everything, that we are separate and

alone, and this often makes us act in a negative way. This type of thinking is thesource of many conflicts, within us and in our relations with the rest of the world. Jon

McConnell, who writes about mediation from the Buddhist perspective, explains that

conflicts stem from this belief in the separate self.6 We think that there is an ‘I’ that

needs to be protected, by any means possible, from an ‘other’ that is threatening us.

And this makes us suffer. But in fact we are simply wearing glasses that blind us to

reality.

When we take off the glasses, we see that everything exists together perfectly –

 because in reality, everything is interconnected. This is a very simple reality, which is

sometimes very hard to get our head around. That is why we may turn to Thich Nhat

4 Walpola Rahula, What the Buddha Taught, (1974) p. ix5 Walpola Rahula, What the Buddha Taught, (1974) p. 176 Jon McConnell, Mindful Mediation: A Handbook for Buddhist Peacemakers, (2001) p. 66

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Hanh, a Vietnamese monk who is also an activist and who writes about complex

issues in a very straightforward manner. In The Heart of Understanding, he proposes

that to explain the nature of reality, we use the term interbeing.7 Like him, I now ask

you to look deeply into this sheet of paper, and see that it is not only a sheet of paper.

Perhaps you can see that it is also the sun, a cloud and rain. Because without these

elements, it would be impossible for a tree to grow, and this sheet of paper would not

exist. So we can say that the sun, the cloud and the rain are contained within the

 paper; they inter-are.

When we look at nature, it is easy to see the reality of interbeing. We may notice a

star in the sky, one that shines brighter than any other, and quite naturally we are

drawn to it. We have a tendency to single out that star, we give it a special name – the

sun – and many people worship it. And in some places, when we cannot see that star,

we complain, we are not happy.8 We say that it is a miserable day and we think it is

not worth going outside. We are attached to the idea that we need the sun to be happy.

It seems that much of our suffering comes from our attachment. If we are attached to

the warmth of the sun, then we are sad when we can no longer feel it. Sometimes, we

cannot even enjoy the warmth of the sun whilst it is there. We say ‘I hope this nice

weather will continue’, and we worry that tomorrow it will already be gone. But herewe are ignoring one of the most important teachings of the Buddha: that everything is

impermanent.9 And although this truth can cause a lot of suffering, if we accept it as it

is, we can be truly happy.

This is because if we look closer, we see that without the rain, the clouds and the

thunder, we could not live to see the sun, that special star. When the rain ceases to fall

for an extended period of time, our food cannot grow, so we suffer. Without food or

water to drink we cannot be, so without rain we also cannot be. It is very important to

keep this in mind, because it enables us to find happiness in every moment. When we

see the sun, we also see the rain, the storm and the clouds, all of which allow us to be

7 Thich Nhat Hanh, The Heart of Understanding , (1988) p. 38 Thich Nhat Hanh, Understanding Our Mind , (2006) pp. 58–99 Walpola Rahula, What the Buddha Taught , (1974) p. 39

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here. We know that to be able to manifest to our eyes in this very moment, the sun

also has to stop manifesting in other moments to give way to the rain that nourishes

us. And when we see the rain and the clouds, we remember that somewhere within

them there is the sun, and we are still nourished by its warmth and wisdom. We

remember that it is all these elements, together, that make this moment possible.

When we can see in this way, we are at one not only with the sun, but also with

everything it contains. When we realize that everything inter-is, we can embrace

impermanence and we can be happy.

This is what Buddhists call Interdependent Co-Arising. It is what the Buddha meant

when he said: ‘When this is, that is. From the arising of this comes the arising of that.

When this isn’t, that isn’t. From the cessation of this comes the cessation of that’.10 If

there are the sun, the rain and the clouds, then there is the moment when we are

 bathing in the warmth of the sun, our special star. But if we take away any one of

these conditions, that moment ceases to be. So the Buddha, who lived a long time

ago, was talking about the same thing that scientists also have discovered: that

everything is dependent on everything else, that everything contains everything else.

Because as Thich Nhat Han11 and the Dalai Lama12

 explain, many atomic physicists

also know that everything inter-is, that there is no such thing as a self or other. Wecan turn to two of the founders of quantum mechanics, Erwin Schrödinger and

Werner Heisenberg, to see the similarity between their discoveries and those of the

Buddha.13

 The first explains that we must abandon all concepts of duality, for as he

says: ‘The plurality that we perceive is only appearance; it is not real’.14

  And the

second, Werner Heisenberg, claims that ‘Every particle consists of all other

 particles’.15

 In the same way, we can say that an individual person is made up of all

10 Vera Sutta: Animosity, trans Thanissaro Bhikkhu, (2000–2011) [online]11 Thich Nhat Hanh, Understanding Our Mind , (2006) pp. 162–312 Dalai Lama, The Universe in a Single Atom, (2005) p. 51  13  Einstein and Buddha, ed. Thomas J. McFarlane, (2002) pp. 9–1014  Einstein and Buddha, ed. Thomas J. McFarlane, (2002) p. 15415  Einstein and Buddha, ed. Thomas J. McFarlane, (2002) p. 121

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other people, and of the whole universe. This is why the Buddha said: ‘the one is in

the all, and the all is in the one’.16

 

We can easily apply this to human relationships. In general, we might think that the

 performer, whom we call a star, is a higher being. We envy her, because she is rich

and famous and we are not. We read every day in magazines around the world that

she is special. This makes us feel insignificant and lonely. And the star, who is

reminded everyday that she is different and better than others, also feels lonely. And

she is scared, because deep down she knows that her fame and wealth will not last

forever. So we all suffer, we suffer because we forget that we all inter-are. But when

we look deeply, we see that without her fans, the performer could not be a star. If they

remember this, the fans will feel fulfilled because they realize that they are essential,

that they are a part of what they admire so much; and the star will not be arrogant,

instead she can be grateful because she knows that her happiness relies on that of her

fans. She knows that she is her fans, and that whenever her fame or her physical body

cease to manifest, she will continue on in her fans. When we see that everything is a

 part of everything else, we no longer fear impermanence. This is the Third Noble

Truth, the Buddha’s cure. If we can realize the truth of interbeing, our suffering

ceases and gives way to happiness.

The Fourth Noble Truth may be likened to a prescription. It is the medicine that

enables us to realize interbeing and happiness: the Noble Eightfold Path. Although it

is called a path, we must not view it as steps of a ladder, which follow one after the

other. Instead, the eight practices must be cultivated together so that they mutually

influence each other. But we must especially always keep in mind the first, Right

Understanding, because it refers to understanding reality as it is, to the truth of

interbeing. If we venture onto a path with our tinted glasses on, no matter how much

we try, we will not get far. It is only when we take our sunglasses off, and begin to

see reality as it is, that we may discern the path ahead. That is why Right

16 Thich Nhat Hanh, Understanding Our Mind , (2006) p. 162

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Understanding will be the driving force in our practice towards happiness. It will also

form the basis for our goal towards national and global happiness. If we want our

countries and our people to find peace and happiness, we must learn to see with the

eyes of interbeing.

1.2. Gross National Happiness

It is not hard to see that we would all benefit from a world where everyone is happy.

And yet this is rarely seen as a possibility, or a worthy goal to pursue. An efficient

way of acknowledging this is by observing our belief system. According to Dr Ron

Colman and Dr Julia Sagebien, representatives of Shambhala Mandala (a Buddhist

organization), this can be done in a very simple manner: we need only look into the

way we measure wealth in order to understand what our values are.17

  So when we

measure wealth through Gross National Product (GNP), we can say that we are

wearing very dark glasses. We are walking down a very narrow path when we think

that how much money we have – and continue to make – is the determining factor of

our wellbeing. This issue has been addressed by many people, among them Frank

Dixon, who specializes in sustainability.18 As he explains, GNP is only supposed to

measure economic growth; and while he admits that the economy is an importantaspect of society, because it enables us to take care of our basic needs, he emphasizes

that it is should only be ‘the means to the end of social well-being’.19

 This is a very

important point, and we will now look deeply into its implications.

It is true that, to ensure a happy society, it is helpful to have access to some basic

material needs. The Buddha himself was very much aware of this and stressed the

importance of food, shelter and security. But as we can see in the  Adiya Sutta:

 Benefits to be Obtained (from Wealth),20 we take care of our bodily needs so that we

are in a healthy state to pursue our goal: spiritual cultivation, or in other words,

17 Dr Ron Colman and Dr. Julia Sagebien, ‘Measuring Genuine Progress – Indicators for Enlightened

Society’, p. 29718 Reflections: the SoL Journal, About Frank Dixon [online]19 Frank Dixon, ‘Improving Unsustainable Western Economic Systems’, (2004) p. 11120  Adiya Sutta: Benefits to be Obtained (from Wealth), trans. Thanissaro Bhikkhu (1997–2011) [online]

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happiness. So in this way, economic wealth is only a means to a much  loftier end. We

have already seen that attachment is a cause for suffering. That is why the Buddha

warns us not to let our happiness rely on gain and loss.21

 If we reflect on these things,

we will realize that they are impermanent. We cannot guarantee that we will have as

much money tomorrow as we do today. So even if we are rich, we worry because we

know that it might not last. As long as we remain blindly attached to our economic

wealth, sustained happiness is not possible. That is why the Buddha was very careful

in emphasizing that true happiness could only be possible through the happiness of

others. He explains that those who are financially wealthy must take care of others.22

 

They must not only provide food, shelter and security for themselves, but also for

their loved ones and the whole of society. By doing this, a wealthy person may ensure

everlasting happiness. Whether he loses his money or whether he gains more, he will

 be free of remorse, because he will have reaped all the benefits to be gained from

wealth. In this sense, wealth touches much more than basic material needs; it refers to

contentment, a state that can only be reached when we live in a compassionate

manner by serving others; when we abide in the reality of interbeing.

It is not hard to see the truth in this. If it were true that material wealth is all we need

for happiness, the richest countries and the richest people would suffer less than the poorer ones. And yet it has repeatedly been shown that this is not the case. We can

now turn to Dr Ross McDonald, a lecturer at the University of Auckland, who is

interested in the link between spirituality and economics.23

 Similarly to Dixon,24

 he

explains that after a certain point, the economic wealth of a nation does not increase

the happiness of its people.25

  Various findings show, for example, that the poorer

country of Nigeria is the happiest in the world; that the Philippines are a happier

nation than Japan and Taiwan; and that the Republic of Ireland is happier than

21  Lokavipatti Sutta: The Failings of the World , trans. Thanissaro Bhikhu (1997–2011) [online]22  Adiya Sutta: Benefits to be Obtained (from Wealth), trans. Thanissaro Bhikkhu (1997–2011) [online]23 The University of Auckland, Our Staff: Dr. Ross McDonald  [online]24 Frank Dixon, ‘Improving Unsustainable Western Economic Systems’, (2004) pp. 111–1225 Dr. Ross McDonald, ‘Finding Happiness in Wisdom and Compassion – The Real Challenge for an

Alternative Development Strategy’, (2004) pp. 274–5

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Germany.26

 So we can see that the richest countries are not always those that suffer

the least. And the same has proven to be true when we compare individuals who have

lots of money and possessions to those who have little money and few possessions.27

 

When money allows people to meet their basic needs, it facilitates their happiness.

But after a certain point, material things do not enrich a person’s satisfaction with life.

Unfortunately, many people do not seem to be aware of this. In today’s modern world

and its consumer societies, we tend to place the whole of our wellbeing on economic

growth. It seems that we have forgotten that material wealth is only a means to an

end, and instead it has become the end in itself. Many people have criticized this,

among them the famous sociologist Max Weber. Here we will follow his advice that,

 because the roots of capitalism are difficult to identify, we should focus on how 

capitalism affects us, rather than doing an in-depth historical study of its beginning.28

 

First of all, we must understand what Weber means by ‘the spirit of capitalism’, and

for this purpose he points us to a document by Benjamin Franklin.29 In the document,

Franklin explains that time and money are very important, and so he warns people not

to be idle but to work towards cultivating as much capital as possible. This means that

 people are discouraged from enjoying themselves, because time that is not used for

making money is seen as a waste.

30

  As Weber explains, here we have a perfectexample of the idea that a person’s duty is to increase his capital ‘as an end in

itself’.31

  This is very contrary to the Buddha’s teaching, that money is a means to

satisfy our basic needs; instead, people are encouraged to accumulate money for the

sake of it.

If we flash forward to today, we can see that the spirit of capitalism has come to

dominate the modern world. Many of us tend to think that possessing more is the end

26 Dr. Ross McDonald, ‘Finding Happiness in Wisdom and Compassion – The Real Challenge for an

Alternative Development Strategy’, (2004) pp. 274–5

27 Dr. Ross McDonald, ‘Finding Happiness in Wisdom and Compassion – The Real Challenge for anAlternative Development Strategy’, (2004) p. 27628 Max Weber, Essays in Economic Sociology, (1999) p. 5229 Max Weber, Essays in Economic Sociology, (1999) pp. 53–430 Max Weber, Essays in Economic Sociology, (1999) p. 5631 Max Weber, Essays in Economic Sociology, (1999) p. 54

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itself, and we believe that happiness can be bought. This belief became particularly

 popular in the twentieth century, as demonstrated by Adam Curtis in The Century of

the Self,32

 a documentary made for the BBC. Although the documentary focuses on

American society, it is relevant to many societies in today’s globalized world. In the

first chapter, Curtis explains that Edward Bernays, Sigmund Freud’s nephew, was

very influential in promoting the belief that consumption is the way to happiness.

Because of his uncle’s psychoanalytical theories about people’s sexual and aggressive

instincts, Bernays feared that the masses were a danger to democracy. He did not trust

them to make their own decisions, a view that Freud came to share later in his life.

And so Bernays concluded that the only way democracy could work was by keeping

the masses manageable and predictable. In his opinion, the best way to do this was to

control people’s instincts by turning them into consumers, and linking products to

their unconscious desires.

To understand this, we must know that up until the 1920s, material goods were

advertised as necessities. But because more people were becoming consumers,

manufacturing companies were worried that, after a certain point, everyone would

have everything they needed, and as a result would no longer buy things. This would

 be the natural thing to do, because as we have seen, material goods can only bring ushappiness as long as they satisfy our basic needs. But this was not in the interest of

those companies; they wanted citizens to buy things even if they did not need them.

That is why people like Paul Mazer, a Wall Street banker, decided that ‘man’s desires

must overshadow his needs’.33

  With help from Bernays and his knowledge of

 psychoanalysis, the marketing and advertising industries convinced the public that

they could use material things as a means of self-expression. As a result, people

 bought products to show that they were unique and special individuals. Curtis

explains that this was highly encouraged by President Hoover, who called citizens

‘happiness machines’ that were essential to social stability. The idea was that, by

32 Mysticdave666, The Century of the Self (2011) [video online]

33 Mysticdave666, The Century of the Self (2011) [video online]

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focusing on economic matters, people in democracies would remain docile and

content.

However this is very unfortunate, because it means that, as ‘happiness machines’,

 people are constantly and mechanically searching for happiness through material

gratification. But this is a false premise, because in order to thrive, the capitalist

system relies on consumers’ constant dissatisfaction with what they have. This

mentality is reflected in our way of measuring wealth through GNP. As the Dalai

Lama explains, we say that a country is developed and its economy is healthy only if

its GNP increases.34

 And yet, if southern countries were to increase their GNP to the

same levels as northern countries, this would be all the more devastating for the

world’s natural resources.35  That is why Dixon claims that ‘developed’ is a very

misleading term, because instead of meaning progress, it refers to the decline of many

things, such as our environment.36

  Moreover, we can say that here development

translates into always wanting more, to never being satisfied. And because of this,

countries and people view the world through an egocentric lens, as they compete in

the most inhumane manners for wealth. We live in an age that is obsessed with the

individual (as implied by Curtis’s title, The Century of the Self ), and we forget about

others’ wellbeing. As the Dalai Lama explains, we seem to have internalizedDarwin’s theory of evolution and the idea of ‘the survival of the fittest’.37  People

think that nature rewards those who are stronger, so they see as enemies those who

are blocking their way to survival and, ultimately, happiness.

As long as we continue to view the world in this way, we will never experience true

happiness. Because after all, this kind of thinking is based on the idea that we are all

separate entities, and that one nation must be more powerful than others. But if we

look deeply, we can see that this constant battle is futile. We say that northern

countries, which have a higher GNP, are better off than southern countries. So we

34 Dalai Lama and Fabien Ouaki, Imagine all the People, (1999) pp. 5–635 Dalai Lama and Fabien Ouaki, Imagine all the People, (1999) p. 1036 Frank Dixon, ‘Improving Unsustainable Western Economic Systems’, (2004) pp. 112–1337 Dalai Lama, The Universe in a Single Atom, (2005) p. 115

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think that their people are happier. But it is obvious that the wellbeing of the one

relies on that of the other. If the North continues to over-consume and abuse the

South for its labour and resources, both these areas of the world will eventually fall

apart.38

 After all, the North and the South inter-are. In the same way, if we deplete all

our resources, we are taking happiness away from our children. This is why the

representatives of the Shambhala Mandala call GNP ‘poor accounting’.39

. For what

 parent will be happy – no matter how much wealth is in her pockets – knowing that

her child will inherit a world that is lacking in resources and cannot provide for its

 basic needs? It is not possible. We simply cannot experience true happiness when our

wellbeing comes at the expense of others’ happiness.

Sometimes, we are so used to one way of thinking, that we do not realize there may

 be a more wholesome way of doing things. But if we look around us, we will find that

there are boundless new and creative solutions to our difficulties. So I propose that in

this moment we turn to Bhutan, a country whose refreshing outlook on life may help

us to enrich our own. Also known as the Three Jewels of the Himalayas,40

 we can see

that the country is very much influenced by Buddhist teachings, with the Three

Jewels meaning the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha.41 Because it is tucked away

in the mountains – sandwiched between India and Tibet – the country has managed tostay clear of most foreign influences. This means that it is still very traditional and

has escaped much of the technological advancement of the modern world.42

 This also

means that, as it is mainly an agricultural society, in terms of monetary wealth Bhutan

is counted as one of the poorest nations on the planet. But although it is quite poor in

terms of GNP, Bhutan is said to be wealthy in happiness.43

 

38 Thich Nhat Hanh, Creating True Peace, (2003) p. 194

39 Dr Ron Colman and Dr. Julia Sagebien, ‘Measuring Genuine Progress – Indicators for Enlightened

Society’, p. 29940 King Khesar of Bhutan, ‘Coronation Address of His Majesty King Khesar, 5 th Druk Gyalpo of Bhutan’,(2008) [online]41 Ajan Lee Dhammadharo, What is the Triple Gem?, (1994–2011) [online]42  Bhutan: Mountain Fortress of the Gods, ed. Christian Schicklgruber and Françoise Pommaret, (1997)

 pp.13–1443 Frank Dixon, ‘Improving Unsustainable Western Economic Systems’, (2004) p. 112

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Because of Bhutan’s Buddhist heritage, it is quite natural that inner peace is very

much valued. That is why, when the country began opening up to the world four

decades ago, the Third King  made a great effort for happiness to remain the main

 priority. He did not want his people to sacrifice inner peace for the ever-dissatisfied

mentality of consumer societies.44

 And although Bhutan has since been changed by

the forces of globalization, its leaders and many of its people are working to preserve

its Buddhist values. It is for this reason that, in the late 1980s, the Fourth King Jigme

Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck took serious measures to ensure that the country’s

wealth would be measured through Gross National Happiness (GNH).45

 He has since

explained that his simple wish is for his people to be ‘good human beings’,46

 so that

they may know constant happiness, a treasure that he wishes unto the whole world.

When he says this, the King is acting out of Right Understanding. He is not wearing

tinted glasses; he is recognizing the reality of interbeing. He knows that if we aim to

end suffering, the whole world will benefit. His reasoning for GNH is simple but

 profound: ‘ultimately, without peace, security and happiness we have nothing.47 Let

us look deeply into this sentence, and we will hear with our hearts its very sacred

truth.

44  Bhutan: Mountain Fortress of the Gods, ed. Christian Schicklgruber and Françoise Pommaret (1997)

 pp.13–14

45 Gross National Happiness and Development , ed. Karma Ura and Karma Galay, (2004) p. vii46 King Khesar of Bhutan, ‘Coronation Address of His Majesty King Khesar, 5 th Druk Gyalpo of Bhutan’,

(2008) [online]47 King Khesar of Bhutan, ‘Coronation Address of His Majesty King Khesar, 5 th Druk Gyalpo of Bhutan’,

(2008) [online]

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2

Knowing Happiness and Suffering

Our mind is a field in which every kind of seed is sown – seeds of compassion, joy,and hope, seeds of sorrow, fear, and difficulties

48 

(Thich Nhat Hanh, 2006)

2.1. Happiness is Here and Now

When we talk about making happiness our aim, we must be careful not to see our

 journey only as a linear progress, with a goal – happiness – waiting for us at the end

of the road. If we do this, the goal may seem too far away and we might decide to

turn back. Or we might be too excited to reach the goal, and because our eyes are

looking so far ahead, we could easily take a wrong turn. So instead, let us keep our

eyes on this very moment, so that we may see our path clearly. Because, to use Thich

 Nhat Hanh’s interpretation of Abhidharma psychology, we can say that taking care of

our mind is like cultivating a garden.49

  In our garden there are both flowers and

weeds. And if we want to cultivate beautiful flowers, we must learn to recognize

seeds of joy and seeds of suffering. To do this, we must use what the Buddha calls

Right Mindfulness. This is one of the steps of the Eightfold Path, which as we have

seen leads to the cessation of suffering.50

 

This important teaching is illustrated in a very detailed manner in the Satipatth!na

Sutta, which, according to the renowned scholar and monk Anal!yo, means ‘attending

with mindfulness’.51

  So now we may ask, what exactly is mindfulness? Again,

Anal!yo provides us with a precise definition: mindfulness, or sati, is when we

remember what we usually forget very easily – the present moment.52

 According to

48 Thich Nhat Hanh, Understanding Our Mind , (2006) p. 25

49 Thich Nhat Hanh, Understanding Our Mind , (2006) pp. 25–30

50 Walpola Rahula, What the Buddha Taught , (1974) p. 48

51 Anal!yo, Satipatth!na Sutta: The Direct Path to Realization, (2003) p. 29

52 Anal!yo, Satipatth!na Sutta: The Direct Path to Realization, (2003) pp. 47–8

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the Buddha, learning to experience things in the present moment, just as they are, is

the most effective way for our suffering to cease. That is why in the sutra he explains

that attending with mindfulness is the direct path to enlightenment.53

 

If we use Right Mindfulness, we will notice that in this very moment there are always

many conditions for us to be happy. This is true for all of us. We have seen that on a

rainy day, many people feel disappointed. But if we can remember that the rain will

feed us, and our families, we will see that it can also create happiness. If we can step

outside, and we do not resist the rain but we let our bodies be nourished by it, feeling

every fresh drop of water as it lands on our skin, we will be happy, even if we are a

little wet. This means that we let go of our thoughts about the past, the memory that

we do not like being wet. And we also are not thinking about the future, about how

we will have to change our clothes once we get back inside. We are simply enjoying

the moment, exactly as it is. When we do this, we are recognizing that happiness is

here and now. We do not regret the past, and say that we missed our chance for

happiness, and we do not chase after the future, thinking that only then we will find

 peace. We stop, and we breathe, and we know that we are here, right now, and that

we are happy.

In the same way, mindfulness can help us to recognize that our garden has some

weeds. Many people are scared of their weeds, and they work very hard to keep them

hidden away. But this is harmful to themselves and to their loved ones. That is why

the Buddha said: ‘Here, when feeling a pleasant feeling, he knows “I feel a pleasant

feeling”; when feeling an unpleasant feeling, he knows “I feel an unpleasant feeling”;

when he feels a neutral feeling, he knows “I feel a neutral feeling”.’54

 So we can see

that being mindful means that we must notice things as they are, whether pleasant or

not; we must not pretend. That is why happiness, here, does not mean forcing a laugh

when we are sad. It does not mean pretending that everything is fine when we

everything is not fine. To cultivate happiness, we must acknowledge when we have

53 Anal!yo, Satipatth!na Sutta: The Direct Path to Realization, (2003) p. 1354 Anal!yo, Satipatth!na Sutta: The Direct Path to Realization, (2003) p. 7

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seeds of happiness, but also when we have seeds of suffering. This is the First Noble

Truth, the reality that we suffer. So if we are angry, the Buddha tells us simply to

know that we are angry.55

  Thich Nhat Hanh explains that this is because bringing

mindfulness to our anger is the only way for it to transform.56

 But this does not mean

that we need to react to our anger. If we let ourselves explode, we are no longer aware

of what is going on. We are no longer mindful, and we have taken a wrong turn on

our path, because we will hurt others and we will hurt ourselves. We will no longer be

living according to the reality of interbeing. But we must also not suppress our anger.

We must simply be aware of it. If we watch things as they arise and cease, eventually

the weeds in our garden will weaken and the flowers will grow. That is the power of

mindfulness.

At the moment, it seems that most of the world is far from being mindful. This is

especially true in most consumer societies. On the one hand, we seem to be unable to

recognize our seeds of happiness. We are forever chasing after a better tomorrow.

Even when our basic needs are taken care of, we continue to think that we need more

to be happy. But if we remember to experience the present moment, we will see that

we have many conditions for happiness. Perhaps we do not have enough money to

 buy that car we really want, or to go away on holiday. But if we look at what wehave, right here, right now, we can see that in many other ways we are blessed. For

example, many of us can put a meal on the table quite effortlessly. And although we

know that we are fortunate to have enough food, and we know that others are not so

lucky, we rarely ever take the time to be grateful and enjoy the experience. In fact,

many of us watch television when we eat our meal; and sometimes it is a programme

about food! And yet, we seem to miss the irony in this. Already we are dreaming of

something else, something ‘better’, and maybe we feel frustrated because our meal

does not seem as tasty. But if we turn the television off and return to the moment, we

can enjoy each bite of our food and realize that we can be happy with what we

already have.

55 Anal!yo, Satipatth!na Sutta: The Direct Path to Realization, (2003) p. 856 Thich Nhat Hanh, Understanding Our Mind , (2006) p. 218

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On the other hand, over-consumption also leads us to ignore our suffering. It is a

means of escapism that encourages us to run away from our problems. But this is very

dangerous, because as Thich Nhat Hanh explains, the more we fight our suffering, the

stronger it becomes.57

 If we are angry and we pretend that we are not angry, our anger

will continue to grow inside us and we will suffer a lot because of it. This is what

many people do. In a family, for example, perhaps the parents are angry at each other,

and they are sad and hurt, but they do not take the time to look at their suffering and

to transform it. Instead, they drink alcohol, or watch television so that they may forget

their experience of the present moment. And the children also try to forget, perhaps

 by playing a video game or spending hours on Facebook. This allows the family to

suppress their pain, and they dream that – as they can see on the screen they are

watching – tomorrow will be a better day. But how can we enjoy tomorrow if we do

not take care of today? It is not possible. The only way to have a happy future is to

take care of our suffering and our happiness right now, in the present moment.

Fortunately, it appears that many people are beginning to realize the importance of

experiencing the present moment. We can see this happening quite clearly in the

Western world, which in past decades has shown a growing interest in mindfulness practices.58  One example of this is the Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction

 programme, which was developed by the American Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979.59

 

Inspired by the teachings of the Buddha, Kabat-Zinn created an eight-week-long

 programme aimed at teaching people to become aware of the present moment.60

 Since

then, a study that used questionnaires and measured the brain activity of some of the

 participants showed that their happiness had increased – that is, they experienced

more positive emotions.61

  And the benefits of mindfulness do not stop here, with

neuroscientific research indicating that anxiety, depression, chronic pain and the

57 Thich Nhat Hanh, Understanding Our Mind , (2006) p. 21758 Donald McCown, Diane Reibel, Marc S. Micozzi, Teaching Mindfulness, (2010) pp. ix–xiv59 Donald McCown, Diane Reibel, Marc S. Micozzi, Teaching Mindfulness, (2010) p. 460 Donald McCown, Diane Reibel, Marc S. Micozzi, Teaching Mindfulness, (2010) pp. 4–661 Donald McCown, Diane Reibel, Marc S. Micozzi, Teaching Mindfulness, (2010) pp. 13–15

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immune system are greatly improved when people learn about awareness.62

 It is not

surprising then that many other programmes based on mindfulness have emerged,

showing similar positive results.63

 So as we can see, Western science is proving what

the Buddha taught us so long ago: happiness is available to us when we learn to live

in the moment. In the words of scientist Erwin Schrödinger: ‘Eternally and always

there is only now, one and the same now; the present is the only thing that has no

end’.64

 

It seems that the King of Bhutan knows about this. He is aware of the fact that, for

our future to be bright, we must be mindful of the present moment. That is why he

does not want GNP to become the index of his country’s wealth. He does not want his

 people to run after a better tomorrow, and cause more problems for the future along

the way. He knows that if Bhutan enters the global race towards consumption and

competition, its children and future generations will suffer greatly. His wisdom is

reflected in his following words:

The future is neither unseen nor unknown. It is what we make of it. What work we

do with our two hands today will shape the future of our nation. Our children’s

tomorrow has to be created by us today.

65

 

By making happiness the goal of the nation right now, the King of Bhutan is

 proposing that the light of mindfulness shine on the seeds of suffering and happiness

that lie in his nation. His people are encouraged to work today, in this very moment,

to cultivate their joy and to take care of their pains. This is not about following some

vague and illusory dream of a better tomorrow. It is about taking practical steps in

this very moment so that people may live their lives in the most wholesome and

meaningful way.

62 Donald McCown, Diane Reibel, Marc S. Micozzi, Teaching Mindfulness, (2010) pp. 12–1563 Donald McCown, Diane Reibel, Marc S. Micozzi, Teaching Mindfulness, (2010) pp. 8–15"#  Einstein and Buddha, ed. Thomas J. McFarlane, (2002) p. 12965 King Khesar of Bhutan, ‘Coronation Address of His Majesty King Khesar, The 5 th Druk Gyalpo of

Bhutan’, (2008) [online]

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2.2. Helping Oneself to Help Others

 Now the question is, how do we make happiness a reality on a national scale? First of

all we must remember that the collective and the individual inter-are.66

 This means

that the happiness of one depends on the happiness of all; and the happiness of all

depends on the happiness of one. So if we follow this reasoning, we can agree with

Thich Nhat Hanh’s claim that ‘The moment we take a peaceful step, the world

changes’.67

  However, statements such as these appear quite impractical to many

 people. For example, Friedrich Nietzsche claimed that Buddhism is simply a means

of escapism that keeps people pacified amidst the chaos of the world.68

  And

contemporary critical theorist, Slavoj Zizek, is also of this opinion. To him, the

growing Buddhist trend in the West is simply a way for people to feel righteous and

free of guilt, whilst they continue to indulge in over-consumption and participate in

the evils of the capitalist system.69

 From this perspective, Buddhism is seen as useless

when it comes to creating a harmonious society. So let us now take a closer look at

this issue.

It is true that, even for those who are passionate about the Buddhist teachings, there is

a common complaint that it ignores wider society and its problems. For example,Sungtaek Cho, a professor at Korea University,70 says that the well known Mahayana

sentence ‘When one’s mind becomes purified, society will also be purified’, appears

naïve.71

  However, it is important to put this claim into context. This means

acknowledging that there is a common belief that to practise the Buddhist teachings,

individuals must retreat from society; either in a physical or in a psychological sense.

So for example, in the first sense a monastic or an individual may retire to the

mountain and practise mindfulness alone, or with a small community. If this person

does not return to wider society afterwards, we can say that here the Buddha’s

66 Thich Nhat Hanh, Understanding Our Mind , (2006) p. 4167

 Thich Nhat Hanh, Understanding Our Mind , (2006) p. 4168

 Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil , (1909) p. 8169

 Ethan Nichtern, ‘Radical Buddhism and the Power of Acceptance’, (2010)  [online]70

 Buddhist Studies at UC Berkeley, Alumni Profiles, (2005-2011) [online] 71

 Sungtaek Cho, Selflessness: Toward a Buddhist Vision of Social Justice, (2000) p. 2

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teachings are helpful only to a select few. This is what seems to have happened a few

centuries after the Buddha passed away, when his teachings became considered the

intellectual property of only the monastic.72

 In this sense, it may be true that theories

about Interdependent Co-arising and Non-self become the philosophical pondering of

an isolated group of people, and have little to do with wider society. However, as

Rahula73

 and Thich Nhat Hanh74

 explain, this is not how Buddhism is to be practised

at large. While for some individuals it may be beneficial to be alone with themselves

at times, most of us should practise within our community, without excluding

ourselves from the world.

Today, the Buddha’s teachings are no longer a novelty, for as we have seen, they

have become accessible to people the world over. But here it is important to note that

much of the time, these practices are being taught outside of the Buddhist context.

And according to Ethan Nichtern, an American who teaches Buddhism and

meditation, this can lead to misunderstandings.75 In his opinion, Zizek’s criticism is a

 perfect example of this. What happens is that people are unaware that the aim of

mindfulness is to end suffering, and that this is done by learning to see the world from

the perspective of interbeing. So we can imagine someone who picks up Buddhism

and meditation as a commercial trend, and completely misses its true purpose of deepintrospection. In this case, the label ‘meditation’ simply becomes a new means of

self-expression, of feeling unique, and the practice is yet another commodity that

leads people to cling to the idea of separateness. Instead of retreating into the

mountains, proclaimed practitioners retreat into what Nichtern calls a ‘mental

cocoon’, whilst they change very little about the way they experience life.

But here we see that this is simply a misinterpretation of Buddhism; because as

 Nichtern explains, mindfulness and meditation are far from being passive activities.

To show this, he compares them to the very easy and passive act of watching

72 Thich Nhat Hanh, Opening the Heart of the Cosmos, (2003) pp. 8–1273 Walpola Rahula, What the Buddha Taught , (1974) pp. 76–874 Thich Nhat Hanh, Understanding Our Mind , (2006) p. 23675 Ethan Nichtern, ‘Radical Buddhism and the Power of Acceptance’, (2010) [online]  

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television. The difference is striking, because as anyone who has properly attempted

to become mindful of mental activity will know, meditation is very demanding. And

more importantly, when we watch television, we are simply falling into the trap of

increasing our desires. Even if we do not realize it, most of the adverts and many of

the programmes we are watching are telling us that we are not good enough; that our

lives are not complete. In contrast, when we meditate we are cultivating acceptance

towards ourselves, and this, as Nichtern explains, goes against consumer mentality.

So as we can see, if we practise mindfulness and meditation genuinely, it is natural

that the way we live our lives will be deeply examined. In fact, the Buddha warned

 people not to misinterpret the practice as simply ‘going with the flow’: ‘Thus the

enlightened one, with mindfulness here established, not indulging in sensuality and

evil, though it may be with pain, would abandon sensuality. They call him one who

goes against the flow.’76

 So in this sense, a genuine practice will not enable passive

acceptance; on the contrary, it will force us to recognize which part of our garden is

covered in flowers, and which part is covered in weeds.

What is more, it seems that comments like Nietzsche’s and Zizek’s reflect the

common misconception that meditation is simply the act of sitting on the cushion for

a short part of the day, only to resume our lives as normal afterwards. But Thich NhatHanh,77  along with Walpola Rahula,78  and renowned nuns such as Ani Tenzin

Palmo79

  and Daehaeng Sunim,80

  all stress the importance of making the Buddha’s

teachings a tangible reality in our everyday lives. So we do not practise only in the

meditation hall, or on our cushion, but in every moment that we are alive: when we

eat, when we wash the dishes, and when we speak to our loved ones or meet a

stranger on the street. This is true not only for those who go forth, but also for lay

 people. We can see in many of the Buddha’s discourses that people from all walks of

76  Anusota Sutta: With the Flow, trans. Thanissaro Bhikku, (1998-2011) [online]77 Thich Nhat Hanh, Opening the Heart of the Cosmos, (2003) p. 8-1278 Walpola Rahula, What the Buddha Taught , (1974) p. 76-8179 Martine Batchelor, Walking on Lotus Flowers, (1996) p. 4-580 Martine Batchelor, Walking on Lotus Flowers, (1996) p. 171

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life can learn to practise the reality of interbeing and Non-Self.81

  If we do this, we

will no longer indulge in passive acceptance, because we will come to know the

things that lead to our suffering and happiness.

When we understand this, we can also agree with the notion that our inner peace will

affect the world, because our happiness will come from our growing realization that

everything inter-is. And as Sungtaek Cho reminds us, when we learn to cultivate

selflessness, we naturally take on the concerns of others.82

  So if we genuinely

cultivate happiness in our everyday life, those we come into contact with will also

 benefit. After all, one of the many wonderful things about happiness is that it is

contagious. If someone smiles at me in the street, I will smile back, and I will most

likely smile at the next person I see. That person will also feel happy, and will pass

this peaceful state of mind onto someone else. When the wind wafts through our

garden, it picks up the seeds of our flowers and carries them into our neighbours’

gardens, where more beautiful flowers will grow. It is the smile on our lips that

spreads to another person, and eventually, to our community. Happiness is like this,

 but so is suffering.

When there are weeds in my garden, it is natural that they will spread into the gardensof my neighbours. If a person is in a bad mood and does not take care of this mental

state, they could get so caught up in their fury that they shout at someone who

accidentally brushes passed them on the street. It is then likely that their anger will be

transmitted to the other person. This is what happens with violence and wars. The

Buddha said that ‘Never by hatred is hatred appeased, but it is appeased by kindness.

This is an eternal truth.’83

 And yet some people think that to end the war on terror, it

is necessary to kill those by whom they are threatened. They claim that by doing this,

they are fighting for freedom and peace. But if we look closer, we can see that this is

81 Sigalovada Sutta: The Discourse to Sagala (The Layperson’s Code of Discipline), trans. Narada Thera,

(1996-2011) [online]

 Mahanama Sutta: Being a Lay Buddhist , trans. Kumara Bhikkhu, (2005-2011) [online]82 Sungtaek Cho, Selflessness: Toward a Buddhist Vision of Social Justice, (2000) p. 983 Walpola Rahula, What the Buddha Taught , (1974) p. 86

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very contradictory. As Thich Nhat Hanh84

  and Dixon85

  explain, when people act

violently, they are increasing the demand for violence instead of reducing it. When a

terrorist is killed, this only makes his son and his brother angry. So Thich Nhat Hanh

says that it is very likely that they too will become terrorists.86

 This means that more

lives will continually be taken on all sides, and the demand for violence will grow. As

we can see, this has the opposite effect of ending the war; instead, hatred spreads like

weeds in a garden, and peace is further away than ever.

That is why the Buddha, and Buddhists such as Thich Nhat Hanh,87

 implore countries

and people alike to turn inwards. Instead of pointing the finger at others, we must

look into our minds and realize that we suffer. In the words of the Buddha: ‘One may

conquer millions in battle, but he who conquers himself, only one, is the greatest of

conquerors.’88

 Thich Nhat Han asks nations such as America to follow this advice. He

says that if America can look deeply into the suffering of her own people, and can

take care of this suffering, she will truly set an example for the rest of the world. 89 In

this way, her ideals of freedom and democracy would become a tangible reality, and

they would spread naturally. And it is the same for all people and countries alike. We

must look deeply and see that we have many weeds; and we must decide to cultivate

our positive seeds so that our flowers will outgrow the weeds.

When we resolve to look deeply into ourselves in this way, we are practising Right

Effort, one of the eight medicines.90

 So we can say that, by making happiness the aim

of the nation, Bhutan is acting out of Right Effort. The King of Bhutan is wise,

 because he knows about interbeing. He knows that if his people are happy, they are

contributing to the happiness of the world. And so he wants Bhutan to look deeply

84 Thich Nhat Hanh, Creating True Peace, (2003) p. 19885 Frank Dixon, ‘Improving Unsustainable Western Economic Systems’, (2004) pp. 119–2086

 Thich Nhat Hanh, Creating True Peace, (2003) p. 19887

 Thich Nhat Hanh, Creating True Peace, (2003) pp. 55–688

 Walpola Rahula, What the Buddha Taught , (1974) p. 8689

 Thich Nhat Hanh, Calming the Fearful Mind: A Zen Response to Terrorism, (2005) pp. 13-1590

 Walpola Rahula, What the Buddha Taught , (1974) p. 49

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into itself and cultivate seeds of happiness, so that the flowers of peace and

democracy may spread.

2.3. Knowing Happiness for Oneself

When we speak about making happiness the goal of a nation, an important question

arises. As we have seen, GNH is a concept that was born at the heart of Bhutan, a

Buddhist country. So now we must ask whether or not the Buddhist teachings are an

essential part of happiness. In other words, does happiness need to be understood

within the Buddhist framework? On the one hand, we have seen that teaching

 practices, such as mindfulness and meditation, outside of their traditional context can

lead to the danger of misinterpretation. Criticism by people like Nietzsche and Zizek

show us that, without studying the doctrines of Impermanence, Non-self and

Interdependent Co-arising, people may easily misunderstand what is meant by

happiness and mindfulness, and so the benefits will be minor. Perhaps these people

will be relieved of smaller problems, such as excess stress or anxiety, but it will not

help towards the Buddhist goal of the cessation of suffering.

On the other hand, we have also seen that Western orientated mindfulness programmes have had truly positive effects on the wellbeing of individuals, by

teaching them to reduce their suffering. And as Kabat-Zinn explains, for such a wide

audience to be reached in this way, it is helpful to offer the teachings as separate from

Buddhism.91

  This means that people can benefit from the wisdom of the Buddha,

without feeling that they must become religious or abandon their respective religion.

And in fact, we can say that mindfulness is something that is universal and available

to all human beings, and so it goes beyond any specific tradition or religion.92

 This is

why Kabat-Zinn makes a point of reminding us that in Buddhism we seek to put an

91 Shambhala SunSpace, ‘Mindfulness and the Cessation of Suffering: An Exclusive New Interview with

Mindfulness Pioneer Jon Kabat-Zinn’, (2010) [online] 92 Donald McCown, Diane Reibel, Marc S. Micozzi, Teaching Mindfulness, (2010) pp. 6-7

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end to duality; that is, to realize that everything inter-is.93

  This means that

‘Buddhism’ can also be a label that, if taken too seriously, can lead us to see

ourselves as separate from others. In contrast, anyone who genuinely practises living

in the present moment – no matter which tradition they practise in – will come to see

the reality of interbeing.

We can notice this openness and flexibility in many Buddhist practitioners. For

example, Jack Kornfield, who teaches Buddhism and meditation in North America,94

 

explains that the spiritual journey of each person will be somewhat different; and for

this reason we cannot present it as a strict pattern. To show this he speaks of Gandhi

and Mother Theresa along with the Buddha, and emphasizes that our own paths will

differ from theirs.95  And the Dalai Lama claims that the world is lacking a belief

system that is not embedded in a religious framework.96

 He explains that, for people

who are not religiously oriented, we can provide science as a moral basis. This would

mean showing that our nature is to love and feel compassion towards other beings,

and not to be driven by self-centered desires. The monk explains that scientific

evidence for this can be found by observing this quality in animals, who of course do

not have any religious beliefs!

It is not surprising that Buddhist practitioners are so flexible. After all, the Buddha

himself warned people about blindly following doctrines and traditions. Instead, he

advises us to discover through our own practice what leads to suffering and what

leads to happiness:

Of course you are uncertain, Kalamas. Of course you are in doubt. When there is

reason for doubt, uncertainty is born. So in this case, Kalamas, don’t go by

reports, by legends, by traditions, […] by agreement through pondering views

[…]. When you know for yourselves that, ‘[…] These qualities, when adopted and

93 Shambhala SunSpace, ‘Mindfulness and the Cessation of Suffering: An Exclusive New Interview with

Mindfulness Pioneer Jon Kabat-Zinn’, (2010) [online]94 Jack Kornfield, ‘A Bow of Welcome to You’, (2011)  [online] 95 Jack Kornfield, The Buddhist Path and Social Responsibility, (1993) p. 496 Dalai Lama and Fabien Ouaki, Imagine all the People, (1999) pp. 34–5

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carried out, lead to harm and suffering’ – then you should abandon them. When

 you know for yourselves that ‘[…] These qualities, when adopted and carried out,

lead to welfare and happiness’ – then you should enter and remain in them.97

 

This is the beauty of Buddhism. Essentially, it means that we do not have to await the

approval of the Buddha, or scientists, or critical theorists like Zizek, to transform our

suffering into happiness. Instead of clinging blindly to beliefs, we are encouraged to

experience for ourselves what leads to happiness. And whatever context we choose to

 practise in, if we practise genuinely, we will come to see that happiness is only

 possible if we abide in the reality of interbeing.

In the following pages, we will look at how we can help individuals to cultivate

happiness, so that the whole community will benefit. But before we do this, we must

address a common concern about GNH: how can happiness be measured? Now, as we

have seen, the Buddhist teachings are very flexible, and they are often adapted to

include other traditions. For example, in Bhutan,98

 China99

  and Japan,100

 Buddhism

has merged with the pre-existing folk religions. In Western countries, the Buddhist

teachings have taken on a scientific dimension. It is no doubt because of this

flexibility that Buddhism has spread so easily across the world, and that it has somuch to offer. So for this reason, here we will not look at any specific means of

measuring happiness. After all, each country – and each person – is different, and no

doubt each will come up with a measuring system that is unique and adapted to its

own needs. However, for anyone who is particularly interested in this aspect, they

may refer to Gross National Happiness and Development,101

  a work that contains

many papers and suggestions as to how happiness can be measured. For our purpose

here, it will suffice to remember not to confuse the means with the end: we must not

abandon the idea of making happiness our goal simply because we are not sure how

to measure it. After all, as suggested in the Pali Canon, peaceful and happy beings are

97  Lakkhana Sutta: Characterized (by Action), trans. Thanissaro Bhikkhu, (1997-2011) [online]98 Mynak Tulku, ‘Religion and Rituals’, (1997) pp. 137–5899  Encyclopedia of Buddhism , ed. Robert E. Buswell, (2004) pp. 290–1100  Encyclopedia of Buddhism , ed. Robert E. Buswell, (2004) pp. 291–3101 Gross National Happiness and Development , ed. Karma Ura and Karma Galay, (2004)

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easy to recognize because their countenance is one of deep serenity and they look at

each other with amiable eyes.102

 

!$%  Nibbana as Living Experience/ The Buddha and the Arahant , ed. Lily de Silva, (2005–2011) [online]

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3

Planting Individual and Collective seeds of Happiness

Whether transmitted by family, friends, society, or education, all our seeds are, bynature, both individual and collective

103 

(Thich Nhat Hanh, 2006)

3.1. Coming home

As we have seen, if we want to make happiness our goal, we must begin by shifting

our value system. This means that we recognize that everything inter-is, and

acknowledge that our happiness depends on the happiness of all sentient beings. We

can start doing this by bringing the economic factor in our lives back to its initial

 purpose: to provide for our basic needs. If we do this, we will already be behaving in

accordance with interbeing. After all, as soon as we reduce our demand for

consumption, our planet – with its natural resources and all the beings that inhabit it –

will benefit greatly. So one dimension of our life, the ecology, will already be highly

improved. But shifting our focus from increased capital to increased happiness will

change many other aspects of our lives; because as we have seen, at the moment most

modern societies stress the individual, which leads people to be competitive and self-

centered. What is more, the marketing and advertising industries encourage people to

feel insecure and incomplete. So our work now is to help people to cultivate a

mindset that is quite different from this. We must look deeply into each aspect of

society, and transform it so that it becomes a source of inspiration that enables people

to feel content with themselves, and connected to their community. If we can do this,

we will be planting wonderful seeds of happiness that will permeate the collective

consciousness.

103 Thich Nhat Hanh, Understanding Our Mind , (2006) p. 39

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Perhaps we can start this process by recognizing that, even if we suffer greatly, we do

have seeds of happiness within us. As we have seen, many of us live for the past, or

for the future, so we are not able to access happiness so easily. And yet, the gift of

mindfulness is within each and every one of us. We can see this simply by observing

young children. Their curiosity and enthusiasm towards the things they see, hear and

experience show us that at one point we too probably revelled in life, even if we do

not remember it. This is why Kabat-Zinn104

 and Thich Nhat Hanh105

 say that when we

are mindful, it is like returning home after being away for a long time. They explain

that we have always been complete, but that many of us have not felt this for a long

time, perhaps since we were children. To help us to regain this sense of wholeness,

they advise us to focus our attention on our breath; this enables us to access the

 present moment, and to realize that the body and mind are one.

And as we have seen, mindfulness is not just about getting back in touch with

ourselves, but also with our community, and essentially, all living beings. The ability

to feel this connection is also something that we possess naturally. Again, we can

look at children to confirm this, because they have the inner capacity to feel

compassion towards others. It is true that, as the monk Nyanaponika Thera explains,

children do show a tendency to be jealous from time to time.

106

  However, heemphasizes that they also revel in making other people happy. And the Dalai Lama

 points out that children do not judge and fear others as adults do.107

 For example, they

are oblivious to and do not care about which country people come from, what their

family background is, or the colour of their skin. This means that they do not

differentiate between things, and accept into their hearts whatever comes their way.

This is what the Buddha calls equanimity, a quality which, when fully developed, can

lead to the cessation of suffering.108

 

104 Jon Kabat-Zinn, Full Catastrophe Living , (1991) pp. 94–5105 Thich Nhat Hanh, Transformation and Healing , (2006) pp. 36–7106 Nyanaponika Thera, ‘Is Unselfish Joy Practicable?’, (1983) pp. 1–2107 Dalai Lama, La Voie des Emotions, (2008) pp. 141–2108  Potaliya Sutta: To Potaliya , trans. Thanissaro Bhikkhu, (1998–2011) [online]

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So why exactly is it that these natural qualities of ours are no longer so well

developed? Well, we have already seen that the individual and the collective inter-are,

and we have seen that the individual can affect the collective. But it is also true that

the collective has a strong influence on the individual. This means that, as Thich Nhat

Hanh explains, our seeds of suffering and happiness are transmitted to us through

many means, such as our family, school, friends and the whole community.109

  To

illustrate this, Thich Nhat Hanh speaks of crime in light of the doctrine of

Interdependent Co-Arising.110

 He says that many conditions lead to criminal acts, and

that in some way or another we are all responsible. Although we tend to look down

on criminals, we often forget that they are simply the manifestation of our collective

consciousness, and that the crime is the consequence of all the factors that inter-are.

To support this view, we can turn to the revolutionary figure Angela Davis, who

demands that society ask why  so many black people in the United States are being

sent to prison.111 She points to the fact that many black inmates (especially women)

are put away for drug use. This observation leads her to the conclusion that prisoners

are a symptom of a larger problem that needs to be addressed. In this case, the fact

that many African–Americans tend to grow up in an environment in which there are

few options available to them other than resorting to drugs. The autobiography ofCalvin Malone, a prisoner who became a Buddhist during his incarceration, reflects

this claim. In his work he speaks of the lives of many of his fellow inmates, and

makes the following observation: ‘For people raised in the streets, prison is almost an

inevitability. Making it in the streets usually means drugs, and ultimately leads to

crime and arrest.’112

 

Although this was not his own experience, Calvin’s upbringing also shows us that

unfortunate circumstances can lead people to commit crimes. He explains that as

young children, he and his brother Mark moved to America; due to their mixed race

109 Thich Nhat Hanh, Understanding Our Mind , (2006) pp. 39–44

110 Thich Nhat Hanh, Understanding Our Mind , (2006) p. 60

111 Danostamper74, Angela Davis Discusses Prison Industrial Complex, (2009) [video online]

112 Calvin Malone, Razor-Wire Dharma: A Buddhist Life in Prison, (2008) p. 99

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 background and limited knowledge of English, they suffered a lot of prejudice and

alienation, which eventually led them both to drugs.113

 This comment reflects a point

made by Thich Nhat Hanh, who explains that people who fall into such addictions do

so because of a lack in social support and love.114

 Unfortunately, in the case of Mark,

this led to his death; leaving his brother Calvin to regret that his family and society

did not provide enough help.115

 

So as we can see, when we lock up a criminal, we are only taking care of the

symptom instead of looking at the root cause of the problem. People think that by

doing this, society is ridding itself of a bad seed. Perhaps they think that once the

criminal is gone, society will be purified. But the criminal act is only a manifestation

of the seeds of suffering that already exist in society. We are told that we are not to

steal, that this is greedy and selfish behaviour; and yet, in consumer societies we are

encouraged to increase our self-centered desires, and always to want more than we

already have. Although we know that violence is strictly prohibited, everywhere we

look we can see violence, whether it is in a computer game or when we watch the

news. So it seems that there is a big gap between what people say is the right thing to

do, and what people actually do. And this is very unfortunate, because our actions

speak much louder than our pretenses. That is why the Buddha says: ‘A wise personis characterized by his/her actions’.116 

This means that if a governing body wants its people to cultivate the qualities that

lead to happiness and peace, such as mindfulness and compassion, it must set an

example. That is why the Buddha spoke of ten duties that a king (or today,

government) should follow.117

 These include many things, such as practising the Five

Precepts, being generous and kind, living a simple life and promoting non-violence.

We can also say that those who rule must follow the Noble Eightfold Path, which

includes the three following moral codes: Right Speech, Right Action and Right

113 Calvin Malone, Razor-Wire Dharma: A Buddhist Life in Prison, (2008) pp. 29–41114 Thich Nhat Hanh, Understanding our Mind , (2006) p. 60115 Calvin Malone, Razor-Wire Dharma: A Buddhist Life in Prison, (2008) p. 33116  Lakkhana Sutta: Characterized (by Action), trans. Thanissaro Bhikkhu (1997–2011) [online]117 Walpola Rahula, What the Buddha Taught , (1974) pp. 84–6

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Livelihood. This means that all their actions, whether mental or physical, must be

 based in mindfulness and compassion.118

  In this way, those who are in charge of a

country’s wellbeing can be an inspiration to their people, and are an embodiment of

the qualities that the country as a whole seeks to cultivate. And this, as Rahula

concludes, will inevitably lead to overall happiness. As a practising Buddhist, it

would appear that this is what the King of Bhutan does. But what about the leaders of

other countries – what example do they set for their people?

We do not need to look far to see that it is usually not such a positive one. For

example, many leaders of the world claim that they are defending peace by engaging

in war. By doing this, they are already breaking their duty of non-violence, as well as

two precepts: they are engaged in taking life (whether directly or indirectly) and they

are not speaking truthfully.119

 And as we have seen with the war on terror, the result

is devastating, because when a country reacts violently it only increases people’s

fears, which ultimately leads to more violence. This is also true when it comes to the

way in which the governing bodies treat their own citizens. Although punishment

such as imprisonment and the death penalty are said to maintain social order, they

have the opposite effect. We can see this in the Cakkavatti Sutta: the king imposes the

death penalty as a consequence of the rise in theft, but this only instils fear anddesperation in the perpetrators, which leads them to more violent acts.120 This is why

James A. Stroble, Professor at the University of Hawaii, concludes that violence

simply results in increased social disorder, and is evidence of the disintegration of

society.121

 Thich Nhat Hanh shares the same view, and condemnes the death penalty

as being proof of society’s powerlessness.122

 

Instead, leaders would do well to practise as they preach. If they want to spread peace

and democracy, they must practise non-violence, and learn to cultivate compassion

and mindfulness. To some people this may sound unrealistic, and yet the history of

118 Walpola Rahula, What the Buddha Taught , (1974) p. 47119 Prince Vajirananavarorasa, The 5 Precepts: the Buddhist Golden Rule, pp. 2, 5–6120 James A. Stroble, Buddhism and War: A Study of the Status of Violence in Early Buddhism , (1991) p. 8121 James A. Stroble, Buddhism and War: A Study of the Status of Violence in Early Buddhism, (1991) p. 8122 Thich Nhat Hanh, Understanding our Mind , (2006) p. 202

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the world shows us that it is a possibility. As an example of this, Rahula speaks of

Asoka, who was the Emperor of India in the third century BC.123

 Although he began

his reign in war and destruction, following in his father’s footsteps as a conqueror, he

changed completely under the influence of Buddhist teachings. He apologized

 publicly for the harm he caused through his violence, and announced that he wished

to continue his rule in peace. By doing this, Asoka was putting into practice the

Buddha’s teachings. Of course, some people may argue that if a country were ruled in

this way, it would simply be taken advantage of. But as Rahula notes, it seems that

the surrounding kingdoms let Asoka’s Empire be, and that he and his people lived

 peacefully. Today, we have a similar example: Bhutan, a country that is humble in

size and resources, but that nonetheless practises non-violence and sets a positive

example to its citizens and the world.

3.2. A Happy Family

It is not only the rulers of a country that can set a positive example for individuals.

This is true also for the family, which has a very strong influence on people’s

wellbeing. As Thich Nhat Hanh explains, the seeds of our ancestors are transmitted to

us through our family members. This means that the family can be a source ofimmense joy, but also of pain. So it is very important that anyone who wishes to have

a family should cultivate mindfulness and compassion. If they cannot do this, they

will suffer, and this suffering will automatically be transmitted to their children. As

Thich Nhat Hanh124

 and the Dalai Lama125

 explain, when a child is in her mother’s

womb, she can already sense her parents’ pain and joy. And this continues throughout

the child’s life, even when she is an adult. And one day, if she becomes a parent, she

will transmit her seeds of happiness and suffering to her children. In this way, the

family can be a vicious cycle that perpetuates suffering for many generations.

123 Walpola Rahula, What the Buddha Taught , (1974) pp. 87–9

124 Thich Nhat Hanh, Understanding our Mind , (2006) pp. 36–7

125 Dalai Lama and Fabien Ouaki, Imagine all the People, (1999) p. 32

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Many Western psychologists have also made this observation. According to the

renowned psychiatrist, R.D. Laing, people tend to internalize their family dynamic,

and this affects their perception of the world.126

 As an example, he speaks of a man

who is emotionally distressed because of the Cold War, and has the sense that

coexistence is necessary but seems impossible; this makes him feels as if he is split in

two. But in Laing’s opinion, this anxiety is not due to the situation at hand, that is, the

Cold War. In fact, the man has simply internalized his parents’ relationship and

conflict, and is projecting this onto the rest of the world.127

 An important part of this

 process is ingrained habit. In Buddhist psychology, it is said that people have habit

energies that influence their perception of situations.128

  So in a family, if the child

constantly feels the need to choose between his two parents, he will probably feel this

anxiety in other relationships, and even on a global scale. Because this process is

often the cause of conflict, it is a very important part of Buddhist mediation. We can

see this in the works of Christopher W. Moore and Jon McConnell, who both write

about conflict from a Buddhist perspective. Moore reflects Laing’s theory by

speaking of transference, which is when people superimpose one set of relationships

onto another.129 And McConnell explains that, because we are influenced by patterns

of thoughts and emotions from our past cycles, we are constantly perpetuating our

own samsaric cycle.

130

 

If we agree with this, we will understand what Thich Nhat Hanh means when he says

that our habit energies have been transmitted through thousands of years. After all, if

Laing is correct and we internalize our parents’ relationship, we are in fact inheriting

a pattern that has been passed down through many generations.131

 Because of this, the

relationship between a husband and wife are deeply connected to the present and

future welfare of society. So now we must ask, how can we break this cycle of

126 R.D. Laing, The Politics of the Family, and Other Essays, (1999) p. 7127 R.D. Laing, The Politics of the Family, and Other Essays, (1999) pp. 8–9128 Thich Nhat Hanh, Understanding our Mind , (2006) pp. 49–50129 Christopher W. Moore, The Mediation Process, (2003) pp. 171–2130 Jon McConnell, Mindful Mediation: A Handbook for Buddhist Peacemakers, (2001) p. 59131 R.D. Laing, The Politics of the Family, and Other Essays, (1999) pp. 77–8

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suffering? Both Thich Nhat Hanh132

 and McConnell133

 claim that the way to end this

 pattern is through mindfulness. That is why Thich Nhat Hanh suggests that we create

a school for people who want to become parents.134

  Future parents could attend to

learn how to nurture the seeds of happiness and take care of the seeds of suffering in

themselves and their partners. In this way, their relationship will no longer be based

on habit energies and wrong perceptions;135

 instead, they will learn to listen to each

other and to be truly present for one another, and create a new cycle that is based on

love and compassion.

If parents can do this, their children will be influenced in a positive way. This is

important to society, because as the King of Bhutan rightly stated, children are the

future, and that that is why we must work today to create an environment that will

allow them to blossom in a positive way. To the same purpose, Thich Nhat Hanh says

that parents must make sure that peace is part of a child’s environment136

. He

suggests that families practise mindful activities together, such as coming together to

share the gift of food in awareness, peace and tranquility.137

  He also suggests that

each family have a space to which any member can go at any time to practise mindful

 breathing.138 This will allow families to cultivate awareness and happiness together.

It will also enable them to take care of their suffering. Whenever a voice is raised oranger arises, people have a place to go, to reflect on what is happening. They can say

to the other person that they are angry and that they need time, so that they can take

care of their pain. As we have seen, this does not mean that they ignore their

suffering; but also that they do not let it take over.139

 Instead, they take a moment to

 breathe, and when they are ready, they practise compassionate speech with their loved

ones, to let them know how they have been hurt and what the family can do to solve

it. In this way, children will learn how to cultivate the steps of the Noble Eightfold

132 Thich Nhat Hanh, Understanding our Mind , (2006) p. 51133 Jon McConnell, Mindful Mediation: A Handbook for Buddhist Peacemakers, (2001) p. 65134 Thich Nhat Hanh