The Secret of Happiness

A student asked the teacher, “What is the secret of happiness?”

The teacher responded, “Good judgment.”

“Ah,” said the student. “How do I attain good judgment?”

“From experience.” Responded the teacher.

“Yes”, said the student, “and how do I attain experience?”

“Bad judgment” answered the teacher.

This short dialogue contains several different possible paths toward answering the original question about happiness.

1) Open yourself to being surprised. This story, and many things in life, are not what we anticipate, not what we expect. Being open to these, learning from these, is one secret of happiness.

2) Appreciate your mistakes – learn good judgment through taking risks, by making mistakes. This is easier said than done. It has become almost a cliché. In many of my seminars inside of businesses, I often play a game that begins with everyone in the group throwing their arms in the air and yelling, “I failed”, with a big smile, and without tightening their bodies.

3) Develop the ability to laugh at your own stories. Yes, our lives are serious, often painful, joyous, sacred. Often our descriptions and our stories become solid, real, and even more serious. What if we could all not take our stories quite so seriously. Try reading some good poetry such as I Heard God Laughing, by the 13th century poet, Hafiz.

Here are a few more ideas that I come up with in response to the question: What is the Secret of Happiness?

- sing and dance more often
- live each day as though it were you last
- watch movies that make you laugh
- notice your breath as though for the first time, at least once a day.
- do something that makes someone else happy, at least once a day

When the Buddha was asked this same question, about happiness, he responded – when taking a short breath, notice you are taking a short breath; when taking a long breath notice you are taking a long breath.

In other words, pay careful attention to your mind, body, and feelings. Explore just appreciating being alive.