So, I’ve had some people ask me recently, what’s this Buddhism thing you do. Buddhism, hmmm. Not an easy answer because there are all kinds of Buddhisms out there, just like there are a lot of Christianities, Hinduisms, Islams, etc. So what I talk about here is what I know, and that’s it. It’s what I’ve learned from the Buddhist philosophy I’ve followed for the past 20 – odd years.

At the very basic level, Buddhist philosophy is about how to become happy. Most religions out there are based on this same idea. Deep in our hearts, we want to be happy, we want our families to be happy, and we would like to see a world around us that shines in happiness. Ok, so a few people just turned to the side and made pukey sounds, and certainly there are deranged people out there that seem to thrive in anger and violence, but I think that’s more because they don’t believe in happiness rather than they don’t want it. The belief that you cannot attain a happy state makes you take actions to insure the next best thing: power.

But I digress (I’ll get back to power and happiness another time). This is about the basics of Buddhist belief, and as I said, it’s about being happy. Now, you can’t really be happy if you think happiness in only based on the stuff you get in life: cars, women, men, houses, food, etc. This kind of happiness is only short lived, about as long as the newness of these “things” lasts (like a second in some cases). Before you know it, the car is broke, the woman or man is bugging the shit out of you, the roof needs fixing and the food has gotten cold. This kind of happiness relies on external influences in your life. Anything external to you is not going to last, because external stuff comes and goes. The only way you can truly be happy in your life is to find happiness within yourself.

Well, no shit you say, I’ve heard that one a million times. Yeah, I know. The real key is finding this happiness. Over the thousands of years humans have been around on this planet, different enlightened people have been able to develop this state of happiness in their lives. Yet the vast majority of us have not. It’s not because we’re deficient or lacking in any way, it’s just because it’s hard to do.

This state of happiness is our most pure aspect of ourselves, our most compassionate self, our “Buddha” self. Our state of enlightenment. When we live in a world filled with anger, greed, and ignorance (stupidity some say), these influences cloud our pure state of happiness. We can’t really see happiness in our lives, which means we can’t see it in the world around us either. Somehow, we have to find a way to uncover this pure state of happiness that is deep within ourselves.

Different Buddhist beliefs use different techniques to try and find this pure self. Some believe that eliminating all thoughts will get you there, or living on an isolated mountain, or a deep meditative state. What I do is an active meditation that allows me to first feel my pure, happy, compassionate self, and then to keep it as best as I can as I go about my daily life. Am I perfect at being happy? Ha! Of course not. I can actually be quite emotional at times. I’m a regular, normal person with ups and downs. But when I chant (the active meditation), I can handle the daily struggles I go through better, and I have less of a roller coaster ride each day. Strength, happiness, and compassion emerge, and are reflected in the world around me. I can enjoy a state of happiness regardless of what issues I have to face that day. Indeed, the chanting, or active meditation, makes me handle daily problems in a more constructive way, in ways that create a positive outcome for everyone around me.

Happiness isn’t an endpoint; happiness is part of the path we travel on every day.