Mathieu Ricard who is mentioned and quoted above is a Buddhist monk who also holds a PhD in molecular genetics. I am just beginning to read his work on happiness and it is fascinating. Letting go is so important to our happiness. We cannot simply wish and want to be happy. It comes effortlessly with much work. Happiness is a form of paradox.
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“So the way in which we experience these waves of suffering depends a great deal on our attitude.
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It is therefore always better to familiarize ourselves with and prepare ourselves for the kind of suffering we are likely to encounter, some of which will be unavoidable, such as illness, old age, and death, rather than to be caught off guard and sink into anguish.
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A physical or moral pain can be intense without destroying our positive outlook on life.
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Once we have acquired inner well-being, it is easier to maintain our fortitude or to recover it quickly, even when we are confronted externally by difficult circumstances.
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Does such peace of mind come simply because we wish it to?
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Hardly.
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We don’t earn our living just by wishing to.
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Likewise, peace is a treasure of the mind that…
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ivonprefontaine
Teacher as Transformer 