“Happiness is a state or inner fulfillment, not the gratification of inexhaustible desires for outward things.” ~ Matthieu Ricard.

Matthieu Ricard is a French Buddhist monk, currently residing at the Shechen Tennyi Dargyeling Monastery in Nepal.

Widely known as the “happiest man in the world,” Ricard took the time to create this Ted Talk which describes in exquisite detail his take on the meaning of happiness and how we can understand and find it.

Here is a selection of quotes by Matthieu Ricard describing his perception of happiness:

“There is a possibility for change because all emotions are fleeting.”

“Good and evil exist only in terms of the happiness or suffering they create in ourselves and others.”

“Unlike pleasure, genuine happiness may be influenced by circumstance, but it isn’t dependent on it. It actually gives us the inner resources to deal better with those circumstances.”

“We try to fix the outside so much, but our control of the outer world is limited, temporary, and often, illusory.”

“I have also come to understand that although some people are naturally happier than others, their happiness is still vulnerable and incomplete, and that achieving durable happiness as a way of being is a skill. It requires sustained effort in training the mind and developing a set of human qualities, such as inner peace, mindfulness, and altruistic love.”

“While it may be difficult to change the world, it is always possible to change the way we look at it.”

“Happiness does not come automatically. It is not a gift that good fortune bestows upon us and a reversal of fortune takes back. It depends on us alone. One does not become happy overnight, but with patient labor, day after day. Happiness is constructed, and that requires effort and time. In order to become happy, we have to learn how to change ourselves.”

Relephant:

5 Ways to Be Happier & Less Depressed Through Buddhism.

Author: Alex Myles

Editor: Travis May

Photo: Wikipedia

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