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I don't like the premise that happiness is based on what you have, and what you do with your time. It always seems to be the underlying assumption, and it drive

I don't like the premise that happiness is based on what you have, and what you do with your time. It always seems to be the underlying assumption, and it drives people to be unhappy to always be striving for better conditions for themselves. What gave me happiness is the idea in Buddhism fostering compassion for all people, including yourself, but not only yourself. It's the one aspect of Buddhism that most people ignore. Instead they concentrate on inner peace by quieting their mind or stopping their thoughts, which again is striving for a change in what they have, (ie. they would gain the ability to quiet their mind) I don't mean to be heavy handed, and I'm not trying to force my ideas on others. I just haven't seen this idea of compassion for people brought up very often.

Lost_BiomedE 14y ago
There are many roads to compassion. Someone who focuses on compassion can be a very twisted being, in the same way someone trying to quiet their mind can be very noisy. But, overall, I agree. Facing oneself and seeing the world as opportunity for love, joy, and compassion makes for a rich life.
lightningstorm 14y ago
What if you have a lot of energy yet live in the country without much going on? Would you be able using Buddhism to transform yourself to enjoy the surrounding or you better of moving to a big city with more happening around you? I found that by living in different places you discover who you are. Then you can use the Buddhist approach to cope better with the downsides of living in the current area.