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22 EASTERN HORIZON | TEACHINGS

His Holiness the Dalai Lama answering a question about compassion during a dialogue with students at MIT’s Kresge Auditorium in Boston, MA, USA
on October 31, 2014. (Photo by Brian Lima)

feelings: pain, pleasure, or neutral feelings. Actually, and helps its growth. Our body, on a physical level, is
pleasure and pain, and happiness and unhappiness, the same. But, as humans, our body also has a positive
are things that we need to examine in more depth. element on the emotional level that brings us to have
For example, every sentient being has the right to attachment to someone or attachment to our own
survive and, for survival, this means having a desire for happiness. Anger, on other hand, with its element of
happiness or comfort: that’s why sentient beings strive causing harm, pushes us away from things including
to survive. Therefore, our survival is based on hope – happiness. On a physical level, the pleasure that
hope for something good: happiness. Because of that, happiness brings is good for the body; while anger and
I always conclude that the purpose of life is happiness. the unhappiness it causes is harmful. Therefore, from
With hope and a happy feeling, our body feels well. the perspective of the pursuit of survival, the purpose of
Therefore, hope and happiness are positive factors for life is to have a happy life.
our health. Health depends on a happy state of mind.
This is the basic human level that I am speaking about;
Anger, on the other hand, is based on a sense of I am not speaking about the religious, secondary level.
insecurity and brings us fear. When we encounter On the religious level, of course there are different
something good, we feel safe. When something explanations of the purpose of life. The secondary
threatens us, we feel insecure and then we become aspect is actually quite complicated; therefore, it is
angry. Anger is a part of the mind that defends itself better to talk just on the basic human level.
from what harms our survival. But anger itself makes us
What Is Happiness?
feel bad and so, ultimately, it is bad for our health.

Attachment is an element that is helpful for survival. Since our goal and the purpose of life is happiness, what
So, even a plant, without any conscious element, still is happiness? Sometimes physical suffering can even
has some chemical aspect that causes it to protect itself bring a deeper sense of satisfaction like with an athlete