Happiness in the Dhamma

We find happiness in the Dhamma. It’s the opposite from finding happiness in the world. Finding happiness in the world, you try to take as much as you can, in terms of wealth, status, other people’s praise, sensual pleasures. But the problem with that kind of happiness is that when you take that stuff, other people are deprived, and they’re not going to be happy. That kind of happiness creates divisions.

With happiness in the Dhamma, you give. You give your time; you give your wealth; you give your forgiveness. When you find happiness that way, other people are happy for your happiness, which means that kind of happiness is safe.

For instance, when we meditate and develop thoughts of goodwill—“May all beings be happy”—there’s nobody who’s going to be upset by that, nobody who’s going to be deprived by that thought. You become wealthier inside, in the sense of having a more spacious home for your mind, and other people receive your goodwill. They’re happy to gain it.

So try to develop the kinds of happiness that are safe: happiness through generosity, happiness through virtue, happiness through goodwill. When you find happiness in this way, then the whole world is your home. Wherever you go, there are no barriers. People of different nations, people of different backgrounds: Everybody appreciates generosity; everybody appreciates virtue and goodwill.

And where do these things come from? They come from within. You can dig them up inside. They’re potentials that we all have in the mind. The funny thing is that the more you dig them up and share them around, then the more you have. You know the happiness of the world: The more you take, the less and less and less you feel you have. Your heart shrivels up and gets small and narrow. It gets heavy. And it falls. Whereas the happiness of the Dhamma expands your heart, and it rises like a balloon.

So look for your happiness here. And remember that once you find your happiness here, nobody’s going to want to take it away from you. And nobody can take it away from you. There will be times when you’re upset that you’re generous with people and they abuse your generosity. In cases like that, you say, “Well, I chose the wrong people to receive my generosity. But there are other people who deserve it, who will benefit from it, who will actually use it well.” So look for them.

And there are people who take advantage of the fact that you don’t lie, you don’t steal. But they’re making themselves poor.

And nobody can take advantage of your goodwill. You maintain that attitude in all situations. Now, you have to learn how to express your goodwill in wise ways. But they’re not taking advantage of your goodwill. Because your goodwill is what?—wishing that they understand the causes for true happiness and be willing and able to act on them.

It doesn’t mean that you’re just going to do whatever people like or allow them to take advantage of you. If there’s any way you can alert them to the fact that they’re being unskillful, you try. And if you can’t succeed at that—if they don’t seem to be willing to listen—you can develop equanimity. That’s even more spacious. That’s a mind state that’s not indifferent. It’s just solid in the face of negative things in the world.

Wealth like this can’t be taken away from the mind.

Someone once asked Ajaan Mun if you could separate a person’s virtue from the person’s mind. He said, “Of course not. It’s a quality built into the mind itself. If you could separate your virtues out from the mind, people would probably steal your virtues from you.” He was making a little joke, but he was making an important point at the same time: That when you have happiness in generosity, happiness in virtue, happiness in developing the mind, that happiness can’t be taken away from you.

So focus on the things that are safe. Focus on the things that are really yours. And you won’t be disappointed.