Audio Teachings by Lama Dondrup Dorje Rinpoche
Stable, Lasting Happiness - Part 1
In this world of ours, we all have certain wants and needs from the basic needs for food, clothing and shelter to the wish for long life, health, wealth, romance and happiness. But of all these needs, the more you want the more turmoil you experience. We cannot find lasting happiness by constantly striving to satisfy these desires.
In the Audio Teaching ‘Stable, Lasting Happiness – Part 1’, Ven. Lama Dondrup Dorje explains that lasting happiness comes from the contentment of not getting excessive in our grasping for needs. Once we have indulgence in excess there is always something we find uncomfortable, so to have a happy life is to be flexible, to have less indulgence and to recognise the nature of impermanence of all things. Recognise that the conditions of the world are constantly changing, but the only thing that really stays the same is our original nature; and with that you are able to come to the state of realisation of how to be able to depart from the conditions of the world, which means you can live in the world but not be hampered by the conditions of the world. While you live in the world, there is no need to complain about it, no need to get unhappy about it, but also no need to be hindered by it.
When you realise that this body we have will not always be the same, you can grow old graciously, accepting what happens and not pretending to be something you are not. Recognising the impermanence of this life, make use of your time, appreciating what you have and appreciating the nature of impermanence. In this way even if you only live for one day, you have a good life.
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