The Secret of Happiness

This is a forwarded email from a friend. At the end of this email it wrote:

" Now you know it too!

And now THAT YOU HAVE THE SECRET,

Once you get it, what will you do?

Please tell someone the Secret too.

Help a friend be happy."

So I thought of you and post the SECRET here: 

One day, a man asked a Venerable,

"How is it that you are always so happy?

You have so much energy,

and you never seem to get down."

With his eyes smiling, he said,

"I know the Secret.

I'll tell you all about it,

but you have to promise to

share the Secret with others."

"The Secret is this:

All I do is live a very simple life,

keeping to the Precepts,

have some wise friends and teachers,

and enjoy nature.

A simple walk in the forest,

a simple meal,

a quiet place, that's all I need.

And yet, I have learned THAT most of the time

I don't need even half of what I think I do.

Be content, for Greed only brings PAIN.

Whether someone praise me or censure me, I am equanimous, for such is life,

we can never ever please everyone,

so just BE!

With the above thoughts,

I learned that the 'Secret' to a happy life

is NO SECRET at all.

Someone called the Buddha taught us all these 2600 years ago"

If "I WANT HAPPINESS",

JUST DROP THE "I",

THEN CEASE THE "WANT",

WHAT IS LEFT IS "HAPPINESS".

The questioner's first thought was,

"That's too simple!"

But upon reflecting over his own life,

he recalled how he thought a bigger house

would make him happy, but it didn't.

Instead it brought more payments,

more stress,

more maintenance.

He thought a better paying job

would make him happy, but it hadn't.

Instead it brought more stress.

When WAS he happy?

Sitting on the floor with family and friends,

just talking,

sharing the Dhamma,

or playing games,

eating yiu tiow or reading a story

That's happiness,

a happiness from contentment,

from having NO WANTS.

IT IS NOT THE HAPPINESS OF THE SATISFACTION OF WANTS,

BUT THE HAPPINESS OF NOT WANTING ANYTHING.