As much as possible, it is useful to think of all other beings as being just like me. Every living being strives for happiness. Every being wants to avoid all forms of suffering. They are not just objects or things to be used for our benefit. You know, Mahatma Gandhi once said: 'The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.

In Buddhism we would say that you are lazy... Despising yourself, thinking you are no good, saying 'I can't do this.' This is the mind of weakness. You must work to overcome it .

Pain is inevitable... Suffering is optional. We will all have to endure trauma and challenges. What matters is how we move forward afterward. Do we keep carrying the trauma and its causes in our mind? Or can we find a way to let go of them, to end our own suffering?...This is where mindfulness can help us.

It can be useful to have goals. Purpose. But we should never believe that our happiness depends on achieving them. The two are quite separate.

- Kaip įdomu! Šįryt šventykloje matėme naujokus, besivaržančius dėl vietų gyventi vienuolyne. Norinčiųjų daug, o vietų nepakanka. Bet į kalėjimą niekas nenori, nors ten sąlygos lengvesnės negu vienuolyne. Ir tai įrodo, jog mes jaučiamės laimingi ar nelaimingi ne dėl pačių sąlygų, o kaip į jas žiūrime.

Aminteşte-ţi de cuvintele lui Buddha: Deşi un singur om poate învinge în bătălie o mie de oameni de o mie de ori, cel care se învinge pe sine este cel mai mare războinic.

The researchers summarized: "A human mind is a wandering mind, and a wandering mind is an unhappy mind. The ability to think about what is not happening is a cognitive achievement that comes at an emotional cost.". Long ago, Buddhists reached much the same conclusion.

The main shift, you see, is from placing self at the center of our thoughts to putting others there. It is-what do you say?-a paradox that the more we can focus our thoughts on the well-being of others, the happier we become. The first one to benefit is oneself. I call this being wisely selfish.