Many people think wealth is the answer to happiness. However, after acquiring wealth, they often do not experience the happiness they imagine. In the period from the 1950’s up to the year 2000, income in the West increased threefold, but people’s well-being actually declined. A lot of psychologists, sociologists, and economists have studied this phenomenon over a half century and have concluded: when our annual income is around forty thousand US dollars, money brings a sense of security, which in turn leads to sense of well-being; when annual income exceeds this amount, there is no longer a connection between money and happiness. Thus, having more wealth is no guarantee of happiness.

~ Depicted from THE PAPER TIGER - The Tibetan Buddhist View on Happiness

Every Tibetan Buddhist tradition contains practices of the chöd sadhana，a very special practice that can be separated into many types. The Words of my Perfect Teacher mentions a preliminary practice called the Kusali Chöd. In this practice, you imagine offering your body as a sacrifice to KuntuZangpo and giving it to all types of spirits, and so forth. The real practice of chöd is to use the wisdom of realizing emptiness in a special technique to remove stubbornness and troubling thoughts. The premise of this practice is that you must realize emptiness and let this enlightenment experience strong. After a certain time, you can meditate in areas where ghosts are rumored to appear. During such times there are usually activities that gather spirits, and you might hear strange sounds or witness odd occurrences. This would make ordinary people very nervous and their self-attachment would be very obvious. At this time if you can focus on emptiness, you will be able to remove your self-attachment successfully, and at the same time remove fear and other negative emotions.

~ Depicted from Luminous Wisdom Book Series 10

Some may question, “These people are actually doing good things to others and keeping up with their practice, not killing or stealing. Why use the word ‘unwholesome’ to describe their intentions?” That is because even if one succeeds in reaping the benefits of this life through practice, so what? It is altogether likely that after regaining health, for instance, one may do something resulting in more negative karma, leading to more suffering in the future. Even though the motivation itself is not evil, it remains a potential cause of affliction. It not only will not help end suffering but more may ensue because of it. Hence, the descriptive word ‘unwholesome’ is assigned to this type of motivation.

~ Depicted from THE RIGHT VIEW - The Three Supreme Methods—the ultimate methods of cultivating virtue and training the mind

Attachment to a person can be handled the same way. For instance, when one is going through the painful situation of falling out of love, one can visualize the other person in the front and reflect calmly: Is he or she really as lovable as I imagined? Why do I like him or her so much? Is it his or her looks, talent, money, power, fame that I like or something else?

~ Depicted from "THE HANDBOOK FOR LIFE"S JOURNEY : On The Three Poisons - How to Handle Desire"

Second, do not be vain. The more we indulge in vanity, the more likely we are to feel empty and worthless. At the end of the vicious cycle, we can only fill our emptiness with more vanity. This feeling is one of immeasurable suffering. A lot of very wealthy people find that they would rather die than live because they feel empty inside; their wealth cannot be counted on in any way to bring happiness.

~ Depicted from THE PAPER TIGER - The Tibetan Buddhist View on Happiness

We all know that chanting mantras repetitively and doing five- point prostrations are very tired. If, in the end, the outcome of our practice is viewed as not being in accordance with the principles of Vajrayana, Mahayana, or Hinayana tradition, but is categorized as being mundane instead, it will be a real pity.

~ Depicted from Luminous Wisdom Book Series 1

The point is that Buddhist teachings are not just some stuff for casual conversation, nor should they be studied as cultural or academic subject. They ought to be applied in managing our daily life.

~ Depicted from THE RIGHT VIEW - The Three Supreme Methods—the ultimate methods of cultivating virtue and training the mind

Although some products can really make life easier and are indispensable in some cases, whether they are name brand products is very often a matter of face or vanity, not necessity. When dealing with the issue of not losing face, it is important to keep a close watch on irrational ideas.

~ Depicted from "THE HANDBOOK FOR LIFE"S JOURNEY : On The Three Poisons - How to Handle Desire"

What then are the right methods?

There are essentially five methods to happiness, the three “No’s” and two “Should’s.”

The Three “No’s”:

First, do not compare. The more we like to compare with others, the less likely we are to find happiness. Take as an example a person who owns a high-performance luxury car; if he likes to compare, he is sure to find someone in his circle of friends who has a better car. As in the saying “there is always a better man, a higher mountain,” even if the person excels in everything now, there is no guarantee he won’t be surpassed in a year or two. If he chooses to compete again at that time, he will find himself in a very tiresome chase. To compare is not necessary in life, but it is often the cause of great suffering.

~ Depicted from THE PAPER TIGER - The Tibetan Buddhist View on Happiness