Joke · Ajahn Brahm
How to be happy — no one is happy
The story — as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)
the book was entitled how to be happy on the outside the happiness industry you go go to a Bookshop there's sections on how to be happy now how to be happy is mindfulness the latest thing just a craze how to be happy and they opened the book and the book said uh no one is Happy next question problem solved and then the fellow was hugging the book with a huge smile on his face ah no one is happy that's the secret of happiness
▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 51:15 (to 51:59)
A reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)
A man opens a book called How to Be Happy. It says: no one is happy; next question. He hugs it, beaming. Ajahn Brahm confesses that wishing anyone a happy new year promises the impossible. Problems will come. Ajahn Chah's joy was in seeing that clearly. Stop demanding perfect happiness, and peace arrives.
In brief (our summary)
A self-help cartoon: open the book How to Be Happy and it says 'no one is happy — next question'. The reader hugs it with a huge smile — that's the secret.
Teaching point
Dropping the demand for permanent happiness is itself a relief.
When this story may help
- New Year pressure
- self-help fatigue
Themes
Source & credit
Told by Ajahn Brahm in The Wisdom Borne of Silence | Ajahn Brahm | 1 Jan 2016 · 2016-01-01 · ▶ watch from 51:15 to 51:59 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia
1 other telling of this story
- Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 2 Jan 2016 · 2016-01-02 · ▶ watch from 1:08:52 to 1:09:20 · Buddhist Society of Western AustraliaJan 2016 New Year telling: How to Be Happy — 'no one is happy' — hug the book.
Caption notes: YouTube auto-captions: unpunctuated, words left exactly as captioned.
The narrative is Ajahn Brahm's own telling, quoted from the talk captions. The summary and reflection are Being Mindful Stories's editorial notes. Please credit the teacher and link the original talk. Markdown version