A Monk's Guide to Happiness: Meditation in the 21st century

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So, how exactly are we meant to do this? Thubten explains that one way is through the practice of meditation and learning how to process negative emotions in the moment, rather than only understanding them in retrospect. It is very personal. Thubten portrays his own, personal way from an apparent bohème enfant terrible to becoming a monk in Tibetan Buddhism in Scotland. He is very humble, his quiet and well-meaning way of speaking is palpable throughout the book. We all go through hard times. We can experience moments when life feels like an uphill struggle, leading to unhappiness and stress. Perhaps we are feeling sad, anxious, or are challenged to deal with something bigger, such as a bereavement, a loss, a painful ending or a broken heart. It is during these moments when life feels difficult that we could do with some help with our thoughts and feelings. Will I meditate daily until the end of my days now? Probably not. Will I feel guilty about it? Definitely not!

This may sound counterintuitive, but any time we feel a negative emotion, it can actually be seen as proof that our true potential for happiness is limitless. What I mean by this is that when a negative emotion arises, it’s because we are in some way feeling frustrated and are looking for something that will make us feel better. The reality, however, is that nothing will be good enough for us, as our desire is boundless. Instead, what we need to do is tap into the true happiness, which is only possible when we are in harmony with our real potential for freedom. Nothing in this world can ever match the “hardwired bliss” which is within us. Gelong Thubten's wonderful book provides a bracing challenge to our search for instant gratification and "instant" happiness, and a lucid, practical, step-by-step path to contentment and a genuine and lasting peace of mind.' I’ve found that many people seek a kind of happiness which is a fleeting sensation: a ‘high’—an injection-like bolt of energy,” he writes. “Yet this never seems to last, and when they no longer experience that high, they crave it again.” You Are Hard-Wired to Be Happy: Use This to Be Happy As Often As Possible Feeling Good in the “Instant Happiness” Culture After collaborating with Yale neuroscientist Ash Ranpura and Ruby Wax on How to Be Human, Thubten wrote A Monk’s Guide to Happiness, his debut solo book.The nature of this liberation will become clearer in the following blinks, where we’ll map out the mental prison from which we’re trying to break free. Then, with our map in hand, we’ll figure out an escape plan. A most qualified guide in the journey from darkness and turmoil towards inner peace and positivity.' That brings us to the second component of happiness, which is feeling anchored to the present. This means we don’t drift away into thoughts about the past or future, where we tend to get caught up in painful memories and anxiety-provoking uncertainties. For example, “I wish I hadn’t made that comment to my friend” or, “I wonder what she’ll say when I see her next.” Instead, we focus on the moment we’re experiencing. Our major problem is that we don’t recognize that awareness. We are lost in our thoughts and emotions; we’re lost in the clouds. Meditation helps us to connect with awareness, and it is not about getting rid of the thoughts, but about gaining a broader perspective. The fact that there is this part of the mind which can observe, suggests that our essence is freedom. And as we now know: freedom is happiness.

There are several misconceptions about meditation and mindfulness, which I hope this book will help to clarify. I had the good fortune to meet the author, Gelong Thubten, in person on several occassions during my time working at Google, where he gave meditation lessons and talks about awareness in the business context. This book is written in a style that is very easy to read and the guide to meditation is perfect for beginners. Gelong Thubten is a Buddhist monk, meditation teacher and author from the UK. He ordained as a monk 26 years ago at Samye Ling Tibetan Monastery in Scotland. He is regarded as one of the UK's most influential meditation teachers, with pioneering work in providing non-religious mindfulness programmes to businesses, hospitals, schools, universities, prisons and addiction counselling centres.The good thing is that these are all mental states, and that, consequently, all of them depend on you and you exclusively. No outside “things,” no circumstances you can’t control. So, perhaps, that is a great place to start—with a clear and profoundly thought-out answer to the question: “what is happiness?” More recently, I have read some books from modern day Lamas and dived into the higher teachings of Dzog Chen.

If there is one thing Gelong Thubten, a Buddhist monk from the UK, can’t understand, it is the extent to which the concept of happiness is misunderstood and misinterpreted by the majority of people. Getting an anchor to the present involves staying focused on the here and now. We don’t need to get caught up in past failures or future worries. A myth we have believed throughout our lives is that we have to “get” happiness, and if we can just get the external details of our lives right, we will be happy. This is not happiness, it is a form of enslavement. Everybody wants to feel good, so it’s no surprise that, nowadays, everyone attempts to sell this feeling. Thubten is able to explain meditation using clear language and an approach which really speaks to our modern tech-infused lives. With openness, humility and humour he delivers a deep message that will resonate in our modern culture. Compelling to read and full of profound wisdom, this book rationally describes how our mind functions and how we can cultivate the habit of happiness.

I love to reflect on the past so that I can learn from it. I also enjoy planning ahead for the future so I can use that knowledge to improve my life and the lives of those around me. Now, the reason that beginner-level meditation exercises start with anchors like the body and breath is that these are very immediate, noticeable things to focus on. But in theory, your anchor could be anything. With that in mind, you can start broadening your meditation practice by implementing mindful moments. Unhappiness involves a sense of incompleteness, which arises from desire and seeking happiness outside of ourselves.