The Buddhist Way

‘ From the very beginning of the Buddhist tradition, the reason people have practiced Buddhism has been through the desire to be happy. It is so simple that it almost sounds shocking. Religion is a serious thing and Buddhism is a very ancient, mystical religion, so one might think the purpose of practice is something much more amazing than that very simple wish. But it is not.

What Buddha discovered about the nature of mind and the world brought him freedom, understanding and complete contentment. He realised that if this understanding were made available to others who wanted to practise, it would allow them to find the same peace and happiness that he had found. That is what Buddhism is all about: going from a state of suffering, discontent and frustration to a state of happiness. Of course, along the way it means discovering that many of the things that we thought would bring us happiness or produce a state of peace are actually traps, because they only imprison us in further confusion and difficulties. Fundamentally however Buddhism is about attaining happiness. ‘

Lama Jampa Thaye, ‘Discovering the Causes of Happiness’