Mary Schiller pushes back on an Inc. article claiming monks are happier because of brain scans and meditation. She argues happiness is our natural state from birth, not something to achieve. The only thing blocking it is our habitual thinking, and noticing when you're thinking creates space for joy to surface.
I read a short article recently in Inc. magazine about happiness, and it was saying that one way to be happy is to meditate on compassion according to some Buddhist monks who do this. And supposedly, if you meditate on compassion, your brain will then show a lot of happiness activity, because apparently these monks have brains that are showing lots of happiness according to their scans. Now, I'm not exactly sure what kind of brain scan that is, But I can tell you this for sure: you don't have to meditate on compassion in order to be extraordinarily happy. And why is that? Because happiness is not a state of being that you have to work hard to get to. It's not something you have to create or chase or try to bring into your life in some way. Happiness and joy are our natural state. They are a reflection of our innate mental health and well-being. We are born in a state of joy, and we have it forever. And the only reason we don't feel it more often is because sometimes we've got thinking going on that we're listening to that tells us otherwise. Human beings think. That's just the way we are. But sometimes that thinking can slow down when we see that that's what's going on. And when that thinking slows down, and gives us some space, we're back in our natural state of joy and happiness. There's nothing we have to do except see that we think. Isn't it a relief to know that you don't have to become a monk who meditates on compassion in order to feel happy? And I'll tell you this, No monk is happier than you are.
