Happiness is all in your mind: Gen Kelsang Nyema at TEDxGreenville 2014

Simple, profound truths are the realm of this Buddhist nun. Her message? The gift of happiness truly lies within our own hearts and minds. Gen Kelsang Nyema, exuding a peacefulness that immediately connects with the audience, starts by asking three questions: Are you having a good day? Why? Tomorrow, would you rather have a good day or a bad day? She teaches that we cannot put our happiness at the whim of other people and of circumstances. If we want to be happy, we have to "stop outsourcing our happiness to other people" and cultivate a source of inner peace. What happens next is quite astounding. The whole crowd of 350+ people proceeds to meditate with Nyema. There's a little squirming at first, but as she leads the audience through a calm citation of how to rest the mind, audience members feel a collective relaxation flow into the room and through the people. Fascinating! Refreshing.



Points to note

1. Need to stop outsourcing our happiness.

2. Actively cultivate a source of peace and happiness from inside.

3. Happiness and unhappiness are both states of mind, therefore, their real cause can't be found outside the mind.

It is not what happens to us but how we react to it that creates happiness and unhappiness.