Meditating for Happiness

BlackFlag

I've been thinking a lot about this recently: Why meditate?

I'm a very depressed person. I have bipolar disorder as well as social anxiety disorder. Lately though, I have not been depressed and I would say a big reason for this is because I meditate and I study buddhism.

Let's break this down.

1. I agree with the four noble truths.

2. I wish to follow the eight fold path.

3. I love to meditate.

4. I love and accept the precepts.

But I'd have to say the primary reason I meditate is to gain happines.

But can meditating and practicing buddhism for the specific goal of Happiness be the "right way"? Does it matter?\\

I think to some people who read this might be like "Duh" but I read a book called "What makes you (not) a buddhist" and one of the things they said is all emotion is pain.

If that is true, then does that mean I have to let go of my attachment to happiness as well?

Please discuss.

TheJourney

I don't think happiness is pain. It's "pain" in the sense that it's not the ultimate, but it's certainly preferable to actual pain.

As for your motivation, it depends on what your goal is. If you're goal is to free yourself from the endless cycle of birth and death than your motivation shouldn't be temporary happiness. If that's not your motivation, does it reall matter what your motivationn is? Hell, does it really matter if you follow buddhism? I'm not saying you shouldn't aspire for enlightenment, i'm just saying if you're not there yet. And even if you are, you can't help your motivation. Better to meditate with a less than perfect motive than to not meditate at all.

ShiftPlusOne

Well I see it this way... happiness is what's left when you take away the pain. When you are not worrying about the past or the future and when there are no 'problems', you tend to be happy. It's not temporary, it's just what is there always, but hindered. When you meditate, you learn to be in the present and you learn not to worry. Naturally, it makes you happy.

I think I've sent you an article a while back about how exactly meditation brings about happiness and how it's permanent, rather than temporary.

I don't think there's anything wrong with that at all.

qoheleth

I remember a dharma talk Thanissaro Bhikkhu gave during which he insisted that Buddhists are people who take their happiness seriously, (because they are willing to forego all inferior kinds of passing happiness, the kinds that perpetuate suffering in one way or another, for true happiness).