A practicing psychologist/psychotherapist interviews HH Dalai Lama for his opinion on elements of happiness. He tries to match the modern scientific interpretation of happiness with the spiritual master's understanding of the same subject. Human happiness is achieved through five attributes.
- The purpose of life
- Human warmth and compassion
- Transforming suffering into a positive outcome
- Overcoming obstacles like fear and anger
- Living a spiritual life
The last two are interesting as you realize the viewpoints of the scientist and the spiritual master do not quite match. While science emphasizes releasing or venting out fear and anger, the spiritual master focuses on forgetting and managing the bad influences from life. Lastly, the spiritual master distinguishes religion and spirituality. He thinks religion plays a significant role in a person's life, while the psychologist prefers the influence of a secular spiritual basis for an individual.
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