The habits of happiness | Matthieu Ricard

Summary

The speaker shares insights from his journey from molecular biology to becoming a meditator in the Himalayas. He contrasts the fleeting nature of pleasure with the enduring sense of well-being, emphasizing the importance of inner conditions over external circumstances for true happiness. Highlighting scientific studies on brain plasticity and mind training, he argues that cultivating qualities like compassion can lead to profound mental transformation. Through humor and vivid anecdotes, he underscores the value of meditation and inner development in achieving lasting happiness and fulfillment.

Takeaways

• 🌍 Globalization has led to the widespread reach of products like Coca-Cola and diverse cultural presences like Buddhist monks in unexpected places.
• 🗻 The speaker has recently traveled from the Himalayas and invites the audience to experience the serenity and beauty of the mountains.
• 😀 Happiness is often misunderstood; while many think it lies in pleasure, true well-being is a deep sense of serenity and fulfillment that persists through all emotional states.
• 🤔 French intellectuals often dismiss the pursuit of happiness, preferring passion and the highs and lows of life.
• 🌊 The speaker compares happiness to the depth of the ocean, which remains unchanged despite the surface waves of emotions.
• 🔍 True well-being comes from inner conditions, not external ones. Changing the mind's perception can lead to lasting happiness.
• 🧘‍♂️ Negative emotions like anger and jealousy are detrimental to well-being, while positive states like loving-kindness and generosity enhance it.
• 🧠 The brain is capable of change and improvement through mind training, as demonstrated by experienced meditators.
• 🔬 Scientific studies have shown that meditation can significantly alter brain activity, increasing positive emotional states and resilience.
• 🙏 Mind training and compassion in action can transform lives, leading to greater happiness and well-being, as evidenced by humanitarian efforts in Tibet.

Q & A

What is the speaker's main argument about happiness?

The speaker argues that happiness is not just a pleasurable sensation but a deep sense of serenity and fulfillment that pervades all emotional states and underlies both joys and sorrows.

How does the speaker differentiate between happiness and pleasure?

The speaker differentiates between happiness and pleasure by stating that pleasure is contingent upon time, object, and place, and changes in nature. Happiness, or well-being, is a deep and lasting state of being that underlies all emotional states.

What metaphor does the speaker use to explain the depth of well-being?

The speaker uses the metaphor of the ocean to explain the depth of well-being. While the surface of the ocean may experience waves and storms, the depth remains calm and unchanged, representing a state of being that underlies all emotional states.

What is mind training, according to the speaker?

Mind training involves familiarizing oneself with new ways of being and perceiving things, which is more aligned with reality and interdependence. It includes cultivating positive mental states and antidotes to destructive emotions through meditation and practice.

How does the speaker describe the nature of consciousness?

The speaker describes consciousness as a mirror that allows all images to arise on it, but is not tainted or altered by those images. This pure awareness is the basic fabric of consciousness and provides the ground for the possibility of mind training and transformation.

What scientific findings does the speaker mention regarding the brain and meditation?

The speaker mentions that scientific studies have found that the brain exhibits plasticity and can change significantly with practice, such as meditation. Meditators who have practiced for many hours show significant changes in brain activity, particularly in areas associated with positive affect and altruism.

What is the significance of the difference between the right and left prefrontal cortex in relation to happiness?

The right prefrontal cortex is associated with depression and withdrawal, while the left prefrontal cortex is linked to positive affect, altruism, and curiosity. Increased activity in the left prefrontal cortex correlates with greater happiness and well-being.

How does the speaker propose dealing with negative emotions?

The speaker proposes dealing with negative emotions by cultivating their opposites (e.g., compassion for anger) and by looking inward to dissolve the emotions by understanding their transient nature, thus reducing their impact over time.

What role does compassion play in the speaker's concept of happiness?

Compassion plays a central role in the speaker's concept of happiness, as it leads to inner peace, fulfillment, and a sense of connection with others. Cultivating compassion is seen as essential for transforming the mind and achieving lasting well-being.

Why does the speaker emphasize the importance of mind training in achieving happiness?

The speaker emphasizes mind training because it determines the quality of our experiences and is essential for cultivating lasting happiness and well-being. Unlike external conditions, which are temporary and limited, mind training can lead to profound inner transformation and resilience.

Outlines

00:00

🌍 The Impact of Globalization and Personal Experiences

The speaker discusses the ubiquitous presence of Coca-Cola and Buddhist monks as symbols of globalization, sharing personal anecdotes from the Himalayas. They recount their journey from a molecular biologist to a meditator in the mountains and reflect on the experiences and images from Eastern Tibet, humorously touching on cultural differences and the simplicity of life in the Himalayas.

05:04

😊 Defining Happiness: East vs. West

The speaker contrasts French intellectuals' view on happiness with the universal desire for well-being, citing Pascal. They discuss various definitions of happiness, emphasizing that it is a deep, underlying state rather than fleeting pleasure. Happiness is compared to the depth of the ocean, unchanging beneath the surface turmoil, highlighting the difference between true well-being and temporary pleasure.

10:09

💡 Inner Conditions for Happiness and Mind Training

The speaker explores the concept of happiness through inner conditions rather than external circumstances. They argue that anger, hatred, and jealousy are detrimental to well-being, while selfless acts bring a sense of fulfillment. The possibility of mind transformation and the inherent pure nature of consciousness are discussed, along with the idea that emotions are fleeting and can be managed through mind training, ultimately leading to a more stable state of happiness.

15:09

🧠 The Science of Brain Plasticity and Meditation

The speaker delves into the scientific understanding of brain plasticity, explaining how the brain can change with practices like meditation. They cite studies on meditators who have undergone extensive training, demonstrating significant changes in brain activity related to compassion and emotional control. The importance of mind training is emphasized, suggesting it is essential for improving the quality of life and aligning with reality.

20:09

❤️ Compassion in Action: Real-Life Impacts

The speaker highlights the practical application of compassion through various humanitarian efforts in Tibet, sharing success stories of individuals whose lives were transformed. They stress the importance of compassion in daily life and how it can bring profound happiness, ending with a light-hearted mention of 'jumping monks' and a thank you to the audience.

Keywords

💡Globalization

Globalization refers to the process of interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide. In the script, it is exemplified by the presence of Coca-Cola tins on Everest and a Buddhist monk in Monterey, highlighting how cultural and commercial exchanges have become ubiquitous.

💡Meditation

Meditation is a practice where an individual uses a technique to focus their mind on a particular object, thought, or activity to achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm state. The speaker, who transitioned from being a molecular biologist to a meditator in the Himalayas, discusses the benefits and the profound sense of well-being it brings.

💡Happiness

Happiness in the context of the video is described as a deep sense of serenity and fulfillment, rather than just a pleasurable sensation. The speaker contrasts this with pleasure, which is fleeting and dependent on external factors. The discussion emphasizes the importance of inner conditions for true happiness.

💡Well-being

Well-being refers to a state of comfort, health, or happiness. The speaker describes it as a profound sense of serenity and fulfillment that pervades all emotional states, and explains how it differs from temporary pleasures. Well-being is achieved through inner mental states rather than external circumstances.

💡Mind training

Mind training involves practices aimed at transforming one's mind and emotions. The speaker discusses how meditation and other techniques can change emotional responses and enhance qualities like compassion and patience. This training is essential for achieving well-being and happiness.

💡Compassion

Compassion is a deep awareness of the suffering of another coupled with the wish to relieve it. The speaker highlights studies on meditators who practiced unconditional compassion, showing significant changes in brain activity. Compassion is presented as a key aspect of mind training and well-being.

💡Pleasure

Pleasure is a feeling of happy satisfaction and enjoyment. The speaker distinguishes pleasure from happiness, noting that pleasure is contingent upon time, place, and object, and is often fleeting. For example, the initial enjoyment of a chocolate cake diminishes with repeated consumption.

💡Inner conditions

Inner conditions refer to the mental and emotional states that influence our sense of well-being. The speaker argues that these inner conditions are more significant in determining happiness than external circumstances. Examples include states of mind like anger, jealousy, and generosity.

💡Emotional response

Emotional response is how one reacts emotionally to various stimuli or events. The speaker discusses studies showing that trained meditators can control their emotional responses more effectively, such as not reacting to sudden loud noises. This control is part of the benefits of mind training.

💡Brain plasticity

Brain plasticity, or neuroplasticity, is the brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. The speaker mentions that meditation can enhance brain plasticity, leading to changes in areas associated with qualities like compassion and emotional regulation.

Highlights

Globalization has led to finding Coca-Cola tins on top of Everest and a Buddhist monk in Monterey.

The speaker transitioned from being a molecular biologist at the Pasteur Institute to a meditator in the Himalayas.

Happiness or well-being is a deep sense of serenity and fulfillment that underlies all emotional states.

Happiness is often confused with pleasure, which is contingent upon time, object, and place.

Inner conditions are stronger determinants of happiness than outer conditions.

Negative emotions like anger, hatred, and jealousy are detrimental to well-being, while selfless generosity fosters a sense of adequacy with our deep nature.

Mind training and meditation can transform negative emotions and foster positive mental states.

The primary quality of consciousness is pure awareness, which allows for the possibility of change.

Two opposite mental factors cannot happen simultaneously, providing a basis for mind training.

Mind training involves looking inward at negative emotions, which dissolve like mist under the morning sun.

Meditators can significantly alter their brain activity, enhancing qualities like compassion and emotional control.

Mind training is essential and can significantly impact the quality of life, more than physical fitness or outer achievements.

Scientific studies show that long-term meditators can have extraordinary control over their emotional responses.

Compassion should be put into action, as demonstrated by the work done in Tibet to help those in need.

The visual beauty and joy seen in the faces of Tibetan monks and children highlight the essence of happiness more than words can describe.

Transcripts

So, I guess it is a result of globalization

that you can find Coca-Cola tins on top of Everest

and a Buddhist monk in Monterey.

(Laughter)

And so I just came, two days ago, from the Himalayas

to your kind invitation.

So I would like to invite you, also, for a while, to the Himalayas themselves.

And to show the place where meditators, like me,

who began with being a molecular biologist in Pasteur Institute,

and found their way to the mountains.

So these are a few images I was lucky to take and be there.

There's Mount Kailash in Eastern Tibet -- wonderful setting.

This is from Marlboro country.

(Laughter)

This is a turquoise lake.

A meditator.

This is the hottest day of the year somewhere in Eastern Tibet, on August 1.

And the night before, we camped, and my Tibetan friends said,

"We are going to sleep outside."

And I said, "Why? We have enough space in the tent."

They said, "Yes, but it's summertime."

(Laughter)

So now, we are going to speak of happiness.

As a Frenchman, I must say

that there are a lot of French intellectuals

that think happiness is not at all interesting.

(Laughter)

I just wrote an essay on happiness, and there was a controversy.

And someone wrote an article saying,

"Don't impose on us the dirty work of happiness."

(Laughter)

"We don't care about being happy. We need to live with passion.

We like the ups and downs of life.

We like our suffering because it's so good when it ceases for a while."

(Laughter)

This is what I see from the balcony of my hermitage in the Himalayas.

It's about two meters by three, and you are all welcome any time.

(Laughter)

Now, let's come to happiness or well-being.

And first of all, you know, despite what the French intellectuals say,

it seems that no one wakes up in the morning thinking,

"May I suffer the whole day?"

(Laughter)

Which means that somehow, consciously or not,

directly or indirectly, in the short or the long term,

whatever we do, whatever we hope, whatever we dream --

somehow, is related to a deep, profound desire for well-being or happiness.

As Pascal said, even the one who hangs himself,

somehow, is looking for cessation of suffering.

He finds no other way.

But then, if you look in the literature, East and West,

you can find incredible diversity of definition of happiness.

Some people say, I only believed in remembering the past,

imagining the future, never the present.

Some people say happiness is right now;

it's the quality of the freshness of the present moment.

And that led Henri Bergson, the French philosopher, to say,

"All the great thinkers of humanity have left happiness in the vague

so that each of them could define their own terms."

Well, that would be fine if it was just a secondary preoccupation in life.

But now, if it is something that is going to determine

the quality of every instant of our life,

then we better know what it is, have some clearer idea.

And probably, the fact that we don't know that is why, so often,

although we seek happiness, it seems we turn our back to it.

Although we want to avoid suffering,

it seems we are running somewhat towards it.

And that can also come from some kind of confusions.

One of the most common ones is happiness and pleasure.

But if you look at the characteristics of those two,

pleasure is contingent upon time, upon its object,

upon the place.

It is something that -- changes of nature.

Beautiful chocolate cake: first serving is delicious,

second one not so much, then we feel disgust.

(Laughter)

That's the nature of things.

We get tired.

I used to be a fan of Bach.

I used to play it on the guitar, you know.

I can hear it two, three, five times.

If I had to hear it 24 hours, non-stop, it might be very tiring.

If you are feeling very cold, you come near a fire, it's so wonderful.

After some moments, you just go a little back,

and then it starts burning.

It sort of uses itself as you experience it.

And also, again, it can -- also, it's something that you --

it is not something that is radiating outside.

Like, you can feel intense pleasure

and some others around you can be suffering a lot.

Now, what, then, will be happiness?

And happiness, of course, is such a vague word, so let's say well-being.

And so, I think the best definition, according to the Buddhist view,

is that well-being is not just a mere pleasurable sensation.

It is a deep sense of serenity and fulfillment.

A state that actually pervades

and underlies all emotional states,

and all the joys and sorrows that can come one's way.

For you, that might be surprising.

Can we have this kind of well-being while being sad?

In a way, why not?

Because we are speaking of a different level.

Look at the waves coming near the shore.

When you are at the bottom of the wave, you hit the bottom.

You hit the solid rock.

When you are surfing on the top, you are all elated.

So you go from elation to depression -- there's no depth.

Now, if you look at the high sea,

there might be beautiful, calm ocean, like a mirror.

There might be storms,

but the depth of the ocean is still there, unchanged.

So now, how is that?

It can only be a state of being, not just a fleeting emotion, sensation.

Even joy -- that can be the spring of happiness.

But there's also wicked joy, you can rejoice in someone's suffering.

So how do we proceed in our quest for happiness?

Very often, we look outside.

We think that if we could gather this and that, all the conditions,

something that we say, "Everything to be happy --

to have everything to be happy."

That very sentence already reveals the doom, destruction of happiness.

To have everything.

If we miss something, it collapses.

And also, when things go wrong, we try to fix the outside so much,

but our control of the outer world is limited,

temporary, and often, illusory.

So now, look at inner conditions.

Aren't they stronger?

Isn't it the mind that translates

the outer condition into happiness and suffering?

And isn't that stronger?

We know, by experience,

that we can be what we call "a little paradise,"

and yet, be completely unhappy within.

The Dalai Lama was once in Portugal,

and there was a lot of construction going on everywhere.

So one evening, he said, "Look, you are doing all these things,

but isn't it nice, also, to build something within?"

And he said, "[Without] that -- even if you get a high-tech flat

on the 100th floor of a super-modern and comfortable building,

if you are deeply unhappy within,

all you are going to look for is a window from which to jump."

So now, at the opposite,

we know a lot of people who, in very difficult circumstances,

manage to keep serenity, inner strength, inner freedom, confidence.

So now, if the inner conditions are stronger --

of course, the outer conditions do influence,

and it's wonderful to live longer, healthier,

to have access to information, education,

to be able to travel, to have freedom.

It's highly desirable.

However, this is not enough.

Those are just auxiliary, help conditions.

The experience that translates everything is within the mind.

So then, when we ask oneself

how to nurture the condition for happiness,

the inner conditions, and which are those which will undermine happiness.

So then, this just needs to have some experience.

We have to know from ourselves, there are certain states of mind

that are conducive to this flourishing, to this well-being,

what the Greeks called eudaimonia, flourishing.

There are some which are adverse to this well-being.

And so, if we look from our own experience,

anger, hatred, jealousy, arrogance,

obsessive desire, strong grasping,

they don't leave us in such a good state after we have experienced it.

And also, they are detrimental to others' happiness.

So we may consider that the more those are invading our mind,

and, like a chain reaction,

the more we feel miserable, we feel tormented.

At the opposite, everyone knows deep within

that an act of selfless generosity,

if from the distance, without anyone knowing anything about it,

we could save a child's life, make someone happy.

We don't need the recognition. We don't need any gratitude.

Just the mere fact of doing that

fills such a sense of adequation with our deep nature.

And we would like to be like that all the time.

So is that possible,

to change our way of being, to transform one's mind?

Aren't those negative emotions, or destructive emotions,

inherent to the nature of mind?

Is change possible in our emotions, in our traits, in our moods?

For that we have to ask, what is the nature of mind?

And if we look from the experiential point of view,

there is a primary quality of consciousness

that's just the mere fact to be cognitive, to be aware.

Consciousness is like a mirror that allows all images to rise on it.

You can have ugly faces, beautiful faces in the mirror.

The mirror allows that, but the mirror is not tainted,

is not modified, is not altered by those images.

Likewise, behind every single thought

there is the bare consciousness, pure awareness.

This is the nature.

It cannot be tainted intrinsically with hatred or jealousy because then,

if it was always there --

like a dye that would permeate the whole cloth --

then it would be found all the time, somewhere.

We know we're not always angry, always jealous, always generous.

So, because the basic fabric of consciousness

is this pure cognitive quality that differentiates it from a stone,

there is a possibility for change because all emotions are fleeting.

That is the ground for mind training.

Mind training is based on the idea that two opposite mental factors

cannot happen at the same time.

You could go from love to hate.

But you cannot, at the same time, toward the same object,

the same person, want to harm and want to do good.

You cannot, in the same gesture, shake hand and give a blow.

So, there are natural antidotes to emotions

that are destructive to our inner well-being.

So that's the way to proceed.

Rejoicing compared to jealousy.

A kind of sense of inner freedom

as opposite to intense grasping and obsession.

Benevolence, loving kindness against hatred.

But, of course, each emotion then would need a particular antidote.

Another way is to try to find a general antidote to all emotions,

and that's by looking at the very nature.

Usually, when we feel annoyed, hatred or upset with someone,

or obsessed with something,

the mind goes again and again to that object.

Each time it goes to the object,

it reinforces that obsession or that annoyance.

So then, it's a self-perpetuating process.

So what we need to look for now is,

instead of looking outward, we look inward.

Look at anger itself.

It looks very menacing,

like a billowing monsoon cloud or thunderstorm.

We think we could sit on the cloud,

but if you go there, it's just mist.

Likewise, if you look at the thought of anger,

it will vanish like frost under the morning sun.

If you do this again and again, the propensity,

the tendencies for anger to arise again

will be less and less each time you dissolve it.

And, at the end, although it may rise,

it will just cross the mind,

like a bird crossing the sky without leaving any track.

So this is the principal of mind training.

Now, it takes time,

because it took time for all those faults in our mind, the tendencies, to build up,

so it will take time to unfold them as well.

But that's the only way to go.

Mind transformation -- that is the very meaning of meditation.

It means familiarization with a new way of being,

new way of perceiving things,

which is more in adequation with reality,

with interdependence, with the stream and continuous transformation,

which our being and our consciousness is.

So, the interface with cognitive science,

since we need to come to that, it was, I suppose, the subject of --

we have to deal in such a short time -- with brain plasticity.

The brain was thought to be more or less fixed.

All the nominal connections, in numbers and quantities,

were thought, until the last 20 years,

to be more or less fixed when we reached adult age.

Now, recently, it has been found that it can change a lot.

A violinist, as we heard, who has done 10,000 hours of violin practice,

some area that controls the movements of fingers in the brain changes a lot,

increasing reinforcement of the synaptic connections.

So can we do that with human qualities?

With loving kindness, with patience, with openness?

So that's what those great meditators have been doing.

Some of them who came to the labs,

like in Madison, Wisconsin, or in Berkeley,

did 20 to 40,000 hours of meditation.

They do, like, three years' retreat, where they do meditate 12 hours a day.

And then, the rest of their life, they will do three or four hours a day.

They are real Olympic champions of mind training.

(Laughter)

This is the place where the meditators -- you can see it's kind of inspiring.

Now, here with 256 electrodes.

(Laughter)

So what did they find?

Of course, same thing.

The scientific embargo --

a paper has been submitted to "Nature," hopefully, it will be accepted.

It deals with the state of compassion, unconditional compassion.

We asked meditators, who have been doing that for years and years,

to put their mind in a state where there's nothing but loving kindness,

total availability to sentient being.

Of course, during the training, we do that with objects.

We think of people suffering, of people we love,

but at some point, it can be a state which is all pervading.

Here is the preliminary result,

which I can show because it's already been shown.

The bell curve shows 150 controls,

and what is being looked at

is the difference between the right and the left frontal lobe.

In very short, people who have more activity

in the right side of the prefrontal cortex

are more depressed, withdrawn.

They don't describe a lot of positive affect.

It's the opposite on the left side:

more tendency to altruism,

to happiness, to express, and curiosity and so forth.

So there's a basic line for people. And also, it can be changed.

If you see a comic movie, you go off to the left side.

If you are happy about something, you'll go more to the left side.

If you have a bout of depression, you'll go to the right side.

Here, the -0.5 is the full standard deviation

of a meditator who meditated on compassion.

It's something that is totally out of the bell curve.

So, I've no time to go into all the different scientific results.

Hopefully, they will come.

But they found that -- this is after three and a half hours

in an fMRI,

it's like coming out of a space ship.

Also, it has been shown in other labs --

for instance, Paul Ekman's labs in Berkeley --

that some meditators are able, also,

to control their emotional response more than it could be thought.

Like the startle experiments, for example.

If you sit a guy on a chair

with all this apparatus measuring your physiology,

and there's kind of a bomb that goes off,

it's such an instinctive response that,

in 20 years, they never saw anyone who would not jump.

Some meditators, without trying to stop it,

but simply by being completely open,

thinking that that bang is just going to be a small event like a shooting star,

they are able not to move at all.

So the whole point of that is not, sort of, to make, like,

a circus thing of showing exceptional beings who can jump, or whatever.

It's more to say that mind training matters.

That this is not just a luxury.

This is not a supplementary vitamin for the soul.

This is something that's going to determine

the quality of every instant of our lives.

We are ready to spend 15 years achieving education.

We love to do jogging, fitness.

We do all kinds of things to remain beautiful.

Yet, we spend surprisingly little time taking care of what matters most --

the way our mind functions --

which, again, is the ultimate thing

that determines the quality of our experience.

Now, compassion is supposed to be put in action.

That's what we try to do in different places.

Just this one example is worth a lot of work.

This lady with bone TB, left alone in a tent,

was going to die with her only daughter.

One year later, how she is.

Different schools and clinics we've been doing in Tibet.

And just, I leave you with the beauty of those looks

that tells more about happiness than I could ever say.

(Laughter)

And jumping monks of Tibet.

(Laughter)

Flying monks.

Thank you very much.