In short: the Buddha taught that happiness grows from how we live: ethics brings freedom from regret, which brings joy and calm (AN 10.2); good deeds are "a term for happiness" (Iti 22); and the deepest happiness is the peace of a mind free of greed, hate and delusion.
The Buddha called his teaching the way to the highest happiness. These pages show what he meant, from everyday contentment to deep peace.
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- Dhammapada Chapter 15: Happiness (Sukhavagga) in Pāli and English
Dhammapada chapter 15, Happiness (Sukhavagga), verses 197 to 208, in Pāli and English, translated by Bhikkhu Sujato. Living happily without … - No Need to Wish: How Good Things Follow Virtue (AN 10.2)
'An ethical person need not make a wish: May I have no regrets!' (AN 10.2). How one good quality naturally leads to the next, from ethics to… - Don't Fear Good Deeds (Iti 22): Merit Means Happiness
'Mendicants, don't fear good deeds. For good deeds is a term for happiness' (Iti 22). The Buddha on merit, happiness and the long-lasting re…
In the Buddha's words
- From Suffering to Freedom: The Path of Joy (SN 12.23)
The Buddha's 'positive' chain of dependent origination (SN 12.23): suffering leads to faith, faith to joy, joy to rapture, tranquillity, bli… - Four Kinds of Happiness for Lay People (AN 4.62)
The four kinds of happiness the Buddha named for householders (AN 4.62): the happiness of ownership, of using wealth, of being debt-free, an… - Mangala Sutta in Pāli and English: The Buddha's Discourse on Blessings
The complete Mangala Sutta (also spelled Mingala or Maṅgala Sutta, Snp 2.4), the Discourse on Blessings, verse by verse in Pāli and English:… - 'I Sleep Well': The Buddha on Sleeping at Ease (AN 3.35)
On a freezing winter night, on a thin mat of leaves, the Buddha said 'I slept well'. Why, in his own words (AN 3.35): a mind free of greed, … - Love Outshines All Merit (Iti 27): Like the Moon Among Stars
'Of all the grounds for making worldly merit, none are worth a sixteenth part of the heart's release by love' (Iti 27). The Buddha's praise …
Practices
- Gratitude in Buddhism: What the Buddha Taught About Being Thankful
What the early Buddhist texts say about gratitude (kataññutā): why the grateful person is rare, why parents can never be fully repaid, grati… - Metta Meditation: Phrases, a 5-Minute Script and the Original Words
A simple metta (loving-kindness) meditation: the classic phrases, a 5-minute script you can follow today, and the original words from the Bu…
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