The Art of Happiness

with respect to one’s own mental states,especially one’s emotions and moods. With thesepractices you can lay a strong foundation withinyou, a kind of anchor that provides a true innerhome. This is the basis of true inner happiness, agenuine wellspring of joy. Researchers oftenwonder about the causal sequence betweencompassion and happiness. They ask: Is it thecase that compassionate people are happier orare happy people more compassionate? On apractical level, I suppose, which comes first doesnot really matter. What matters is that we cancultivate both. In my own Buddhist tradition,numerous mental trainings are offered tosystematically cultivate greater compassion andwell-being. Today, with new insights from thefield of neuroscience, especially with thediscovery of brain plasticity, we know that the