Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill

by Matthieu Ricard

the material conditions of life in the developed countries are generally excellent. On the other hand, it is eminently fragile.

Buddhism teaches various ways of making this “familiarization” work. The three principal ways are antidotes, liberation, and utilization. The first consists of applying a specific antidote to each negative emotion. The second allows us to unravel, or “liberate,” the emotion by looking straight at it and letting it dissolve as it arises. The third uses the raw power of emotion as a catalyst for inner change.

All share a common aspect and the same goal: to help us stop being victims of conflicting emotions.

“One movement precludes the other; when you extend a friendly hand, you cannot make a fist.”

The more salt water we drink, the thirstier we become.

We reach the point of wanting without liking.

He has since developed an interactive CD that teaches this skill to anyone in a few hours.