The Art of Happiness 2007

8/14/2019 The Art of Happiness 2007

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-art-of-happiness-2007 1/21

The Art of Happiness2007 Created By:

betsisanders



IntroductionI achieve a calm spirit through painting.Suffering & pain disappear during thesetranquil moments. The absence of suffering ishappiness. My simple works of art reflect myhappy soul.

Meditation is a familiarization with anew way of being. Painting, like meditation,gives me a renewed sense of being. Meditation isan integral part of Buddhist Philosophy, the

purpose of which is to attain happiness. Ipresent to you“The Art of Happiness2007”3 rd Digital Art Exhibit



BuddhismBuddhism is a philosophy that is 2500 years old and

has 300 million followers . The name Buddhismcomes from the word “budhi” which means “to wakup”, therefore it is“ the philosophy of awakening”.

(“philo” means love; “sophia” means wisdom)It is also “love of wisdom” or “love & wisdom”.This supreme philosophy , represented by the Buddhis the awakening of love & wisdom within us!



The BuddhaA statue of the Buddha,with hands that rest gentlyon its lap and itscompassionate smile,

reminds us to strive todevelop peace and lovewithin ourselves.

The statue representshuman perfection!



Three Main Divisions ofReligious Buddhism

The Theravada, known as the Southern appreciation oteachings, Ceylon.

The Mahayana, the most widespread, appearing in

Mongolia, China, Tibet, Vietnam, Japan & AustraliZen Buddhism, spread from India to China, then toJapan, USA & Australia. Considered part of theMahayana tradition.







Zen GardenHappiness is found in thisgarden; it‘s on the greengrass that wraps theearth’s soil; it’s on theclouds that hug the sereneblue skies; it’s on the

calm water that embracesthe koi on the pond; it’son the cool wind thatpats the leaves andbranches of the trees.

A Zen garden ….a happy place to be.



Dukha… sufferingDukha means lacking in lasting

satisfaction. Birth, old age,death, association with

unpleasant persons &conditions, separation fromloved ones & pleasantconditions, not getting what onedesires, grief, all forms ofsuffering are part of dukha.

Dukha is what existence is all about

and we all find ways to handleit with the least possible trauma.This search is called

“the pursuit of happiness”.



death & dyingDeath cannot be an end. There

are no ‘ends’ in Buddhism.Death is the prelude to rebirth

or reincarnation.Buddhists create as little bad

Karma as possible and domuch good Karma as possible.For them, one need notdespair physical death, one’s

own or others’… becausenothing lasts forever.Enjoy the NOW and accept that

it will soon change.



anger&

hatred

Anger is part of hatred & causes suffering to ourselveseats into us – mentally & physically. No one can bejoyful or kind while being angry.

Buddhists learn to take charge of their emotions & lea

not to blame others for their emotional responses.Buddhists see others as suffering sentient beings likthemselves. They let go of all their resentments andforgive.

Forgiveness does not require personal contact with ththat have hurt you. They may not have changed andremain in any relationship with them could only be

detrimental.Buddhists ignore and forget the situations that may caanger & hatred, instead, they try to understand.

One moment of anger destroys years of patience.



anger & hatred, like fire. . . must be extinguished aftehas served its purpose or it will burn everything,

and turn our whole life into an inferno, a living hell



words I try to live by“Forgiveness is thanking those who have hurt me, for giving

bad experiences in my life, because of them I am a strongbetter person, more caring, more giving & more thoughtfupeople I love.”

“Regardless of what has happened in the past, I begin my lifeagain & again. If I fail to be kind or nice in the past, I startover. If I fail to be happy, I try again.”

“By loving myself first, I attracted people who loved me bacbetsisanders



friendship & happinessTrue and lasting happinessdoes not depend on themultitude of friends, buton their worth.

We choose our friendsand companions, not for

what they possess, but fortheir conviction & theircommitment to love us.

I am most happy when Iam with a few of these truefriends, whom I love dearly…… and love me back.



HappinessSociologists define happiness as “the degree to which a person

the overall quality of his present life-as-a-whole positively.

Simply, it is how much the person likes the life he or she leadHappiness is a skill that helps one endure life’s ups and downsHappiness is a deep sense of flourishing that arises from an

exceptionally healthy mind. It is not a mere pleasurable feelia fleeting emotion, or a mood, but an optimal sense of being.Happiness is a way of interpreting the world, since while it is

difficult to change the world, it is always possible to change way we look at it.

(taken from Happiness, by Matthieu Ricard)



Blue Seascapes, calm, serene,tranquil… a place where Ialways want to be. Listen tothe sounds of the wind andthe sea, smell the oceanbreeze and feel its coolnesson your skin. A perfectplace to relax, meditate, freeour minds from all negativethoughts and get away fromthe noise of the city, freefrom suffering and pain…makes one happy just to be.





Special thanks to …My favorite books:>The Naked Buddha, by Venerable Addrienne Howl>The Language of Happiness, edited by Susan P. Sch

>Happiness, by Matthieu RicardMy Art Teacher, Mr. Fernando B. Sena;My dearest husband, Boyet & loving son, Alvin;

Family & friends who love me.betsisanders 07





My work is my Happiness andI work towards Happiness

The happiest people on earth are thosewho love their work. If you lovewhat you do, then you don’tconsider it as work.

I love to paint, I love to cook & Ilove to bake. I try to do all these

everyday of my life. At the end ofthe day, I don’t feel tired,instead, I feel complete, fulfilledand happy.

My work is my happiness & I worktowards the pursuit of happiness.

betsisanders



A few

last words

We search for true happiness & spend our entire lives trying to fi it. Sometimes, our lives end and we seem to never have found tr happiness. Maybe we seek too much.

“When someone seeks, it can easily happen that his eyes only see thing he is seeking and that he is incapable of finding anything, incapable of taking anything in, because he is always only thin about what he is seeking, because he has an object, a goal, but f means being free, open, having no goal… there is much you fai see that is right before your eyes.” (Siddhartha)

Our lives are full of happy moments, happy times, happy people, h events, yet, we still seek for happiness, when it is right there in of us. A kiss, a hug, an embrace from your loved one. A smile giggle, a big laugh with a friend. A comforting word from your mom. A pat from your dad. A quiet afternoon. A sunny day. A rainy weekend. All these give us happiness.

I strive to be happy and see happiness around me. If I fail today, I again tomorrow. My life begins again and again. betsisanders

Documents

The Art of Happiness 2007