The Cause of Happiness
In this short teaching, Mingyur Rinpoche talks about his experience at the Mind and Life Institute's Compassion and Economic Systems conference, where he learned of scientific findings that confirmed the Buddhist understanding that the quickest route to happiness is to help others.
Download a transcript The Cause of Happiness [pdf]
Reflection Questions
What experiences do you have with the relationship between helping others and happiness?
Have you experienced this in your own life?
How might helping others undermine the causes of suffering?
Join the discussion.
- Welcome
- May 2022 Meditating with Emotions
- April 2022 The Difference between Awareness and Mindfulness
- March 2022 How to Do Meditation while Working
- February 2022 Can Meditation Be Dangerous?
- January 2022 How Meditation Helps You Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions
- December 2021 Bringing Awareness into the Holiday Season
- November 2021 How Meditation Changes the Brain
- October 2021 How to do Walking Meditation
- September 2021 Can Meditation Make You Feel Worse?
- August 2021 The Story of Shantideva
- July 2021 Compassionate Wisdom
- June 2021 Find Your Inner Strength
- May 2021 Meditating with Pain
- April 2021 Pizza Meditation
- March 2021 Understanding the Monkey Mind
- February 2021 Befriending Panic
- January 2021 The Sense of Self
- December 2020 Meditate by Letting Your Mind Be As It Is
- November 2020 Meditating in Everyday Life
- October 2020 Basic Goodness and Joy: View
- September 2020 The Three Wisdoms
- August 2020 Basic Goodness and Compassion: View
- July 2020 What is Dzogchen?
- June 2020 Love for Oneself
- May 2020 Love for All Beings
- April 2020 Preparing for Death
- March 2020 The Four Liberations
- February 2020 Meditating with Sleep and Sleepiness
- January 2020 Vajra Recitation
- December 2019 Meditation Habit
- November 2019 Bardo and Nature of Mind
- October 2019 Be Natural
- September 2019 Recognizing Awareness
- August 2019 Pointing Out Your True Nature
- July 2019 Development Stage
- June 2019 Fruition as Path
- May 2019 The View of the Foundational Vehicle
- April 2019 The Four Lineages of Tibetan Buddhism
- March 2019 Anything as Support
- February 2019 Meditation is Easier than You Think
- January 2019 Living in a Dream
- December 2018 Mind Creates Reality
- November 2018 Melting Fixations
- October 2018 Healthy Sense of Self
- September 2018 Analytical Meditation
- August 2018 The Essence of Meditation
- July 2018 The Essence of Patience
- June 2018 The Essence of Generosity
- May 2018 The Causes of Happiness
- April 2018 Three Ways of Relating to Emotions: Seeing Their Nature
- March 2018 Three Ways of Relating to Emotions: Transforming
- February 2018 Three Ways of Relating to Emotions: Abandoning
- January 2018 Key Points of Meditation: Everywhere, Anytime
- December 2017 Key Points of Meditation: Letting Go of Expectations Part 2
- November 2017 Key Points of Meditation: Letting Go of Expectations Part 1
- October 2017 Key Points of Meditation: Being vs Doing
- September 2017 Key Points of Meditation: Intention and Motivation Part 2
- August 2017 Key Points of Meditation: Intention and Motivation Part 1
- July 2017 Non-Meditation and Non-Distraction: Application
- June 2017 Non-Meditation and Non-Distraction: Meditation
- May 2017 Non-Meditation and Non-Distraction: View
- April 2017 Going to Sleep
- March 2017 Waking Up
- February 2017 Discovering Wisdom
- January 2017 Basic Goodness and Awareness Part 4
- December 2016 Basic Goodness and Awareness Part 3
- November 2016 Basic Goodness and Awareness Part 2
- October 2016 Basic Goodness and Awareness Part 1
- September 2016 Mind and Body Part II
- August 2016 Mind and Body Part I
- July 2016 Building a Stable Meditation Practice
- June 2016 Keeping Meditation Fresh
- May 2016 Building New Habits
- April 2016 Transforming the Mind
- March 2016 The Essence of Meditation
- February 2016 World Peace through Inner Peace - Part 2
- January 2016 World Peace through Inner Peace - Part 1
- December 2015 Awareness
- November 2015 Expectations and Appreciation
- June 2015 The Four Thoughts - Karma
- April 2015 The Four Thoughts - Impermanence
- March 2015 The Four Thoughts - Precious Human Birth
- February 2015 Meditation without Religion
- January 2015 Meditation and an Unpleasant Work Situation
- December 2014 Mediation and a Busy Lifestyle
- August 2014 The Causes of Anxiety and Suffering
- July 2014 The Differences between the Four Tibetan Buddhist Schools
- June 2014 Mingyur Rinpoche talks about Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche
- May 2014 The Relationship between Study and Practice
- April 2014 Mingyur Ripoche's connection with Tai Situ Rinpoche
- March 2014 The Life and Teachings of Saljey Rinpoche
- February 2014 The Three Practices of Morality, Meditation and Wisdom
- January 2014 The Life and Teachings of Tulku Urgyen
- December 2013 The Three Kinds of Knowledge
- November 2013 What Are the Two Truths?
- October 2013 Money from a Spiritual Perspective
- September 2013 How to Use Meditation to Deal with Old Trauma
- August 2013 What Is Happiness and How to Find It
- July 2013 How to Share Your Meditation Experiences
- June 2013 Meditation and Dealing with Difficult People
- May 2013 The Importance of Formal Meditation
- April 2013 Inner and Outer Environments
- March 2013 Meditation and Creativity
- February 2013 Breaking Mirrors
- January 2013 Counting Stones
- December 2012 What is a Buddha?
- November 2012 Milarepa's Best Friend
- October 2012 Moving with Impermanence
- September 2012 Homesick for Our True Nature
- August 2012 Discovering Buddha Nature
- July 2012 The Cause of Happiness
- June 2012 Self-Created Suffering
- May 2012 Two Kinds of Suffering
- April 2012 Getting to Know Suffering
- March 2012 Two Kinds of Awareness
- February 2012 The Importance of Retreat
- January 2012 Retreat in Daily Life
- December 2011 Introducing Sherab Ling
- November 2011 The Importance of Community