More happiness with less belongings, less attachment. Is it possible?

Do the monks in the photo below look happy?

Is it possible to be so happy with less?

I read an article a while back and this section about attachment really stuck out for me.

The monks showed me that it is not the bad things in life that cause misery but my attachment to the good things. Suffering is all about one’s perception. If you are attached to something and you lose it you will suffer. If you are open and free and you lose something it will not bother you so much. Try to be less attached.

The biggest lesson that the monastery taught me was that my happiness depended on me. No one else. At first I struggled with this concept but now I think it is perfectly correct.

Think about how often we place our happiness in other people. The best example might be our partners. We depend on them so often for our happiness. If they are grumpy, we are grumpy. If they yell at us, we feel bad. If they leave us, our life goes to hell. We are completely dependent on them. We do the same with our boss, our work colleagues, our friends, etc. We are forever placing our happiness in other people.

But the monks don’t buy this. They don’t agree that you should depend on others for your own happiness. They believe that happiness comes from within, not without. It comes from working with you own mind and knowing that you have a choice as to whether you live and angry or a happy life. And the choice is yours to make. Not someone elses.

What do you think guys? Does it make sense?

Although difficult, do you think you can use it to help you be happier more often?

Click here for other posts that may help with this way of looking at life 🙂