End of suffering

A: What did the Buddha say about enlightenment?
B: Hmmm... Enlightenment is the end of suffering.

A: Hmm... Cool! And you defended recently?
B: Yup!

A: End of Grad school for you!
B: Yup!

A: Do you see what I see?

Happiness

My 2 cents worth 3 observations on human happiness:

• If I define happiness as something "X", I can never achieve that. Positive definitions do not work.
• Happiness is not to be found in addition. If at all, it can be found only in subtraction.
• Happiness derived out of any requirement makes the requirement a drug. True happiness is attained when one attains the state "Staying alive" = "Being Happy".

Engine

I came to North America convinced that its the world's financial engine. That conviction was not shaken. But, now as I prepare to leave this place, I am also convinced that its the world's stress engine.