這是一位留英回國(guó)的創(chuàng)業(yè)明達(dá)（筆名）女士所著作品，書中深入淺出地闡述了‘幸?！鞘裁矗坎ふ倚腋?！明達(dá)女士在國(guó)外留學(xué)工作了十幾年，去過(guò)很多國(guó)家，以她自身的經(jīng)歷、艱辛與感悟撰寫了這部作品。
她曾說(shuō)過(guò)現(xiàn)在的孩子不讀書，不喜歡讀書，這是一個(gè)很大的損失，不僅是對(duì)社會(huì)更是對(duì)自己。明達(dá)女士在新加坡學(xué)習(xí)時(shí)，曾經(jīng)讀過(guò)一層圖書館的書籍，可見(jiàn)她淵博的知識(shí)面與深厚的各領(lǐng)域功底。
本頭條從今日起，將以中英文形式，連載轉(zhuǎn)發(fā)明達(dá)女士的文章《了然自我》，帶領(lǐng)廣大讀者走近明達(dá)女士的這本書中，去探索你生命的價(jià)值；陪伴你去找到幸福的；向你的人生目標(biāo)前進(jìn)……
——————編者
《了然自我》
（二）
作者：明達(dá)
1.幸福是什么？
幸福是你自己心中的定義。幸福沒(méi)有統(tǒng)一的定義。幸福是個(gè)人的概念。他反映了個(gè)人的價(jià)值和信仰。（1）幸福的定義是你看事情的角度，是你對(duì)生命的追求，是你生命的價(jià)值和你的信仰。
在我們定義幸福前，我們需要識(shí)別和理解幾個(gè)概念:幸福vs.滿足，幸福vs.興奮，幸福vs.幻想，幸福vs.高興和幸福vs.生命的意義。
幸福vs.滿足
滿足是幸福和滿意的一種狀態(tài)。希臘哲學(xué)家--伊壁鳩魯（公元前341-270）說(shuō)“不要因?yàn)槿プ非竽闼鶝](méi)有的去毀壞了你所擁有的。你要記住你現(xiàn)在所擁有的曾是你所追求的事物之一?！?/p>
幸福vs.興奮
興奮是佛教和印度教中天人合一的狀態(tài)。在這種狀態(tài)中，不再有人類的欲望。在1784年，哲學(xué)家伊曼努爾·康德在他的學(xué)術(shù)論文中曾寫到：“什么是興奮的答案 ”如下：“興奮是人性從自我暴露的不成熟中的消失。不成熟是沒(méi)有能力用一種理解去指導(dǎo)另一種理解。這種不成熟是自我的暴露，而它不是基于缺乏理解而是在沒(méi)有他人的指導(dǎo)下缺少解決辦法和勇氣去應(yīng)用它。Sapere Aude! 要有勇氣運(yùn)用你自己的理智！”—
幸福vs.幻覺(jué)
幻覺(jué)是你認(rèn)為某事物或事情是真的，或者是某事物/事情已與它的真實(shí)性相差甚遠(yuǎn)。在心理學(xué)和哲學(xué)中，“幻覺(jué)”是指感覺(jué)失調(diào)的一種特殊形式。有時(shí)，幻想十分危險(xiǎn)。
幸福vs.滿足
滿足是非常享受的一種活動(dòng)或經(jīng)歷。希臘哲學(xué)指出滿足是沒(méi)有痛苦的狀態(tài)。亞瑟·叔本華，一位德國(guó)哲學(xué)家，說(shuō)滿足是消極的感覺(jué)，因?yàn)樗峭纯啻嬖诘耐ǔl件。
幸福vs.生命的意義
生命的意義是一個(gè)難以捉摸的概念。這個(gè)概念已經(jīng)成為哲學(xué)、科學(xué)和理論研究的主題（摘自百科網(wǎng)）。這個(gè)概念一直被定義從遠(yuǎn)古哲學(xué)到20世紀(jì)哲學(xué)，從西方哲學(xué)到東方哲學(xué)。它也一直被科學(xué)和宗教探索。
以上的所有概念都相互關(guān)聯(lián)又有所不同。在生活中，我們很容易混淆或?yàn)E用它們。它可以給我們帶來(lái)好處，也可以給我們帶來(lái)壞處。下面，讓我們用一種健康的方式去找到自己的幸福。
不同的人對(duì)幸福有不同的定義。例如，一些人把幸福定義為生活中的富有；一些人把擁有美好的家庭定義為幸福；一些人把擁有穩(wěn)定的生活定義為幸福。幸福沒(méi)有適應(yīng)于宇宙范圍的定義；幸福是個(gè)體的、自我的定義。
佛家相信幸福不是個(gè)人的幸福，而是所有的人和所有生命體的幸福。追求的幸福是從自我意識(shí)到忘記自我的過(guò)程。見(jiàn)下面的引用。
研究佛法就是研究自我。研究自我就是忘記自我。忘記自我才會(huì)獲得一切的一切?！瓽enjo-koanShobo-genzo ’
佛家認(rèn)為我們的本性就是智慧，愛(ài)和快樂(lè)。自我意識(shí)是關(guān)鍵。你能提高自己解除焦慮，自我批評(píng)，抑郁，恐懼和寂寞的能力。你能遠(yuǎn)離情緒，競(jìng)爭(zhēng)，沖動(dòng)和前世的軌跡。你能克服深度恐懼，你能寬恕別人和愛(ài)自己。
佛家通過(guò)精修去提高幸福的程度。
哲學(xué)家典型假設(shè)為，幸福來(lái)源于“生活應(yīng)該怎么樣”和“生活就是這樣”相比較的結(jié)果。在古希臘哲學(xué)中，幸福是主題。伊壁鳩魯?shù)凸懒俗畲蠡腋５臐摿褪潜M可能的經(jīng)歷滿足。柏拉圖指出“人需求幸福的知識(shí)是欲望必要與不要的性質(zhì)，神的本質(zhì)，死的本質(zhì)和神與科學(xué)中的生命”。
幸福如何定義？下面的問(wèn)題將幫助你找到自己的幸福。
幫助你找到自己幸福練習(xí)：
你生活中什么是最重要的？如，事業(yè)，家庭和孩子等等。
在你的生活中，你想要什么？
什么時(shí)候你感覺(jué)最幸福？那是什么事？
什么事情讓你更快樂(lè)？去發(fā)現(xiàn)你的內(nèi)部需求。
思考：
去定義自己的幸福：
我的幸福是
隨著時(shí)間的流逝，事情飛快變化。隨著你生活的改變，你內(nèi)在需求也會(huì)變化。當(dāng)你的生活境況變化時(shí)，重讀一遍本書，再思考自己的內(nèi)在需求，再寫自己的人生規(guī)劃。
1. What is happiness?
Happiness is what you define for yourself. Happiness has no universal definition. Happiness is individual concept， It depends on the way you see things, what life you want, what your life value is and what your belief is.
Before we defined happiness, we need to identify and understand a few concepts: happiness vs. contentment, happiness vs. enlightenment, happiness vs. illusion, happiness vs. pleasure, happiness vs. life meaning.
Happiness vs. contentment
Contentment is the state of being happy and satisfied. Greek philosopher – Epicurus (BC 341-270) said “Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”
happiness vs. enlightenment
Enlightenment is the state you are united spiritually with the universe in the Buddist and Hindu religions, of no longer having any human desires. In 1784, Philosopher Immanuel Kant quoted in his essay An Answer to the Question: “What is enlightenment”,
“Enlightenment is man’s emergence from his self-imposed immaturity. Immaturity is the inability to use one understand without guidance from another. This immaturity is self-imposed when its cause lies not in lack of understanding, but in lack of resolve and courage to use it without guidance from another. Sapere Aude! “Have courage to use your ownunderstanding!” — that is the motto of enlightenment.”
happiness vs. illusion
Illusion is the state you believe something true, or something away from what it really is. In psychiatry and philosophy, “illusion” refers to a specific form of sensory distortion. Sometimes, it could be very dangerous.
happiness vs. pleasure
Pleasure is an activity or experience that you enjoy very much. In Greek philosophy, they stated pleasure as the absence of pain. Arthur Schopenhauer, a German philosopher, understood pleasure as a negative sensation, as it negates the usual existential condition, that of suffering.
Happiness vs. Life meaning
The meaning of life is an elusive concept that has been the subject of much philosophical, scientific and theological speculation (it is from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedis). This concept is identified from ancient philosophy to 20th philosophy, from western philosophy to eastern philosophy. It is also discovered in science and religions.
These concepts are related and different. It is easy to confuse or abuse them in the life. It could be good; it also could be harmful. Let us find a healthy way to create happiness ourselves step by step.
Different people have different identification for happiness. For example, some people may define that happiness is well-being in their life; Some people may define that happiness is making a family; Some people may define that happiness is having a stable life. Happiness is not universal concept; happiness is individual concept.
For Buddhist, they believe that happiness is not self happiness, but the happiness of everyone and everything which there is a life. Pursuing happiness is a way from self-awareness to self-forgetfulness. See the below quotes.
Studying Buddhism means studying the self. Studying the self means forgetting the self。—‘Genjo-koan~ Volume in the Shobo-genzo
The Buddha taught that our essential nature is wise, loving and joyful. Self-awareness is the key. You can improve your skills to set yourself free from anxiety, self-criticism, depression, fear, and loneliness. You can free yourself from moods, the racing mind, compulsions, and scripts from the past. You can overcome your deepest fears, forgive others, and love yourself.
Buddhist practices meditation to improve levels of happiness.
Philosophers assume typically that happiness results from comparison between notions of how-life-should-be, with perceptions of life-as-it is. In early Greek philosophy, happiness was a major issue. Epicurus undervalue that maximizing the potential for happiness is experiencing pleasure as much as possible. Plato posits “the knowledge one needs for happiness is the nature of necessary versus unnecessary desires, the nature of the gods, the nature of death, and a life of contemplation and science.”
What is your own definition of happiness? The following question will help you find your own happiness.
Questions which help you define your own happiness:
What is it most important for you in your life? E.g. career, family, and child etc.
What do you want from your life?
When did you feel happiness? What thing was it?
What thing makes you happier than others? To find your inner want.
Practical point:
To define your own happiness:
My happiness is
The things will change as the time is flying. The inner demand would change as your life is changing. When your situation is changed, you can re-read this book and re-think your inner demand, and re-write your life plan.
作者：明達(dá)
——————————————
主編：浪花
