Wellbeing is a Skill

Last Updated on October 15, 2022 by pg@petergamma.org

Richard Davidson: wellbeing is a skill

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/the_four_keys_to_well_being

“All of the work that my colleagues and I have been doing leads inevitably to this central conclusion. Well-being is fundamentally no different than learning to play the cello. If one practices the skills of well-being, one will get better at it”.

Matthieu Ricard: “Happiness can be trained”

  • the term “Happiness” has be criticized not to be defined scientifically
  • but everybody has a notion of it
  • still, a scientific validation of Mind Training Matthieu Ricard is talking about is highly desirable

Buddha: “Happiness comes from taming the mind

  • The teaching of the Buddha are transmitted since 2500 years
  • Solitary retreat for different time durations, some weeks three years, 13 years in the example of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, which is said to have spent a total of 20 years in solitary retreat, is is particularly well known in Tibetan Buddhism.
  • Santideva demanded, we should completely renounce all activities which are focused on this present life, and train in the discipline of training the mind
  • Shantideva was a monk at Nalanda Grand Monastery, India. He wrote the book «The Bodhicharyavatara», which is one of the classics of Mahayana Buddhism.
  • Richard Davidson’s talks about the effect of a 20 min daily meditation practice.
  • But it is highly desirable, that also the effect of long-term meditation retreats are validated scientifically, to use these methods as medical treatments.
  • if these findings are confirmed, that could lead to societal change, especially in wealthy countries
  • Happiness, well-being, inner peace and inner balance cannot be bought from a shop, even from the richest men on the planet, but these qualities can be trained. A further scientific validation of these findings is highly desirable.