The Buddha taught a path of profound happiness and peace. Shaila Catherine structures this teaching around a discourse of the Buddha found in the Vedanasamyutta (SN 36:31) that describes a gradual refinement through three kinds of happiness: carnal sensual pleasures, spiritual joy that is associated with concentration, and the unsurpassed happiness of a liberated mind.
We look at the kinds of attitudes we habitually bring to our practice, seeing the inertia and familiarity of unwholesome attitudes or spirits. We then explore the power of a generous spirit, or the practice of Dana, as a foundation for happiness.
