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这是一位留英回国的创业明达（笔名）女士所著作品，书中深入浅出地阐述了‘幸福’是什么？并带您去寻找幸福！明达女士在国外留学工作了十几年，去过很多国家，以她自身的经历、艰辛与感悟撰写了这部作品。
她曾说过现在的孩子不读书，不喜欢读书，这是一个很大的损失，不仅是对社会更是对自己。明达女士在新加坡学习时，曾经读过一层图书馆的书籍，可见她渊博的知识面与深厚的各领域功底。
本头条从今日起，将以中英文形式，连载转发明达女士的文章《了然自我》，带领广大读者走近明达女士的这本书中，去探索你生命的价值；陪伴你去找到幸福的；向你的人生目标前进……
——————编者
《了然自我》
（二）
作者：明达
1.幸福是什么？
幸福是你自己心中的定义。幸福没有统一的定义。幸福是个人的概念。他反映了个人的价值和信仰。（1）幸福的定义是你看事情的角度，是你对生命的追求，是你生命的价值和你的信仰。
在我们定义幸福前，我们需要识别和理解几个概念:幸福vs.满足，幸福vs.兴奋，幸福vs.幻想，幸福vs.高兴和幸福vs.生命的意义。
幸福vs.满足
满足是幸福和满意的一种状态。希腊哲学家--伊壁鸠鲁（公元前341-270）说“不要因为去追求你所没有的去毁坏了你所拥有的。你要记住你现在所拥有的曾是你所追求的事物之一。“
幸福vs.兴奋
兴奋是佛教和印度教中天人合一的状态。在这种状态中，不再有人类的欲望。在1784年，哲学家伊曼努尔·康德在他的学术论文中曾写到：“什么是兴奋的答案 ”如下：“兴奋是人性从自我暴露的不成熟中的消失。不成熟是没有能力用一种理解去指导另一种理解。这种不成熟是自我的暴露，而它不是基于缺乏理解而是在没有他人的指导下缺少解决办法和勇气去应用它。Sapere Aude! 要有勇气运用你自己的理智！”—
幸福vs.幻觉
幻觉是你认为某事物或事情是真的，或者是某事物/事情已与它的真实性相差甚远。在心理学和哲学中，“幻觉”是指感觉失调的一种特殊形式。有时，幻想十分危险。
幸福vs.满足
满足是非常享受的一种活动或经历。希腊哲学指出满足是没有痛苦的状态。亚瑟·叔本华，一位德国哲学家，说满足是消极的感觉，因为它是痛苦存在的通常条件。
幸福vs.生命的意义
生命的意义是一个难以捉摸的概念。这个概念已经成为哲学、科学和理论研究的主题（摘自百科网）。这个概念一直被定义从远古哲学到20世纪哲学，从西方哲学到东方哲学。它也一直被科学和宗教探索。
以上的所有概念都相互关联又有所不同。在生活中，我们很容易混淆或滥用它们。它可以给我们带来好处，也可以给我们带来坏处。下面，让我们用一种健康的方式去找到自己的幸福。
不同的人对幸福有不同的定义。例如，一些人把幸福定义为生活中的富有；一些人把拥有美好的家庭定义为幸福；一些人把拥有稳定的生活定义为幸福。幸福没有适应于宇宙范围的定义；幸福是个体的、自我的定义。
佛家相信幸福不是个人的幸福，而是所有的人和所有生命体的幸福。追求的幸福是从自我意识到忘记自我的过程。见下面的引用。
研究佛法就是研究自我。研究自我就是忘记自我。忘记自我才会获得一切的一切。—‘Genjo-koanShobo-genzo ’
佛家认为我们的本性就是智慧，爱和快乐。自我意识是关键。你能提高自己解除焦虑，自我批评，抑郁，恐惧和寂寞的能力。你能远离情绪，竞争，冲动和前世的轨迹。你能克服深度恐惧，你能宽恕别人和爱自己。
佛家通过精修去提高幸福的程度。
哲学家典型假设为，幸福来源于“生活应该怎么样”和“生活就是这样”相比较的结果。在古希腊哲学中，幸福是主题。伊壁鸠鲁低估了最大化幸福的潜力就是尽可能的经历满足。柏拉图指出“人需求幸福的知识是欲望必要与不要的性质，神的本质，死的本质和神与科学中的生命”。
幸福如何定义？下面的问题将帮助你找到自己的幸福。
帮助你找到自己幸福练习：
你生活中什么是最重要的？如，事业，家庭和孩子等等。
在你的生活中，你想要什么？
什么时候你感觉最幸福？那是什么事？
什么事情让你更快乐？去发现你的内部需求。
思考：
去定义自己的幸福：
我的幸福是
随着时间的流逝，事情飞快变化。随着你生活的改变，你内在需求也会变化。当你的生活境况变化时，重读一遍本书，再思考自己的内在需求，再写自己的人生规划。
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：明达
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主编：浪花
