A Frame for the New Year
January 01, 2024

Get the new year off to a good start: Get your mind under control. Focus it on your breath. Watch the breath all the way in; watch the breath all the way out. And then again and again—each breath coming in, each breath going out. The mind wanders off, just bring it right back. Wanders off again, bring it back again. You’re trying to get some control here.

Look at the world—there’s so much in the world that’s not under your control. And then you look inside. If your own mind is not under your control, then you’re really in bad shape. You want to have some control here so that you can direct the mind in the right direction. Direct it toward a happiness that doesn’t have any drawbacks at all—doesn’t cause any affliction for anybody. That’s the kind of happiness that the Buddha taught, that it is possible.

So many people in the world look for their happiness in material gain, status, praise, sensual pleasures. When they gain these things, other people have to lose. And often in the course of gaining these things, they do very unskillful things. That kind of happiness, the Buddha said, is irresponsible. And it’s not going to last. If your happiness depends on other people’s misery, they’re going to do everything they can to put an end to it. But if your happiness depends on their happiness, then they’re going to be happy to see you happy.

This is why the Buddha recommended that we develop qualities of generosity, virtue. We develop meditation, particularly thoughts of goodwill.

They say that Ajaan Mun, every day in the morning when he woke up, would spread thoughts of goodwill to all beings in all directions. In the afternoon when he woke up from his afternoon nap: goodwill for all beings in all directions. Last thing at night: goodwill for all beings in all directions. It creates a good frame for the day. We can use that as a good frame for the year as well, reminding ourselves that we want a happiness that doesn’t cause anybody any harm.

How do we find that? When you’re generous, you benefit from your generosity in developing a broader mind, and the people who receive your gifts benefit as well. When you’re virtuous, you benefit from having a mind that’s principled. And the people around you benefit from the fact that you’re not going to harm them. When you meditate and spread thoughts of goodwill, all your actions are for the sake of everybody’s happiness. So everybody benefits. This is the kind of happiness that leads to more happiness spread around the world. It leads to peace in the world, a lack of divisions. So this is the kind of happiness you want to look for.

We wish for happiness in this new year. You have to realize that if you want to gain happiness, you have to give happiness. At the very least, give the gift of safety—that you’re not going to harm other beings. You’re not going to harm yourself.

That’s particularly important because when you can harm yourself, it’s very easy to harm others. As the Buddha said, when you break the precepts, it’s not so much you’re harming other people. When you kill, when you steal, have illicit sex, when you lie, take intoxicants, you’re the one who suffers. You’re the one who’s harmed, more than anybody else.

So if you want happiness, you hold to the precepts; you maintain this principle of generosity; and you try to develop goodwill every day, every day. That way, you gain happiness by giving happiness. That’s the kind of happiness that’s solid and secure.