Today was the first day of classes, and my professor was going through the usual spiel about who he is and what he does, but somewhere throughout his speech, something caught my attention. He mentioned something about the difference between happiness and pleasure -- something I had never really considered before.

There's a huge difference between happiness and pleasure, yet there is still a correlation between them. We believe that by seeking pleasure and avoiding pain we will feel happy. And to an extent, that holds true. Pleasure is a momentary feeling that comes from something external while happiness is an internal state of mind. Pleasurable experiences can make us feel happy, but once the experience is over, the feeling is gone. Happiness is a feeling that is self-sustaining. The Dalai Lama says, “If we have a positive mental attitude, then even when surrounded by hostility, we shall not lack inner peace."

It is much easier to be happy when our pleasurable experiences are frequent, that's obvious. In order to obtain happiness, that persists even when pleasure does not, we have to understand what it is. The ancient Greeks had two different words for happiness: hedonia and eudaimonia. To explain these terms in just a few words, hedonia is what we take from the world to be happy. We call it pleasure. Eudaimonia is what we give to the world to give us happiness. We call it happiness. This is the self-sustaining, internal, state of mind.

With hedonia, you are the main focus. It's externally derived, short-lived, and subject to circumstances. With eudaimonia, the focus is on others. It's internally derived, continual, and notwithstanding.

In the pursuit of happiness, the well-being of others is the surer way forward. This is the basis of the Dalai Lama’s frequent encouragement for us to be "wisely selfish."