The Art of Living Happy Life

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buddha-meditation posture


I write on the art of living happy life not to hand you a list of ten easy tips or quick hacks to feel joy, but to invite you into a deeper reflection. What does it truly mean to live? Are we genuinely living, or merely existing in an automated loop of activities—fancy dinners, social validations, momentary thrills—while ignoring a persistent inner void?

This void, when acknowledged, becomes the doorway to self-discovery. The path to true happiness begins not outside, but within. This inner journey is the foundation of the art of living happy life.

Truth as the Path to Happiness

Happiness is not something we chase—it is something we realize. It emerges when we begin living in alignment with truth. Each person's truth may be different, but ultimately, the destination is the same: a state of peace, contentment, and inner joy.

This echoes the wisdom of Socrates, who emphasized: “The unexamined life is not worth living.” When you begin to live truthfully, a transformation happens. You face both pleasure and pain without shaking the calm sea of your mind. This state of inner tranquillity is central to the art of living happy life.

Meditation: The Inner Technology

Meditation is your gateway to discovering this truth. Rather than escaping from life, meditation helps you return to your center. A Harvard University study (Lazar et al., 2011) shows that regular meditation is associated with increased gray matter in brain regions involved in learning, memory, emotional regulation, and self-referential awareness (sense of self).

Philosophers like Laozi taught that inner stillness brings one into harmony with the Tao. Similarly, Baruch Spinoza believed true happiness comes through reason and understanding, not through fleeting pleasures.

Meditation is not mystical. It begins with something simple—mastering your body.

Mastering the Body Through Conscious Action

To live a happy life, start with conscious action. Be fully present. If you're brushing your teeth, be there. If you're walking, walk with awareness. Mindfulness reconnects you with your body and breaks the habit of unconscious living. You don't need to think of something else when you are walking on the road,  just be there in your walk with constant observation of you walking only. Any other thought of what is happening in your office or home or anything else will cling you to the past or the future and you would be distracted. Just bring your full presence at the moment. It would be tough initially but as you keep doing so through continuous observation of your thoughts it would be your habit to be present at the moment. Once you would be practiced to be fully present in the moment, you will start realizing the impermanence of everything and how you were unnecessary creating the sensation of happiness and sorrows by clinging with the past and the future. 

Take anger, for example: when you're angry and act out, you often feel regret afterward. Why? Because your consciousness was hijacked. To avoid this, consciously remind yourself: “I will not allow anger to control me.”

Once you align with work that respects universal morality and doesn’t harm others, and do it with full awareness, creativity and joy begin to emerge within you. This is the starting point of the art of living happy life.

Controlling the Mind: The Second Discipline

After mastering your body, work on your mind. Think of how vigilant you are about keeping your home clean—now, apply the same standard to your thoughts. Let no one keep your mind unstable with their negative energy or talks and you will be the master of your mind and decide which thoughts needs to be nurtured in your mind and which you should not focus on and just let them go as the clouds passes on the sky but the Sun keep shining.

We absorb information, comparisons, and noise from the world and rarely pause to reflect inwardly. As Bertrand Russell wrote in The Conquest of Happiness, one source of unhappiness is our tendency to live in the past or future, not the present.

In meditation, sit quietly and observe your thoughts without judgment. You’re no longer the thought—you are the observer. This simple act reclaims your peace and is at the heart of the art of living happy life.

Your Daily Practice: A Simple Start

Find a quiet space. Sit in a meditative posture (like the image of Buddha at the top of this article) and close your eyes. Different traditions offer different entry points—some suggest focusing on the point between your eyebrows—the “third eye.” or on your breathe, inhale and exhale. 

Start with just 2–5 minutes. Let your thoughts flow without resisting them. Imagine you are just an observer. Over time, your inner noise will reduce, and clarity will emerge. You are now practicing the art of living happy life. According to studies like Lazar et al., even about eight weeks of mindfulness practice (e.g. formal sitting, paying attention to sensations, breath, emotions) can produce measurable changes in those brain areas.



Final Thoughts

The art of living happy life is not about acquiring more, but about rediscovering what already exists within you. Through conscious action, ethical living, and meditative stillness, you return to your most peaceful and joyful self.

Thank you for reading. I would love to hear your reflections—did this article help you discover a glimpse of the happiness already residing within?

Please leave your thoughts in the comment section below. Stay connected and keep exploring your inner world.

I am a self influenced person who has his own set of theories and always would like to find the truth of my own. I believe in self-realization instead of prejudiced knowledge.

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