There is no less suffering in the world today, and there are no fewer problems. Indeed, it could be said that there are now more problems and greater unhappiness than ever before.
This shows that the solution to our problems, and to those of society as a whole, does not lie in knowledge or control of the external world.
What is this?
Happines and suffering are states of mind and so their main causes cannot be found outside the mind. The real source of happiness is inner peace.
If our mind is peaceful we shall be happy all the time regardless of external conditions but if is disturbed or troubled in any way, we shall never be happy, no matter how good our external conditions may be.
External condition can only make us happy if our mind is peaceful. We can understand this through our own experience. For instance, even if we are in the most beautiful surroundings and have everything we need the moment we get angry any happiness we may have disappears. this is because anger has destroyed our inner peace.
