Buddha said that life is painful. In fact, this is also the case. In life, people have to face problems such as birth, old age, illness, and death, and encounter sufferings such as unavailability of desires, encounters of resentment and hatred, love and separation, and impermanent changes. Of course, pain is inevitable. However, I believe that the meaning of life is not to suffer and despair in the face of pain and misfortune, but to find joy and happiness in pain and misfortune.

So, what is happiness to me? Let’s talk about it in two stages: childhood and now.

When I was a child, happiness was——

1. Having a neat new suit of clothes. When I was a child, my family was very poor. My parents are out-and-out farmers. The family's annual income is only a few hundred yuan from selling grain. At that time, the family population was large and the labor force was small. My brother, two younger brothers and I have to go to school. Although the annual tuition fee was not much, it was already overwhelming given our family situation at the time. Because of this, in ordinary days, it is impossible for our family to spend spare money to buy new clothes for us. The clothes we usually wear are made of coarse home textiles. It doesn’t look good and it’s not comfortable. Only during the Chinese New Year, our parents would make "foreign cloth" clothes for each of us. At that time, we will feel extremely happy.

2. Eat white flour steamed buns and meat-filled dumplings as you like. Still because of poverty, when I was a child, my meals were mainly whole grains, sometimes with some wild vegetables. Usually there is no meat and very little cooking. Only during the Chinese New Year, the family would steam several baskets of steamed buns and flower rolls, weigh more than ten kilograms of pork, and make dumplings for several meals. At that time, the whole family sat together, each person holding a large bowl of dumplings and eating a round belly. It was a heavenly day.

Now, happiness is——

1. My mother is alive. My father worked hard all his life, and just as his days improved, he fell ill and passed away. My mother lives with us in the city now and her health is fine. For those of us who have lost our father, our mother is still alive and we can take care of her three meals a day. Seeing her happy and contented look makes us feel extremely happy.

2. Brothers are united and sisters-in-law are harmonious. The four of us brothers have all established our own small families. However, the minds of the four of us brothers have never been separated. Whether it was something in the big family or in the small family, the four of us brothers would discuss it and solve it together. We would contribute money if we had money, and if we were able, we would never care about anything, and we never had any conflicts over anything. The sisters-in-law also respect and give in to each other and get along like sisters. Every New Year, more than a dozen members of the family gather together, chatting, laughing, and bustling. This warm and harmonious scene has become the moment that the whole family looks forward to the most.

3. Love between husband and wife. My wife and I are both middle-aged. Fortunately, we are in good health, our work is going smoothly, and our lives are becoming more comfortable as time goes by. At the same time, as the years go by, my wife and I are considerate and caring for each other, and our relationship is stronger and sweeter than when we were young.

4. My daughter is successful in her studies. Last year, my daughter successfully entered college. After entering college, my daughter seemed to have grown up all of a sudden. She was more motivated in her studies and her grades were even better, which gave me great comfort. For me, my daughter's growth and academic success are the greatest happiness.

How about it, what is your happiness?