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        Happiness can be true happiness or deception, so we have to look into its substance and go beyond attachment.   True happiness will be of benefit and nourish ourselves and others.   Deceptive happiness brings temporary pleasure and helps us forget our suffering, but is not of lasting benefit and can actually be harmful, like gambling, smoking, or drinking alcohol.   When something causes us to suffer, if we look deeply into it, we may see that it is exactly what we need to restore our happiness.   In fact, suffering is essential for happiness.   We have to know the suffering of being too cold to enjoy and appreciate being warm.   If we look deeply into the realm of joy, we can see whether it is authentic or whether it is just covering up our suffering and anxiety.   Anxiety, the illness of our time, comes primarily from our inability to dwell in the present moment.

        Letting go is an ongoing practice, one that can bring us a lot of happiness.   When a Vietnamese woman who escaped her country by boat was robbed on the high seas of all her gold, she was so distraught that she contemplated suicide.   But on shore, she met a man who had been robbed of even his clothes, and it helped her very much to see him smiling.   He had truly let go.   Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness.   If, in our heart, we still cling to anything  -  anger, anxiety, or possessions  -  we cannot be free.

Reference:

The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching

Thich Nhat Hanh  ~