On Happiness-my comment in NYTimes.

Happiness is a state of mind. One must distinguish between mind and intellect.Brain is the gateway through which sensory perceptions are collected, as in CPU of a computer.Activity of the brain is Mind.It sifts through the material and decides the course of response.Intellect is the activity of the Mind at a different level,which discriminates between Right and Wrong, Good and Bad.Beyond intellect , if one were to examine, he/she will know something that is observing all the three(I am not talking about the concept of God at all).That which observes all these remain unaffected by pairs of oppoites;pleasure and pain;heat and cold;victory and defeat.It always remains fully contented and never is in want of anything.This is the state that is being spoken of.Each of of us can feel this if only we listen carefully.But we confuse in daily life activity of brain and intellect and feel happy/sad.

Again, a thing that gives us Happiness gives us grief at another point of Time;the same thing that gives one Happiness does bring in grief to others.Therefore, Happiness/Grief does not lie in the objects but in our mind.
Once we realise this and that we are here on a sojourn,we do not own anything,as things were here before us and shall remain here after we leave,our relationships are acquired(except parents, brothers/sisters,children-these are not our choices), we shall know that we lord over nothing and at the same time we own every thing in us that is the embodiment of Happiness.