Whenever we have an objective, we can only achieve it if we work. But the work we do has to be specific to our problem. Far too often we assume that as long as we’re working we are making progress but nothing could be further from the truth.
This fact seems obvious when stated but when we look at how we spend our time, does it really coincide with the things that we need to do in order to be happy? If we spend all our time collecting material wealth, how can we ever expect to be truly satisfied and happy? While worldly success gives us a temporary positive feeling, that feeling is very quickly replaced by a desire for something better.
By contrast, those who devote their attention to the practice of insight meditation are working in the correct way which points directly to the realization of satisfaction and happiness. That is because the only quality of the mind that creates satisfaction is the habit of bringing the mind into the present moment. When the mind is in the present moment and we are aware of what is happening, we can see that this moment right now is good and that is cause for joy. Even better, when we realize that this joy is accessible to us all the time if we train the mind properly, the mind can finally be liberated from all the suffering conditions of the world.