What do we need to be happy?
By Kim Sun-ae
Recently, I watched the beautiful Bhutanese movie, “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom.” In the movie, Ugyen, the protagonist, is not satisfied with his life as a schoolteacher. He is assigned to Lunana, a small mountain village that seems to be the remotest place in the world.
Ugyen begins to teach young students at a little school in the village. Paper is rare there, so the students do not have notebooks. Ugyen distributes two pieces of paper to each of his students for their studies.
To be happy, how much should we have? Many people in a materially rich country sometimes want to escape from where they are. From time to time, many of us feel dissatisfied with our lives, even though we have many more possessions than the people in Lunana.
The villagers there tend yaks, gather herbs and do farming. The electric supply is not stable. Although the villagers of Lunana are not rich materially, many of them seem to be content with their lives.
Ugyen meets Saldon, a herder who tends to yaks in the village, and he learns how to sing from her. He asks her if she would like to visit the city where he lives someday. But she is satisfied with where she is now, and she knows that she belongs there.
Every day, she sings a song in a mountain. The song is her gift for all beings. Just as black-necked cranes sing whether anyone hears them or not, Saldon gives what she can to the world. She lives a centered life, and her warm attitude toward the world is beautiful.
Many of us want to have more and more; we are not content with what we have. This movie gives us a precious opportunity to look back on our lives and to think about what true happiness is.
In the movie, Ugyen's young students and a couple of yak herders sing together, “Happiness, like a shadow, follows a pure, clear and humble mind.” The song helps us remember that our lasting happiness comes from a pure heart.
Dissatisfaction follows attachment to material possessions. If we try to find happiness in our possessions, we come to want new things right away, even if we get what we want. Possessing something can only give us momentary pleasure.
What is essential to our happiness? Everyone needs food and shelter, of course. My family and friends are inseparable from my happiness. Just several books a month and a few good movies a year give me joy.
Nature also delights me with its ever-changing, colorful shapes and forms. I smile at the beauty of the mysterious purple morning glories in full bloom every morning and the small green fruits that I see on my way to the library.
I have decided not to buy anything other than groceries such as food for a month. Indeed, perhaps we don't need so many things to be happy after all.
Kim Sun-ae (blog.naver.com/dancinglf) wrote "Old Potato, New Potato" and translated "Little Lord Fauntleroy."