This is an audiobook of Bodhi Leaves No.154 by Bhikkhu Bodhi, 'The Good, The Beautiful, and The True' found in the Pariyatti Edition of Collected Bodhi Leaves Vol. V.

Excerpt from The Quest for Happiness by Bhikkhu Bodhi

All human beings, by their very nature, seek to be free from suffering and to find happiness. This aim, however, proves so elusive because our desire for happiness does not automatically entail knowledge of how to find it. If the knowledge of how to attain happiness automatically came along with the desire to be happy, there would be no need for a Buddha to arise in the world. We would all be able to achieve perfect happiness entirely on our own. We need the guidance of a Buddha because, though we naturally wish to avoid suffering and to attain happiness, we have no clear conception of the path that can bring this desire to fulfilment.