OK, as far as I can see it, the fundamental premise of Buddhism is that all is suffering. This conclusion is arrived at as follows: Our deluded thinking (of busy mind) creates conceptions of some kind of lasting a permanent reality in the objects of our desire, and that their possession will satiate our wanting. Often these desires aren't for simple material objects, but are for love, a sense of belonging, a lasting relationship, respect, a secure future. These are perhaps primeval drivers of human longing, and as such are perfectly 'natural' and 'normal'.
Perhaps this might happen at work when we are looking for that 'perfect job', or at home for 'getting the mediaPC working properly', at play for some sense of 'slow but steady improvment at playing chess'. If we look closley at what motivates us, or what frustrates us, we may well see this kind of wanting. This is very common behaviour for busy mind.
Sooner or later it becomes apparent that the entity which is the focus of our desire isn't that which what we had thought it was (what a long sentence! :)). After being with this thing for awhile, and learning how it really is, it becomes apparent that it does not give us all that we had we had hoped for. We become frustrated and dissatisfied. Busy mind does not question itself, but goes on looking for something else to quench the longing: so goes the cyclical pattern of existence called samsara, where 'all is suffering'.
For example, lets say we buy a new car. it's all most shiny and lovely and smells like a new car, goes like a new car, and salesman is very good at his job, and makes us believe that this new car is all that we think it is (and more maybe!). We drive it for awhile, maybe a short time, mabye a long time, and then the new car isn't so new anymore, and the engine breaks! We are angry that our new car should break. perhaps it is fixed under warranty and we are happy again. Our idea of new car is not irretrevably lost. But then it breaks again, we are more angry. Maybe we think this new car isn't so new after all. Maybe we begin to think this is not a new car, maybe we begin to think we have been dudded! We may do many things to make the car better. All the time we compare our car with this idea of new car. Sooner or later the car comes up lacking. The car is just a car. Really it has changed only a very little but, but our thinking has changed! Suddenly our new car has changed in our minds to shoddy old car. Maybe we also have bad thoughts about the salesman!! So in the end we go get another car, and the whole process begins again.
This cycle of wanting, longing, reaching, achieving, dissastisfaction, frustration.. goes on and on in so many aspects of our lives. Busy mind is too busy to understand that it is busy mind itself which has created these objects of desire. It has created something from nothing and tied itself to it. It has tethered itself to a stake in the sky.
Very busy wanting mind makes all this happen, very busy mind makes this all very important. Very busy mind is often so busy with all this business that it doesn't see what it is doing. (psssst very busy mind has a very big secret. Very big mind is so busy finding happiness, it is not sure what it is finding it for.)
Very simple mind knows just enough to know that none of this is very important. Very simple mind know just enough to know that it does not need a nice car, a nice house, a nice wife to be happy. Very simple mind knows just enough to know that it's own longing is the cause of its suffering. Very simple mind knows just enough to know that the best thing it can do is to put selfish desire aside and to help others. With upmost respect, helping others to understand the cause of their suffering is perhaps the most wonderful thing it can possibly do.
The hermit monk living in the mountains. While he's out gathering wood and roots a robber comes and strips his cabin, everything is gone. As night deepens he sits at the window and looks out at the evening moon, thinking to himself, "If only I could have given the robber this perfect, white moon." He's still wealthy. And he's asking a good question: What can I give now?
Buddhism can prepare us for the inevitable pain and suffering which we unwittingly make in our daily lives and can give us the mental fortitude to see through our desires to make decisions which can reduce our suffering; not increase it. Happiness however is just a byproduct of simple mind, certainly not an objective.
