Hi Sylvia,

Thank you so much for reading! :) And more importantly, thank you so much for pointing out such a fundamental misunderstanding that I hadn’t even realized had crept into the article.

My reference to Buddha, and I mean this to be a blanket disclaimer for anyone reading this piece, was not meant to be a reference to Buddhism or Buddhist teachings in any remotest possible sense. It was a very colloquial reference, a more of a popular culture imagery that I did not realize might be considered as a reflection on Buddhism and its teachings. It wasn’t meant to be, and I apologize for having conveyed that in any sense.

I am not qualified to make any comment or observation on Buddhism. I am acutely aware of the philosophical complexities that are inherent in the beautiful spiritual traditions of Buddhism as much as I am aware of the fact that a lifetime spent in reading and understanding them would probably be insufficient. Even beyond Buddhism, this piece was never meant to be a spiritual discourse, even from the point of view of other spiritual traditions that I do have some understanding of. That piece, if I ever end up putting it up, would be a very different piece, traversing the philosophical contours, something called Tattva in Indian spiritual traditions, of existential ideas behind bliss (or ananda) and inner peace that emanates from a sense of non-duality (adwaita). This particular piece was, however, a more practical take on how we understand happiness while making sense of our materialistic identity. As I said in my piece, it is a derivative of bliss, but it not bliss per se. I agree with how you describe and understand happiness, and it is an understanding seeped in awareness, consciousness and mindfulness. My piece was mostly for people who are still struggling to start on the path that you already seem to be on. I can’t tell you how glad I am to have someone reading this piece and examining it from that aware a perspective. So, thank you, not just for pointing out something that I had completely missed, but also for being such an aware and conscious reader. For me, it is extremely gratifying as a writer.

I do disagree with you a little on bliss being overrated, but that is probably because we are looking at it from two different lenses. But I am definitely going to check out your piece on bliss and try to understand your perspective in detail. :)