"Kindness (desire to ease burden), Compassion (desire for well-being) , Teaching (nurturing growth), Love (unconditional acceptance) are linch pins for happiness." 3 minutes mantra, 8 minutes contemplation.

Kindness, compassion, teaching, love are aspects for happiness.  I'm not sure this truth is accurate.  It is an attempt to express truth that is difficult if not impossible to put into words.  Does happiness flow from acting on these values, or do these values flow from happiness?  I think these values flow from happiness.  Though, the DL, says it the other way around.  If it is as the DL says, then if one is alone, if one is left as the only living sentient being that can be happy, then you cannot practice these values.  Therefore, I believe they flow from happiness.  Happiness is at the core of our beings. We do not change from being not happy to happy.  Our happiness is masked by our sufferings.  This might be a question of the boundary of happiness being feelings or happiness being a state of mind or happiness being an inherent part of being human and it is just it's manifestation in feelings that we are aware of. I am convinced for myself that happiness is not a feeling or state of mind.  It is my natural state.  It is anxieties and sufferings that hide my happiness from myself.  They are "unnatural" and stripping away the unnatural reveals the true nature.  So, happiness is a state of mind, but it is the natural state of mind.  Anxieties are a normal part of being in dealing with crises of our lives.  But, they pass with the crises.  You are a beautiful person inside with a natural state of happiness, that when apparently lost, is only covered by our fears and anxieties.  This may all have an amount of bullshit in it because of the workings of the brain.