1.33. By cultivating friendliness towards happiness and compassion towards misery, gladness towards virtue and indifference towards vice, the mind becomes pure.

In 1972, a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the A-Team"

Oh Hell Yeah!!!!

How awesome is the A-Team? Awesome enough to use as an example for Sutra 1.33. This Sutra basically gives us examples of behavior and how best to cope with them. It's straight forward and one of those sutras that says "If you do the opposite of what you are doing, you will get the opposite result." Not quantum physics here.

Indifference towards vice is a way of understanding what might have a grip on our consciousness, causing negative traits we may not like. Templeton Peck, played by Dirk Benedict, is a con man, but he rocks it. His indifference to his own vice gives him the ability to help the team in the way he does best. In our own lives, we need not beat ourselves about what we know. Acknowledge and move on.

Blessed are the loons, for they shall inherit the Earth. Maybe they have already. Gladness towards virtue is an attitude that allows us to embrace all parts of ourselves. Does Murdock know he is insane? He doesn't care.

I think Hannibal is a happy guy in general. He gets to dress up and use his half-assed attempts to get the team out of trouble. Friendliness towards happiness cultivates the attitude of accepting happiness in our lives without excitement. There is a difference between happiness and excitement. One is a the temporary rush we get when something positive happens. Happiness is a long lasting feeling of contentment accepting things as they are.

Compassion towards misery. Mr T pities fools! 'nuff said.

If you are truly honest with yourself, you can take stock in some of the qualities that block you from leading a happy life. Be careful though. In a world that thrives on negativity, there are people that are more then willing to pounce on you for negative character traits. I think we live under the guise that there is always SOMETHING we can improve about ourselves and many of us go on some sort of crusade to make ourselves conform to the expectations of others.