“Where is paradise found? Within my mind.” That seems like such a little phrase, just a few words, but think of how much energy and how many years people spend unconsciously thinking that the happiness they want exists somewhere else.
If it truly exists in our minds, then all of that time…. Well, work on discovering it within your own mind! Among other things, that is what you can take with you between lives. There’s very little that actually goes with us, just our habits and our orientation. If you deeply know that paradise is within your own mind, and have practiced living there, then I suspect that wherever you might be reborn, that would be something as natural to you as adjusting your pillow during the night.
The Ten Vows made by all Tathagatas (Vow 7)
Paradise is found within my mind,
I vow to attain it.
Wake Up and Laugh! 