The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living

Did not like.
I did not particularly like this book, and don’t really understand the hype. Yes, there are a handful of nuggets in it that are very useful. But it was NOT written by the Dalai Lama, it was written by Howard Cutler after interviewing the Dalai Lama numerous times, and to be honest I very much did not like Cutler’s writing. Or even a lot of the lines of questioning that he posed to the Dalai Lama. I love this topic of books, I have read and hugely enjoy many, but bottom line, this one fell extremely short of my expectations. I would suggest reading many dozens of other better books on the topic before taking the time to read this one.

It is not enough to be compassionate. You must act—H.H. The Dalai Lama
His Holiness has the amazing ability to say things that are both simple and profound. After listening to the XIV Dalai Lama or reading his words, I often find myself saying, “Why didn’t I think of that?” Why not indeed? A previous reviewer states that this is a wonderful book but that it’s hard to “get” the idea of being compassionate to ALL beings regardless of their own actions. It IS hard to “get” that. The Dalai Lama has been a Buddhist monk for the last 71 years, and HE works at it every single day. The Buddha himself, after his Enlightenment, didn’t say, “Well, since I’m one with all that is I guess I can retire now.” Nope. Shakyamuni began teaching. And he kept practicing, whether through sitting meditation or through workaday tasks. His practice matured him. He may have come up with the Four Noble Truths on Day One and he may have taught them throughout his life, but there’s a great deal of evolution between those original thoughts and the Parinirvana Sutra uttered on his deathbed. He would have heartily endorsed the Dalai Lama’s call to Happiness and accepted Tenzin Gyatso as a worthy Dharma successor.But, I digress. Unlike many of the Dalai Lama’s earlier books this one is geared specifically toward and for the general public. Just as you don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy Levy’s Rye, you don’t have to be a Buddhist to appreciate this book. As a matter of fact, although every idea in this book is quintessentally Buddhist, every idea in this book is, more importantly, quintessentially human. The Dalai Lama’s basic thesis is that we are all born to be happy. Reading this, I kept being reminded of Jefferson’s words, “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” It’s too bad that our modern culture conflates “Happiness” with “Pleasure” (which is far more fleeting) and that “Pleasure’s” main attribute is “Money” and lots of it, or the things that “Money” can buy. Not that “Money” is unimportant, but the idea that “Money can’t buy Happiness” is a core idea here, and is proven over and over again.This book and its sequels grew out of a series of personal interviews between the Dalai Lama and noted Psychologist Howard C. Cutler, who has become an important exponent of the Positive Psychology Movement of the last decade. Positive Psychology focuses not on what’s wrong with an individual but on what’s right and how to reinforce what’s right through positive practices—essentially, Cutler’s approach amounts to a primer on classical Buddhist Psychology. The Dalai Lama speaks here, but it is Cutler who amplifies and expounds on the Dalai Lama’s core ideas in a Western idiom. His Holiness does detail certain meditative practices as well.According to the Dalai Lama (and most Positive Psychologists), Happiness is not the end result of a thought process but is the process itself. Acting kindly, compassionately, mindfully and with awareness result in a person being, in effect, happy, even in the face of the day-to-day toxicity of much of our culture. His Holiness also believes that Happiness is highly contagious, and that it will spread virally if only we maintain our positive practices.Yes, it is hard to remain “happy” in the face of dealing with obnoxious bill collectors or dishonest repairmen, but that is where compassion comes in. Compassion is not a form of blind forgiveness—I don’t have to say, “It’s okay” to the mugger who’s just stolen my wallet—but, rather, it is a form of understanding that bad things do occur, that although they may occur to me, the universe is not personally out to get me, and that the mugger who mugged me, the bill collector who cursed me or the repairman who overcharged me, is acting out of their own unhappiness. I don’t have to turn any cheeks or allow it to happen ever again. I don’t have to embrace them as misguided souls. I don’t have to let it fester and make me sick and angry either. I just have to grasp the idea that the mugger, the bill collector and the repairman are all human, like me, and all subject to the same faults and foibles that I am. Sound tough? It sure is. That’s why it’s a lifelong practice.Anybody coming here for a bullet-point approach to solving all of life’s problems or to be reassured by pop-psychology tripe will be disappointed in this book. This is a substantive popular work that gives back to the reader exactly what the reader puts in.

A Few Flickers of Light…
This is the first book I read from the Dalai Lama (I also purchased — Ethics for the New Millennium which I will begin shortly). The Art of Happiness was a good book, but I have to be honest — there are some slow moving points. Many times throughout the book I found my mind drifting — trying to pay attention. Perhaps the book went into too much detail. As I was reading, I noticed some good points mentioned, and then it would drop into the minutiae of repetitive phrases and sentences which forced me to lose my concentration. Possibly, this book might be a tad better if there was a shortened version (maybe we just need to trim the fat)…On the other hand, there were some very good points in this hardcover that I would like to mention:1. Sometimes we add to our own suffering (and we don’t even know it).Maybe we overreact or perhaps we’re too sensitive about a certain topic. Many times we’re unaware of our own actions, and we blow things out of proportion; meanwhile we lose sight of the more important issues at hand. Moving forward, we must all learn how to respond to situations better.2. Change is not necessarily a bad thing, and we seem to forget that.If we look at change in a positive way – our present hardship could turn out to be just a natural part of life and actually benefit us in the process. We must look at life’s hardships as an opportunity to grow, and mature. Do not try to rid yourself of these obstacles, rather embrace them and learn from them.3. The enemy is a challenge of our patience.Nobody tests us like an enemy, not our friends, no one. We can look at our enemy as a great teacher of tolerance. We have very few friends and even less enemies (most of us anyway). So, in that light, an enemy is a rare gift, a useful tool to take advantage of and educate oneself.4. Pain: who would have thought, but pain actually has a purpose.Pain is here to safeguard us from further damage. It is almost like an alarm system constantly on the lookout. Even though pain is truly unpleasant, at the same time – it calls our body into action to respond. It also serves as a reminder so we don’t forget such a painful experience. Be thankful we have pain so that we can be united with our own body. In closing, pain is one way that we certainly discern that we’re alive.

La filosofía budista merece todos mis respetos y en particular la figura del Dalai Lama, después de todo lo que ha pasado, en su proclama de fomentar los estados mentales positivos, como la comprensión, la amabilidad y la compasión, en el camino a una mejor salud psicológica y felicidad. La lectura es sencilla y práctica. El texto ha sido preparado por un psiquiatra norteamericano, a partir de las entrevistas y conversaciones, con el Dalai a lo largo de varios años, por lo que en numerosas ocasiones plantea las formas y puntos de vista occidentales frente al budismo.Desde mi punto de vista una lectura obligada.

Reading it every day can keep calm. It is impressive.

The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living ist ein bemerkenswertes Buch, das einen tiefgreifenden Einblick in die Suche nach Glück und innerer Zufriedenheit bietet. Geschrieben von dem Dalai Lama und dem Psychiater Howard C. Cutler, stellt es eine inspirierende Anleitung für ein erfülltes Leben dar.Das Buch präsentiert eine Kombination aus buddhistischer Weisheit und westlicher Psychologie, die einen einzigartigen Ansatz für das Verständnis und die Erreichung von Glück bietet. Es regt dazu an, die eigene Wahrnehmung von Glück zu überdenken und bietet praktische Werkzeuge, um eine positive Einstellung zu entwickeln und schwierige Situationen zu bewältigen.Die Weisheit des Dalai Lama strahlt in jedem Kapitel des Buches. Seine klaren und einfühlsamen Botschaften ermutigen den Leser, sich mit sich selbst und anderen in Verbindung zu setzen, um wahres Glück zu finden. Die gemeinsamen Dialoge mit Howard C. Cutler bringen auch die westliche Perspektive ein und bieten interessante Einblicke und Anregungen.The Art of Happiness ist leicht verständlich geschrieben und enthält zahlreiche praktische Beispiele, Übungen und Fallstudien. Diese helfen dabei, die Konzepte in den Alltag zu integrieren und schrittweise positive Veränderungen herbeizuführen.Das Buch behandelt auch Themen wie Mitgefühl, Beziehungen, Arbeit und die Bedeutung von Selbstreflexion. Es bietet eine ganzheitliche Herangehensweise an das Glück und ermutigt den Leser, sich selbst besser kennenzulernen und die eigene Lebensführung zu gestalten.Insgesamt kann ich The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living wärmstens empfehlen. Es ist eine Quelle der Inspiration und eine wertvolle Ressource für jeden, der nach einem tieferen Sinn des Lebens sucht und nachhaltige Freude und Erfüllung finden möchte. Es ist ein Buch, das man immer wieder zur Hand nehmen kann, um neue Erkenntnisse und Weisheit zu entdecken.