READ THIS: THE ART OF HAPPINESS A Handbook for Living 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler, M.D.
Our lives are so busy in Manhattan we rush rush rush. Do we ever reflect? If you can carve out some time in your life this upcoming weekend, we cannot think of a more deserving book for you to spend your time with to at least START reading, you busy Manhattanite! Whom You Know recommends The Art of Happiness.
The Art of Happiness when it comes down to it, is common sense simplified through emotions. Everything that the Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler say makes absolute sense; however, in our overcommitted, overworked, overstressed lives we may have so much "clutter" in our brains that such simple truths may not be immediately self-evident.
The thesis of the work is that we are all fundamentally the same: we all want to be happy. And when we have trouble getting there and do not see something the way someone else does, we need to practice compassion above all else. In today's economy especially we think it is a fabulous idea for all of us to replace GDP with GNH, as the book suggests. By the way, GNH is Gross National Happiness. Wanting and appreciate what you have is a key component to this, also as the book suggests. We do agree that honesty and confidence have a direct relationship as well.
Some profound quotes from the book that we like include:
"The more sophisticated your level of education and knowledge about what leads to happiness and what causes suffering, the more effective you will be in achieving happiness."
"In examining the subject of basic human nature, most researchers in the field currently feel that fundamentally we have the potential to develop into gentle, caring people or violent, aggressive people; the impulse that gets emphasized is largely a matter of training."
"For example, in overcoming anger, although animals may experience anger, they cannot understand that anger is destructive. In the case of human beings, however, there is a different level, where you have a kind of self-awareness that allows you to reflect and observe that when anger arises, it hurts you."
"...hatred and anger are considered to be the greatest evils because they are the greatest obstacles to developing compassion and altruism, and they destroy one's virtue and calmness of mind."
"Compassion can be roughly defined in terms of a state of mind that is nonviolent, nonharming, and nonaggresive. It is a mental attitude based on the wish for others to be free of their suffering and is associated with a sense of commitment, responsibility, and respect towards the other."
"The proper utilization of our intelligence and knowledge is to effect changes from within to develop a good heart."
If you ask the Dalai Lama if he is happy, his answer is an unqualified yes. The spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet, a tireless advocate of human rights and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, the Dalai Lama always seems to be smiling and laughing, despite having suffered the devastating loss of his country and being confronted with the endless responsibilities of a world leader. Convinced that the Dalai Lama had learned how to live with a degree of fulfillment and serenity that he had never seen in other people, the American psychiatrist Howard C. Cutler set out to discover the beliefs and practices that had helped him to achieve this, and to bring these methods to a Western audience. That journey became THE ART OF HAPPINESS, a beloved and bestselling text that has helped countless individuals of all backgrounds to overcome fear and cultivate true happiness in their own lives.
Updated with new material by both the Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler, THE ART OF HAPPINESS, 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION (Riverhead Books; Publication Date: October 1, 2009; ISBN: 978-1-59448-889-4; Price: $25.95), continues to spread a message of hope that genuine happiness is an achievable goal and to provide a strategy by which to pursue it, “Researchers often wonder about the causal sequence between compassion and happiness. They ask ‘Is it the case that compassionate people are happier?’ or ‘Is it the case that happy people are more compassionate?’ On a practical level, I suppose, which of the two comes first does not really matter. What matters is that we can cultivate both” (Dalai Lama, New Preface 2).
Based on a series of extensive conversations that took place over a period of many years, THE ART OF HAPPINESS takes on life’s most vital questions. What is the purpose of life? What is the path to true happiness? How can one overcome suffering and loss? With a clear-eyed and accessible approach, the Dalai Lama teaches that the ultimate objective in life is to seek happiness, and that real and lasting happiness can be obtained not by bettering one’s outward circumstances—by seeking wealth or power, the perfect mate or the perfect physique—but by training the mind through daily practice and dedication, in much the same way that you would train in any other skill. By cultivating an inner discipline, we can undergo a dramatic transformation in our outlook and approach to living, drawing on our inner resources to attain a greater sense of joy and happiness in daily life.
Offering concrete techniques and practices that help to overcome anxiety, depression, anger, and loneliness, the Dalai Lama enlightens us to the idea that we do not have to depend on luck or chance in order to find happiness—in fact each of us already has the tools for creating real happiness in our lives right now. Dr. Cutler goes on to say that, “Scientific studies have shown that happy people are more likely to attract a mate, enjoy stronger and more satisfying marriages, and are better parents. Happy people are also healthier, with better immune function and less cardiovascular disease. There is even evidence that happy individuals live up to 10 years longer than their less happy peers! In addition, happiness leads to better mental health, greater resilience, and an increased capacity to deal with adversity and trauma.”
Addressing the essential issues of modern life, from relationships and the pursuit of wealth to disappointment and loss, the Dalai Lama draws on his personal experiences, openly discussing his life in exile, the death of his mother and brother, and the burdens of a world leader. At every turn, Cutler subjects the Dalai Lama’s precepts to the scrutiny of modern-day science, furthering them with psychological principles and scientific evidence, and relating his own efforts to incorporate these ideas into his everyday life. Integrating the best of the East and the West—age-old Buddhist principles and practices with contemporary Western psychology and science—the Dalai Lama and Dr. Cutler come together to provide a systematic approach to achieving greater happiness in real world terms.
According to the Dalai Lama in his new preface:
- Researchers on human happiness identify compassionate service to others to be one of the key characteristics shared by many of the world’s happiest people. To me this makes perfect sense. When we help others, the focus of our mind assumes a broader horizon within which we are able to see our own petty problems in a more realistic proportion. What previously appears to be too daunting and unbearable tends to loose its intensity, which is what often makes our problems so overwhelming.
A New York Times bestseller (which stayed on the list for two years), THE ART OF HAPPINESS has sold well over a million copies, been translated into fifty languages, and become a venerated classic. Transcending borders to help readers face issues common to all human beings, the book has spread its message of compassion, unity, and inner peace to countless people around the world. Now, with a touching new preface by the Dalai Lama and a compelling new introduction by Cutler, which update the book with new findings and information, THE ART OF HAPPINESS, 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION, celebrates a seminal text now in its tenth year, but with a wisdom that is ultimately timeless, “…no matter whether the approach to happiness is seen through the lens of traditional Buddhist wisdom or modern scientific research—the purpose is the same: it is our hope that you can apply the ideas presented in this book to your own life, discovering a way to transcend suffering and adversity and find a life of genuine and lasting happiness.”
Tenzin Gyatso, His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, is the spiritual and temporal leader of the Tibetan people. His tireless efforts on behalf of human rights and world peace have brought him international recognition. He is a recipient of the Wallenberg Award (conferred by the U.S. Congressional Human Rights Foundation), the Albert Schweitzer Award, the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal, and the Nobel Peace Prize.
Howard C. Cutler, M.D. is a psychiatrist, bestselling author, and speaker. He is co-author with H.H. the Dalai Lama of the acclaimed Art of Happiness series of books, which have been translated into 50 languages and have appeared on bestseller lists throughout the world. The groundbreaking first volume, The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living, appeared on The New York Times bestseller list for 97 weeks. He currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona
By His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler, M.D.
Riverhead Books
Publication Date: October 1, 2009
Price: $25.95
ISBN: 978-1-59448-889-4
