Book Introduction:
The Art of Happiness is literally a book for living. Psychiatrist Howard Cutler gave the world his individual discussions with the Dalai Lama through this book. Along with the discussions he also provided the elements from the His holiness’s communal teachings. Being strongly fascinated with the Dalai Lama’s insight of satisfaction and tranquility, Cutler questioned him about the methods that could benefit the rest of us to become “happier, stronger, perhaps less afraid.” The book has sold quite a few, over a million copies.
In this alliance, the subject is happiness at practice. It’s not a surprise, indeed, the Dalai Lama can talk about this vital topic. At the time of the Chinese incursion in 1950, the Tibetan way of life was the outcome of 2,500 years of enlightenment culture. This culture insisted upon liberation from negative emotions and controlling self-interest. Robert Thurman showed this culture in his book, Inner Revolution. The Dalai Lama explains to us how this internal freedom can transform our lives.
Dalai Lama has stated his viewpoints on directing a happier life. The principles of Dalai Lama are then expanded by the views and remarks from the viewpoint of Dr. Cutler. This book can be extremely effective for learning Dalai Lama’s path to living.
His Holiness, Tenzin Gyatso, is the 14th Dalai Lama. He is the religious leader of the state and holy master of the Tibetan people. The books like My Land and My People and Freedom in Exile by Dalai Lama are the best origins to know about him. The Art of Happiness is split into fifteen chapters. These chapters are then classified into five segments. Each segment carries meaningful lessons for enlightened living.
Author Introduction:
The Dalai Lama’s spiritual name is Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso. He is famously known as Tenzin Gyatso who born Lhamo Dhondup. Born on 6 July 1935 is the present and 14th Dalai Lama. He’s esteemed as the most eminent spiritual leader of Tibet. He’s also deemed as an existing Bodhisattva, a manifestation of Avalokiteśvara. The Dalai Lamas are also directors of the Gelug school. The Gelug school is recognized as the newest school of Tibetan Buddhism. It is supervised by the Ganden Tripas.
The 14th was born in Taktser, Tibet. He was chosen as the tulku of the 13th Dalai Lama in 1937. He was officially recognized as the 14th Dalai Lama in a state proclamation near the village of Bumchen in 1939. The 14th’s enthronement commemoration as the Dalai Lama took place in Lhasa on 22 February 1940. After the People’s Republic of China occupied Tibet, he ultimately undertook full political responsibilities on 17 November 1950. He was at the age of 15.
When the 1959 Tibetan rebellion occurred, the Dalai Lama fled to India. he is currently living in exile while continuing to be the most influential spiritual head of Tibet. The Dalai Lama upholds the welfare of the people of Tibet. His stand remains the same to find the Middle Way viewpoint. This attitude could be seen in his negotiations with China. He advocates for the freedom of Tibet and the security of Tibetan culture, including for the religious liberties of Tibetan people.
The Dalai Lama also meets with other world chiefs and rulers. He travels and delivers Tibetan Buddhist instructions. His work involves concentrating on the environment, commerce, gender equality, nonviolence, interfaith discussion, science, astrophysics, Buddhism and psychology, reproductive wellness, and sexuality.
His instructions on Tibetan Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism are pivotal. Along with that, the Dalai Lama’s Kalachakra instructions and inductions are international exhibitions.
The Dalai Lama is also a Nobel Prize laureate. he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1989. He also received the US Congressional Gold Medal in 2006. Time magazine called the Dalai Lama one of the “Children of Mahatma Gandhi” and Gandhi’s spiritual successor to nonviolence.
Excerpts from the book:
Before we jump into the book, a little housekeeping: The following excerpt is taken from the book ‘The Art of Happiness’ (Chapter 2 – The sources of Happiness) By the Dalai Lama. We’ve added bold/Italic to some quotes for importance.
INNER WORTH
We’ve seen how working on our mental outlook is a more effective means of achieving happiness than seeking it through external sources such as wealth, position, or even physical health. Another internal source of happiness, closely linked with an inner feeling of contentment, is a sense of self-worth. In describing the most reliable basis for developing that sense of self-worth, the Dalai Lama explained:
“Now in my case, for instance, suppose I had no depth of human feeling, no capacity for easily creating good friends. Without that, when I lost my own country, when my political authority in Tibet came to an end, becoming a refugee would have been very difficult. While I was in Tibet, because of the way the political system was set up, there was a certain degree of respect given to the office of the Dalai Lama, and people related to me accordingly, regardless of whether they had true affection towards me or not. But if that was the only basis of people’s relation towards me, then when I lost my country, it would have been extremely difficult. But there is another source of worth and dignity from which you can relate to other fellow human beings. You can relate to them because you are still a human being, within the human community. You share that bond. And that human bond is enough to give rise to a sense of worth and dignity. That bond can become a source of consolation in the event that you lose everything else.”
The Dalai Lama stopped for a moment to take a sip of tea, then shaking his head he added, “Unfortunately, when you read history you’ll find cases of emperors or kings in the past who lost their status due to some political upheaval and were forced to leave the country, but the story afterward wasn’t that positive for them. I think without that feeling of affection and connection with other fellow human beings, life becomes very hard. “Generally speaking, you can have two different types of individuals. On the one hand, you can have a wealthy, successful person, surrounded by relatives and so on. If that person’s source of dignity and sense of worth is only material, then so long as his fortune remains, maybe that person can sustain a sense of security. But the moment the fortune wanes, the person will suffer because there is no other refuge. On the other hand, you can have another person enjoying a similar economic status and financial success, but at the same time, that person is warm and affectionate and has a feeling of compassion. Because that person has another source of worth, another source that gives him or her a sense of dignity, another anchor, there is less chance of that person’s becoming depressed if his or her fortune happens to disappear. Through this type of reasoning, you can see the very practical value of human warmth and affection in developing an inner sense of worth.”
Link to get the book:
You can get your copy of ‘The Art of Happiness’ By Dalai Lama from Here:
Amazon.com and Amazon.in
Reviews of the book:
The Art of Happiness
by Dalai Lama XIV, Howard C. Cutler
Nearly every time you see him, he’s laughing, or at least smiling. And he makes everyone else around him feel like smiling. He’s the Dalai Lama, the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet, a Nobel Prize winner, and an increasingly popular speaker and statesman. What’s more, he’ll tell you that happiness is the purpose of life, and that “the very motion of our life is towards happiness.” How to get there has always been the question. He’s tried to answer it before, but he’s never had the help of a psychiatrist to get the message across in a context we can easily understand. Through conversations, stories, and meditations, the Dalai Lama shows us how to defeat day-to-day anxiety, insecurity, anger, and discouragement. Together with Dr. Cutler, he explores many facets of everyday life, including relationships, loss, and the pursuit of wealth, to illustrate how to ride through life’s obstacles on a deep and abiding source of inner peace.
This review was taken from Goodreads.com
In this unique and important book, one of the world’s great spiritual leaders offers his practical wisdom and advice on how we can overcome everyday human problems and achieve lasting happiness.
The Art of Happiness is a highly accessible guide for a western audience, combining the Dalai Lama’s eastern spiritual tradition with Dr. Howard C. Cutler’s western perspective. Covering all key areas of human experience, they apply the principles of Tibetan Buddhism to everyday problems and reveal how one can find balance and complete spiritual and mental freedom.
For the many who wish to understand more about the Dalai Lama’s approach to living, there has never been a book which brings his beliefs so vividly into the real world.
Review by Amazon.com