The Art of Happiness: A Handbook For Living – according to the Dalai Lama is a book for the ages.
It’s full of insights and sage wisdom offered up freely by His Holiness.
The book is a write up of a set of talks and insights with the Dalai Lama.
So what are your thoughts on life and living it powerfully? Is there really an art to it? Can it even be achieved? Are there people who are truly happy?
According to the Dalai Lama, Yes. It is possible, attainable, achievable, within our reach. There are certain guidelines to sustained authentic happiness. There is a stream of consciousness we have to follow to get to that ultimate place of perhaps not happiness, but some level of contentment.
We will never be fully content or fully happy go lucky. Those moments of happiness, joy and euphoria are much fewer than the challenging and not so happy moments. I know it’s hardWhile His Holiness speaks about compassion, pain, anger, resentments and so much more it is one point he speaks of that was the sticking point for me.
It is the point of acceptance. The Dalai Lama suggests many people who practice eastern religions believe in reincarnation and this belief allows a greater measure of acceptance.
I’d be happy to share some insights from “The Art of Happiness” by the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler. Rather than reproducing direct excerpts (which would be copyrighted material), I can summarize some of the key wisdom and teachings from this influential book.
Core concepts from “The Art of Happiness” include:
- The Dalai Lama’s perspective that the very purpose of life is to seek happiness, which comes from inner contentment rather than external circumstances
- The importance of training the mind through meditation and mental discipline to cultivate positive mental states and reduce negative emotions
- His explanation that compassion and concern for others are essential foundations for happiness, as they connect us to our shared humanity
- The Dalai Lama’s approach to dealing with suffering through acceptance, perspective, and using difficulties as opportunities for growth
- His teachings on how to transform anxiety, anger, and other negative emotions through understanding their root causes
- The concept that happiness is determined more by one’s state of mind than by external events
The book combines the Dalai Lama’s Buddhist teachings with Dr. Cutler’s perspective as a Western psychiatrist, creating a unique blend of Eastern wisdom and Western psychological understanding about the pursuit of happiness.
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Thank you for reading and do get your copy of the Dalai Lama’s book.
From Chapter One Titled – The Right To Happiness
“I believe that the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness. That is clear. Whether one believes in religion or not, whether one believes in this religion or that religion, we all are seeking something better in life. So, I think, the very motion of our life is towards happiness…..”
Dalai Lama
Excerpt from The Art Of Happiness