The Art of Happiness by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cuttler
The Art of Happiness is a fundamental read for anyone interested in navigating through life in harmony with themselves and those around them.
“At a fundamental level, we are all the same, each one of us aspires to happiness and each one of us does not wish to suffer. This is our most fundamental reality. And on this level, the problems that we each face as human beings remain the same.”
With this premise, throughout the book, the Dalai Lama presents ways to deal with thoughts, feelings, emotions and attitudes.
The inspirational conversations between His Holiness The Dalai Lama, and psychiatrist Howard C. Cuttler, guide us to our longed-for and deserved happiness.
On Part I of the book, The Purpose of Life, the Dalai Lama start by affirming that “…the purpose of our life is to seek happiness. That is clear”. He then goes on to explain his position and how we can achieve happiness by adjusting our attitude toward life events.
While Part I focuses on the individual, Part II ofThe Art of Happiness , Human Warmth and Compassion, focuses on our relationship to those around us. Here we learn how to relate and connect with others with using compassion as the driving force.
On Part III, Transforming Suffering, we learn how to embrace life circumstances and events in an attempt to free ourselves from suffering.
Part IV, Overcoming Obstacles, teaches us about change, dealing with anger, hatred, anxiety and building self-esteem.
The Art of Happiness finishes with Part V, Closing Reflections on Living a Spiritual Life, where the Dalai lama clarifies the difference between religion and spirituality and explains the importance of pursuing a spiritual life.
Between the Dalai Lama’s eastern spiritual views, as a Tibetan Buddhist, and Dr. Howard C Cutler’s western perspective, this books covers a myriad of aspects of human life, making it a powerful tool to learn how to live a purposeful and fulfilling life.
