Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Happiness According to the Dalai Lama, 8 Dec 2008
This book is suppose to represent the Dalai Lama's views on happiness. Readers should know right off the bat that the Dalai Lama didn't actually write this book. Rather, the book is written by a Western psychiatrist who has had extensive converations with His Holiness. To insure that there were no "inadvertant distortions" of the Dalai Lama's ideas as a result of the editorial process, the Dalai Lama's interpreter reviewed the final manuscript. You be the judge as to whether that means this there was nothing "lost in translation".
So who is this Dalai Lama, aka "His Holiness" anyway? And, why should we read a book about happiness by him? Well, the Dalai Lama is the spiritual and political leader of the Tibetan people according to Tibetan Buddhism- which in my book makes him a person I'd want to listen to when he talks, especially when it's on one of my favorite subjects, happiness. And if this all sounds like an interesting topic for a book, you should read it- you won't be disappointed.
Now this is the kind of book I could write a long review of- simply because there's just so much wisdom packed into it. But, I think I'll take a short-cut with this one and just hit the highlights.
The Dalai Lama believes that the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness. Other happiness books have also taken this same position. For example, the book Finding Happiness in a Frustrating World refers to happiness as "the ultimate pursuit". On this most will agree, but what exactly does the Dalai Lama tell us about finding it?
As with most of his ideas on things, the concept is clear and simple: happiness can be achieved through training the mind. According to the Dalai Lama, one begins by identifying those factors which lead to happiness, and those factors which lead to suffering.
Having done this, one then sets about gradually eliminating those factors which lead to suffering and cultivating those which lead to happiness. That is the way.
To that end, that's exactly what makes up the majority of this book's pages- ways to eliminate factors in your life that lead to suffering, and learning to foster those factors that lead to happiness. Some specific topics include:
-facing suffering
-dealing with anger, hatred, and anxiety
-building self-esteem
-deepening your connection to others
When all is said and done, I'd have to say that the time you spend mulling over the book's 300-plus pages is going to be well worth it. For most readers, the Dalai Lama's wisdom and views will probably be very beneficial, if not transforming. Happy trails!
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67 of 78 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An exceptional book for readers from any tradition, 12 Aug 2000
By A Customer
Howard C Cutler, an experienced practising psychotherapist, spent years, in America and India, talking with HH The Dalai Lama, presenting him with problems encountered in Western life, and recording his responses. Cutler arranged the results into a sequence which leads us through the universal search for happiness, the obstacles, and how it can really be achieved.In reading fairly widely on these subjects, from both a Western and an Eastern perspective, I have never before come across a book which compares the two, point by point, resolving apparent conflicts, and extracting the fundamental truths which lie beneath, making the differences seem essentially superficial. For me, this approach resolved problems which I have never solved before. For instance, the anomaly of perceived attitudes to anger - the Western ("don't suppress it, express it"), and the Eastern ("rise above it"). The answer isn't simple, but it's in this book. The Art of Happiness - A Handbook for Living is, as its name suggests, a practical handbook. It is best read from beginning to end, but thereafter accessible by dipping into a section as needed. I have had my copy for a long time, and keep returning to it. For example, re-reading the section 'Dealing with Anxiety' puts such feelings into perspective and reinforces pragmatic solutions. There's a lively approach throughout, punctuated by illustrations from Howard Cutler's case-book - real examples of the problems of people he has dealt with over many years in practice, and occasionally his own worries about life. The Dalai Lama also contributes some examples from people he has met, and his own experience. Both can be enlightening and humorous. Spiritual and emotional issues are often discussed with reference to scientific research. These contrasts, and the lively pace, mean that although fundamental issues of great depth are being explored, this is no dry, theoretical discussion. In fact, it is a book which can be very hard to put down. This is a book for those from all faiths and none. Buddhism is not an evangelical faith, and the Dalai Lama makes clear his respect for all religions, pointing out the truths common to all. Perhaps the ultimate test - on finishing this book, I felt happier than I have for a very long time. Put into daily practice, this really is A Handbook for Living. JCB, BA(Hons) Psychology
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
The style of this book lets it down, 21 Feb 2008
I first came to this book after one of my counselling clients mentioned that he had been reading it, and that he thought it had helped him to further understand how he needed to change. Intrigued, I decided to get my hands on the book to see if I could discover why he found it so useful.
As you could expect from a book that has the involvement of the Dalai Lama, what I found was a very spiritual, compassionate discourse on life. However, like a previous reviewer, I also found that the voice of Howard Cutler lets this book down. Although I can understand why they have decided to tackle this subject in the way they have - the book is set out as an interview between the two men, interspersed with anecdotes from Cutler's own experience - I feel that it takes focus away from the Dalai Lama's voice. I would prefer this book if it was just a commentary by the Dalai Lama.
That gripe aside, I think THE ART OF HAPPINESS is a delightful way to bring Western thinkers around to another way of seeing life and themselves. As a way of introducing Tibetan Buddhism, this book is a triumph - it is engaging, enjoyable, thought-provoking and an easy way of beginning an interest in this philosophy.
If you read this and enjoy it, I would also recommned that you then go and read some work by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist monk who writes beautiful books on Buddhism.
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