Art of Happiness [Sale Edition] [Paperback] by Dalai Lama

I have read some reviews regarding the book not being the original work of the Dalai Lama himself. Yes it is true, it is written by Howard C. Cutler solely (not even partly, but completely). However one has to pay attention that Cutler will not be able to complete his work without the innumerate visits to the Lama, and the wisdom gotten from the Lama himself.

The book is very helpful if you have a "western" mentality. It doesn't mean that you have to be from the West though. I myself am an Asian who has lived half of my life away from the East, and thus very much have my inner paradigm shifted towards the west (especially because time living away from east is after age of 17 and onwards..). It provides a good guide in terms of understanding the wisdom, which sounds very simple and straight forward, but not so easy in terms of putting into practice.

Be compassionate, be tolerance towards suffering of life, etc. Sounds really easy. But is that easy for anyone of us to practice and thus cultivate a peace of mind? Not so much I guess. This book will give you good insights, illustrate in simple example how the concepts fit into a western life-style, with the help of Cutler's interpretation.

I give it a 4 stars though, because I think the writer himself (by some examples of his own experience such as going ballistic in India because of a careless cab driver, etc), has not fully absorbed the wisdom himself, and that I think has "discounted" the value of the wisdom. He'd be much more successful, if he could contrast his experience by giving example of how I would have done in the past, and how I do it now because I understand so and so..

It's the first book I purchased regarding the wisdom of Dalai Lama, I think I'm ready to read a book more sophisticated, in the sense that it is written solely by the Lama. I would imagine it becomes more philosophical, more conceptual. So this book would be a good start, for people like me, who looks for something more concrete and "tangible".

Happy reading!

I thought th book was just mediocre, alot of repetition that I've heard before. The book is far too long, and the Western world practices some sort of self reflection, and pursuit of being a good person. There really was nothing new, but this can be used as a preference guide for those unforeseen bad moments crop up in our lives.

This book has changed my outlook on life. No matter what religion you believe in, or don't believe in, the Dalai Lama's thoughts about happiness, love, compassion and goodwill towards all human beings are truly inspiring. It makes you want to be a better person. This is not a book about Buddhism - it's a book about being human, about being the same in our search for happiness and our struggle with suffering. He is truly a wise man and has so much to teach.

The remarkable Dalai Lama offers simple wisdom needed in our complicated world. You don’t need to be a Buddhist to have access to it’s best teachings - and if you follow the path shown in this book you will be happy. So there.

This book gave me the first glimpse of a framework for how to become a better human being and the courage to attempt it. The Dalai Lama gave me the tools (eliminate and cultivate) while Cutler confirmed that we can, albeit hard, change (daily habits). I vowed to make this a daily practice in 2006 and thankfully, everyday, my shower cycles are given to reflection on the wisdom contained in here. And yes, I am much happier :).

I have been reading quite a few inner peace, meditation, enlightening and generally books having to do with seeking happiness. So far this is the best on all accounts. The Dalai Lama's personality really comes through and the recommendations and thoughtful analyses of today's problems and solutions are priceless. A great read, timeless and sure to become the handbook for living for many a peace and happiness practitioner.

This is buddhism translated into not just English, but modern Western culture. It works. Buddhism is not a religion, but a very well-thought-out philosophy of how to view and deal with the world, and one that's very much compatible with our modern science and philosophy.

Just started reading this, but it is a great buy. The begining grabs your attention. I have always been fascinated with the Dali lama. Maybe you could too. Everyone needs a little peace in their life.

The Book is wonderful. It is so interesting to see how the author remedies the Dali Lama's philosophies with his own western biases. The only detractor is that there are many grammatical and spelling errors in the issue that I downloaded. Not sure if its a formatting issue with my Kindle or not.

My grief counselor gave me this book to read. Honestly, I thought the book would be idealistic. When I began reading it, it was not impractical, starry-eyed, or utopian. The book and its message was realistic, especially when he discusses grief. I was constantly asking myself "Why me?" The Dalai Lama disagrees with victimhood. Life is not fair. Western thinking has people believing in fairness and justice. When tragedy affects us, we sometimes cannot cope. The Dalai Lama tells us that we can cope. His focus on positive thinking and training the mind to think positive seemed hard at first. Then I remembered the homily from Mass yesterday, it spoke about excuses. We have excuses in our culture. We have become a society of excuses. The Dalai Lama could have become a disheartened, demoralized, and discouraged after the Chinese invasion. He has more resolve. He also sees positiveness in the world. What do I take from this book: Think positively, of course. I also take away "No excuses!!!"

The Dalai Lama outlines the keys to being succesfully happy in all aspects of ones life and does it with flair and spirituality. I highly recommend this book for those who are struggling everyday to find hope and peace

I borrowed this book so many times from the library that they began to look at me funny. So I got my own copy.

I have read a few other Buddhist books, but Cutler really makes it come across to the Western mind. I have read a dozen or so "happiness" books, but this one had the most impact on me.

Up there with the Bible on how to live.

Despite being written in the 90s, the advice is still very applicable today. Names change, but problems remain similar and this book gives many great techniques to keep your cool about it all. Be the change, that's just real

A beautiful, insightful, and profound collection of philosophies by the Dalai Lama written in a tangible manner by an American psychologist who breaks down the ideas and presents them in a way that all readers can digest and apply. Includes many links to daily life and ties in with modern psychology. Is ideal for all belief systems and is not just geared to Buddhists.

Its a must read book about how the holiness preceieves inner piece and happiness. If your interested in learning across the spectrum about religion its a great book.

DO YOUR RESEARCH :::: RELIGION IS MAN MADE

The Art of Happiness is an amazing book... Must read! It's incredibly inspirational and life-changing. This book is written by Howard C. Cutler, but inspired by the teachings and personal conversations with His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, Tenzin Gyatso. It suggests training techniques suitable for different individuals to incorporate compassion and altruism (among others) into your life, ergo leading you to happiness. This book should be read in stages and not all at once to receive the intended outcome!

This book helped me with getting in touch of where true happiness lies. It is from within. It has changed my view and approach with life. The only thing I did not like was the interview format of the book with author and the Dalai Lama.

This book is wonderful! The Dalai Lama's philosophy can be applied to any religion or even to no religion at all. He shows us the simple and completely understandable path to finding happiness in life. If everyone followed his advice, there would be lasting peace on earth.

In a world of rapid disconnection through electronics, the Dali Lama tries to bring enlightenment to people who don't seem interested. This book will find its way to the right people. Be the right people.

This book is limitless when it comes to learning and understanding yourself and the betterment of you. I have already read this book 2 times and each time it gets better and better. This is my absolute favorite book.

Who knows happiness better than a man who has spent his whole life in exile? A man who remain humble about those who keep him and his people in captivity. Interesting how he still finds true happiness in nothing.

Here is a surprisingly good book, written by a psychiatrist who interviewed the Dalai Lama many times. The book is a combination of narrative by the author and extended quotes of the Dalai Lama's answers. And Cutler asks some good questions.
Sometimes the Dalai Lama's answers seem simple. Part of it is the language. English is obviously not his first language, so he uses almost nothing but ordinary, everyday English -- no jargon, no technical terms, no psychiatric lingo. And yet he obviously has a profound grasp of human nature. Another reason his answers sound simple is because they are rooted in practicality. He isn't trying to explain how things are, he's trying to describe what you can DO to become happier. Descriptions of actions are much simpler and more concrete than explanations.
I'm the author of the book, Self-Help Stuff That Works, and I found the psychiatrist's orientation and the Dalai Lama's practicality combined to make some excellent self-help. I've tried many of the Dalai Lama's suggestions and they really work. One of his suggestions is to think about the similarities between you and other people -- specifically that they want to be happy, just like you do, and they also suffer, just like you do. I know it sounds almost too basic, but when I've actually thought about that while talking to someone, I feel noticeably closer to the person, and that feeling of closeness is relaxing, soothing, calming, and very pleasant. That feeling of closeness increases my happiness.
The Art of Happiness is an excellent book and I recommend it highly.