The Art Of Happiness By Dalai Lama Book Review– Staying happy is not something permanent, however it is a choice one constantly has to make. Not all days are going to be shiny and bright some days will be gloomy too.
Researches show happier people tend to generally perform better at tasks and life than those who are too busy cursing their bad days.
Going through my share of gloomy days and also my growing interest in the self help genre after reading the book- “The Power Of Positive thinking By Norman Vincent Peale“, I got my hands on the book “The Art Of Happiness By Dalai Lama”.
Reading through the book was a journey in itself and consciously choosing happiness over whatsoever negativity around you is an art to learn. How to be happy? How to be peaceful? How to keep our mind at peace?
Yes we can do it all.
But how?
You get your answers (or may be not) through the book- The Art Of Happiness By Dalai Lama.
General Overview- Author And The Art Of Happiness
Author Dalai Lama XIV
Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso also, the 14th Dalai Lama, is a practicing member of the Gelug School of Tibetan Buddhism, a proud Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and the world’s most renowned Buddhist monk, and the face of the exiled Tibetan government in India.
He was the 5th of the 16 children in his family and was born to a farming family. He was proclaimed an Enlightened lama who consciously decided to take rebirth of the 13th Dalai Lama just at the age of two.
His is the only Lama to travel west and also the past of many many global discussions.
One of the best things about him is his smile the vibe that it carries. The radiant laughter and his smile are enough to calm a person down.
Book Overview: The Art Of Happiness
The amalgamation of the modern world, science and the ancient tradition has always fascinated me. The Art Of Happiness By Dalai Lama is one of the books which bring out the best from both the worlds, first published in 1988.
The book has describes that the ultimate goal of life is sole happiness. Which in fact is true.
“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”
The Art Of Happiness
The Art Of Happiness is a classic blend between modern psychiatry and the buddha traditions. As time goes by, the people and the problems people deal with also change with time hence the method of dealing with them needs to be changed too.
The changed point of view is put forth in The Art Of Happiness.
The Art Of Happiness By Dalai Lama Book Summary/Plot
Within all beings there is the seed of perfection. However, compassion is required in order to activate that seed which is inherent in our hearts and minds….
-The Art Of HAppiness
The book was first published in the year 1988 which is more than 30 years ago from now and is still one of the most frequently read books in self-help and philosophy genre of books.
The book is a long conversation between An American psychiatrist H H Cutler and one of the greatest spiritual leaders of the world- Dalai lama XIV.
The primary force in the book is to find the happiness within- awaken the giant within. It is the only one that can keep you happy. More than a book, The Art Of Happiness is an exploration.
An exploration of why people cannot stay happy? What are the behaviors which lead to the unhappiness of human life and so many more areas which needed brushing.
The book focuses on how one’s mind is the prime source and the ultimate source of happiness and how it can be attained by every individual.
“If the situation or problem is such that it can be remedied, then there is no need to worry about it. In other words, if there is a solution or a way out of the difficulty, then one needn’t be overwhelmed by it. The appropriate action is to seek its solution.”
Dalai lama
The different thing about this book is that it is not written in narrative form, it is a conversation with the insights and also describing the contexts to some of the things Dalai Lama The Fourteenth had to say.
The Art Of Happiness By Dalai Lama: What To Learn From The Book?
If there is life, there is going to be suffering. There is no life without suffering. This is one of the major take away from the book however you will not find it quoted anywhere in it.
- Although you may not always be able to avoid difficult situations, you can modify the extent to which you can suffer by how you choose to respond to the situation.
- Happiness always comes from within. There is no external factor that will help you be more happy or sad.
- In accepting that suffering is a part of your daily existence, you could begin by examining the factors that normally give rise of feelings of discontent and mental unhappiness.
The more honest you are, the more open, the less fear you will have, because there’s no anxiety about being exposed or revealed to others.
The Art Of Happiness
My Thoughts On The Art Of Happiness By Dalai Lama
Well, what a person thinks about anything- whether music, a movie, a person or a very very casual conversation, it all depends on at what place the person is and from what perspective the person is taking that particular thing in. And this is one of the reasons everyone’s opinions are different.
The Art Of Happiness is one of the easiest books I ever had to read- not just the text and the language but it is also one of the easiest books I had to understand and comprehend. You can’t really do anything about anything unless you do not comprehend what is being told to you and/or read by you.
However, I did find some of the areas of the book which were a bit slow for me to read and sometimes the conversation between the two became forced and draggy.
The Art Of Happiness By Dalai Lama Ratings
The Art Of Happiness By Dalai Lama deserves a 4/5 stars for it is one of the best self-help, philosophy genre books I have ever put my hands on.
The ease, the simplicity, the serenity of the book is divine.
My 4 Star ratings for The Art Of Happiness By Dalai Lama also has to do with the time this book came into my hands but overall the book has done wonders to my mind, thoughts and thinking. However, the one star that I am keeping to myself this time is because of the conversation being slow and repeating nature of questions and henceforth the answers.
But you may find those repeated things to be good because when you repeat things, you remember them better and your mind can put it in a safe spot.
Reader Verdict: Should You Read The Art Of Happiness By Dalai Lama?
Any book which has something to tell you about life is worth reading. The Art Of Happiness By Dalai Lama is one such book with not just ABOUT life but the book has a life itself. You should definitely read this book especially if you are going through your share of rough days, like I did.
Thanking the supreme power of the world, I picked this book at the right time. So, don’t wait for the supreme power for yourself, just get your copy of The Art Of Happiness By Dalai Lama asap and thank me instead!
