About this title: In this best-selling book, psychiatrist Howard C. Cutler interviews the Dalai Lama about the topic of happiness. How can we be happy? Why can't we stay happy? What causes unhappiness? In a series of thought-provoking conversations, Cutler coaxes some answers from his subject. The answers are simple, but the prescription is not easy. Happiness, according to the venerable Buddhist leader, is a discipline of both the mind and the heart. Anger, resentment, anxiety, and conflict all occur when we let our thoughts dwell on separation and negativity. Opening our hearts to others, and understanding ...
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Description: Fair. Dust Cover Missing. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Acceptable. Book is in good reading condition. Cover has wear at edges and corners. Spine has wear at edges. Dust jacket has some wear. read more
Description: Good. Book shows minor use. Cover and Binding have minimal wear and the pages have only minimal creases. A tradition of southern quality and service. All books guaranteed at the Atlanta Book Company. read more
Description: Good. Book shows minor use. Cover and Binding have minimal wear and the pages have only minimal creases. A tradition of southern quality and service. All books guaranteed at the Atlanta Book Company. read more
Description: Very good. Light wear to edges and pages. Cover and spine show no easily noticeable damage. A tradition of southern quality and service. All books guaranteed at the Atlanta Book Company. read more
Description: Satisfaction Guaranteed. Shipped quickly. 1998. Hardcover. Used, very good. Very good overall with light to moderate wear. No dust jacket. read more
Description: Satisfaction Guaranteed. Shipped quickly. 1998. Hardcover. Used, very good. Very good overall with light to moderate wear. No dust jacket. read more
Description: Satisfaction Guaranteed. Shipped quickly. 1998. Hardcover. Used, very good. Very good overall with light to moderate wear. Includes dust jacket. read more
"This book is an interesting collaboration between the spiritual leader of the world's Tibetan Buddhists and an American psychiatrist. Of the two, I found the psychiatrist's thoughts the more insightful -- or at least the most useful. But then, I'm a Westerner. The Dalai Lama's musings sound a little bit like a collection of uplifting sayings, like Tibetan versions of "count your blessings", "accentuate the positive" and the like. He deals in moral exhortation at the level of abstraction. And since human beings are best taught about rules for right living by telling stories, the Dalai Lama tends to sound a bit tired and trite after a while. He would have made a lousy televangelist, but he seems to be very effective in person, where his presence, warmth and personal virtues touch the listener more directly. There has to be a pretty good reason that, of all the world's major religious leaders, he seems the most effective in reaching out to members of other faiths.
For me, the most memorable part of the Dalai Lama's teachings centered on personal discipline. Just as you can discipline yourself by training your body to be, for example, a great marathon running machine, so too you can discipline your mind to focus on the central purpose of human existence: happiness. To direct that search for happiness properly, says the Dalai Lama, "The first step in seeking happiness is learning." You learn to be aware of and to combat negative emotions - greed, anger, envy - and cultivate positive states of mind based on compassion, kindness and calmness.
Cutler acts as the interviewer in the book, leading the Dalai Lama in conversation. But, in addition, he supplements the material with evidence from Western psychological research as well as his personal story-telling. For me, actual evidence combined with good narrative makes for much more interesting reading than hearing the Dalai Lama say that we need to reduce bad thoughts and increase good thoughts. Seems sensible enough, but hard to put into practice.
Yet the authors do not completely ignore the "practice" that must follow the mastery of the theory. For example, here's one passage on that topic: "'Will it bring me happiness?' That simple question can be a powerful tool in helping us skillfully conduct all areas of our lives, not just in the decisions whether to indulge in drugs or that third piece of cream pie... With that perspective, it's easier to make the right decisions because we are acting to give ourselves, something, not denying or withholding something from ourselves - an attitude of moving toward rather than moving away, an attitude of embracing life rather than rejecting it."
The hand of Cutler in the book is most obvious when he cites research to buttress his arguments. For example: "Survey after survey has shown that it is unhappy people who tend to be most self-focused and are often socially withdrawn, brooding, and even antagonistic. Happy people, in contrast, are generally found to be more sociable, flexible, and creative and are able to tolerate life's daily frustrations more easily than unhappy people. And, most important, they are found to be more living and forgiving that unhappy people."
Here's a passage that summarizes well the core message of The Art of Happiness: "So, how can we achieve inner contentment? There are two methods. One method is to obtain everything that we want and desire - all the money, houses and cars; the perfect mate; and the perfect body... The second and more reliable method is not to have what we want but rather to want and appreciate what we have.""
"I listened to this book on my iPhone and don't plan to ever remove the file for I see many re-listenings in my future. I think I will get something more from it every time. The ideas in the book are actually quite simple: our most natural desire is to be happy. And, when we're happy, those around us are happier, and everyone makes better decisions and enjoys their lives more. Of course, with all the distractions and negative emotions zooming around this world, it's easy to lose your center and your grip on happiness. In this text, an American psychologist speaks with Dalai Lama and together they offer an understandable description of Buddhism and its principles and how they can be applied to American life. Towards the end of the text, Dalai Lama emphasizes the importance of and need for multiple religions in the world and accents the fact that no one religion is the right religion."
"This is a book that I will always have on my bookshelf. For me it is a reference book on living a more peaceful life. This book changed my life in so many ways. I truly believe Americans are hard wired for aggression and fighting. Not in a physical way, but in a spiritually and emotionally. We are taught to "fight" for everything and to always do what we can to get ahead. In the religion I was exposed to we are taught our beliefs are "the only truth". This book challenged some of my deepest thoughts about living, spirituality, and life. It forced me to rethink how I behave and think towards others. Especially those who are a challenge to me or are different than me.
One of the best parts of this book is how the Dalai Lama explains that our religion doesn't have to be enclusive of only our religion. We really can benefit from learning about other religions.
"I'd been meaning to read something written by the Dalai Lama for quite a while, and this one was cheap so I picked it up. Also, I was interested in the comparison of views between a western psychiatrist and a religious figure. Personally, I didn't think this really worked out. Mostly, Cutler repeats the Dalai Lama's message and links it to psychiatric practice without looking at it from a critical perspective. On the one hand, this is good because it means he gives plenty of space to the views of the Dalai Lama. On the other hand, it makes you wonder about the added value of having him as a writer.
However, this book is still full of nice, thoughtful passages. It's interesting to read about the Dalai Lama's views on happiness, and while I do recognise some of these ideas from cognitive therapy and western self-help book, it's still nice to see them against a different background. Also, it's an easy read and even if you don't agree with all of it, you can still find plenty useful ideas in it."
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