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The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living | 
 enlarge | Author: His Holiness The Dalai Lama
Creator: Howard C. Cutler
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Category: Book
List Price: $18.00
Buy New: $1.30
You Save: $16.70 (93%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  345 reviews
Sales Rank: 248614
Format: Abridged, Audiobook
Media: Audio Cassette
Edition: Abridged
Number Of Items: 2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 4.6 x 0.8
ISBN: 0671582739
Dewey Decimal Number: 294.3444
EAN: 9780671582739
ASIN: 0671582739
Publication Date: November 1, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to sit down with the Dalai Lama and really press him about life's persistent questions? Why are so many people unhappy? How can I abjure loneliness? How can we reduce conflict? Is romantic love true love? Why do we suffer? How should we deal with unfairness and anger? How do you handle the death of a loved one? These are the conundrums that psychiatrist Howard Cutler poses to the Dalai Lama during an extended period of interviews in The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living. At first, the Dalai Lama's answers seem simplistic, like a surface reading of Robert Fulghum: Ask yourself if you really need something; our enemies can be our teachers; compassion brings peace of mind. Cutler pushes: But some people do seem happy with lots of possessions; but "suffering is life" is so pessimistic; but going to extremes provides the zest in life; but what if I don't believe in karma? As the Dalai Lama's responses become more involved, a coherent philosophy takes shape. Cutler then develops the Dalai Lama's answers in the context of scientific studies and cases from his own practice, substantiating and elaborating on what he finds to be a revolutionary psychology. Like any art, the art of happiness requires study and practice--and the talent for it, the Dalai Lama assures us, is in our nature. --Brian Bruya
Book Description
Nearly every time you see him, he's laughing, or at least he's smiling. And he makes everyone else around him feel like smiling. He's the Dalai Lama, the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet, the Nobel Prize winner, and increasingly popular speaker and statesman. Why is he so popular? Even after spending just a few minutes in his presence you can't help feeling just a little bit happier. The Dalai Lama is probably one of the only people in the world who if you ask him if he's happy, even though he's suffered the loss of his country, will give you an unconditional "yes." What's more, he'll tell you that happiness is the purpose of life, and that "the very motion of our life is towards happiness." How to get them has always been the question. He's tried to answer it before, but he's never had the help of a psychiatrist to get the message across in a context we can easily understand. Through meditations, stories and the meeting of Buddhism and psychology, the Dalai Lama shows us how to defeat day-to-day depression, anxiety, anger, jealousy, or just an ordinary bad mood. He discusses relationships, health, family, work, and spirituality to show us how to ride through life's obstacles on a deep and abiding source of inner peace. Based on 2500 years of Buddhist meditations mixed with a healthy dose of common sense, The Art of Happiness is an audiobook that crosses the boundaries of all traditions to help listeners with the difficulties common to all human beings.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 340 more reviews...
 Courage to Say "I Don't Know" August 2, 2008
I salute the Dalai Lama to have the courage to say "I don't know" on confronting with common human problems, such as a self-destructive woman mentioned by Dr. Howard Cutler. But His Holiness did answer the question, in a more unhurried way, which he called The Art of Happiness. In the book he raised more questions than a psychiatrist could raise and answered some of them which not even a neuroscientist would like to try. Life is not mysterious, but to be happy is. We need medical sciences definitely, but a humanly love or concern, no matter how faint, should not be slighted.
Happiness - Combining East -West Perspectives June 16, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Happiness is a core state we all seek to achieve. Thanks, in part, to the Positive Psychology movement, happiness has taken center stage and is now the focus of a significant amount of attention. On a recent visit to a large, chain bookstore, I noticed one whole table devoted to books related to happiness. It appears that a happiness movement is underway.
It is said that happiness can be achieved through external and internal means. Happiness achieved through external means is, unfortunately, short-lived. Life long happiness is derived from internal sources - positive states such as kindness, compassion and tolerance.
The value of this book lies in its presentation of a framework the reader can use to attain these positive states - a framework based on the integration of scientific psychological research and Buddhist philosophical principles. In addition to the framework, each of the chapters contains exercises the reader can use to reinforce the learnings presented in the chapter.
Due to our survival instinct, negative states of mind often predominate our thinking. Negative states impede or dilute our happiness. To increase your level of happiness, the authors argue that these negative states need to be combated through the greater cultivation of positive mental states. The content of this book will help guide you towards developing these positive mental states.
Seeking greater happiness? This book represents a good starting point from which to start your journey.
Powerful and elegant June 10, 2008
A very simple, yet enjoyable, read, but I especially enjoyed hearing his voice on the audiobook.
 misleading May 31, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I am about half way through this book and am a bit dissappointed. I wanted to see what others thought of the book and BlueJack's review, unfortunately hits the nail on the head. This is Cutler's book. This book is not by the Dalai Lama. While I do think the concepts of a right to happiness, compassion, non-reaction, etc., are great for personal spiritual growth, I feel that the Dalai Lama's true message has been filtered through a much less able interpreter. I find Eckhart Tolle much more transformative. If you are interested in how Buddhism can help a non-Buddhist read "The Naked Buddha."
Best Buddhism book for westerners and beginners May 25, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
If you are unfamiliar with Buddhism, then this book is a good place to start. Also, if you believe fully in the scientific method, as I do, but are interested in Buddhism, then again, this is probably the best place to start.
Instead of overwhelming you with a bunch of Buddhist lingo and ideas as some books do, this book is very gentle in introducing Buddhist ideas and philosophy. Written by a western psychiatrist, it is very good at bridging the gap between western thought and the Dalai Lama's Buddhist wisdom. Cutler asks all the typical questions that westerners have when first exploring Buddhism, so you're not left thinking "Well what about this?". He also adds anecdotal evidence from his private practice to further explain the Dalai Lama's points, which is very helpful.
One of the best things about this book is it's PRACTICAL advice, just little things you can do every day to be a happier person. I think it would be impossible for anyone to read this book and not get something out of it, not be able to make meaningful changes in their life to be a happier person.
If you want to delve a little deeper after this book, I would recommend getting "Healing Anger: The power of patience from a Buddhist's perspective" by His Holiness, which is a translated version of the actual talks that the Dalai Lama gave in Arizona- which Cutler attended and discusses in the Art of Happiness. If you're new to Buddhism like I am, then you'll be glad you read the Art of Happiness first and Healing Anger will make much more sense thanks to Cutler's practical introduction to these ideas.
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