The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living
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- Create Date：2022-09-04 06:57:52
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Dalai Lama XIV
- ISBN：1573227544
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Summary
Available for the first time in trade paperback， the multi-million copy bestselling guide to happiness from His Holiness the Dalai Lama。
Nearly every time you see him， he's laughing， or at least smiling。 And he makes everyone else around him feel like smiling。 He's the Dalai Lama， the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet， a Nobel Prize winner， and a hugely sought-after speaker and statesman。 Why is he so popular？ Even after spending only a few minutes in his presence you can't help feeling happier。
If you ask him if he's happy， even though he's suffered the loss of his country， the Dalai Lama 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 toward happiness。 How to get there 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。
The Art of Happiness is the book that started the genre of happiness books， and it remains the cornerstone of the field of positive psychology。
Through conversations， stories， and meditations， the Dalai Lama shows us how to defeat day-to-day anxiety， insecurity， anger， and discouragement。 Together with Dr。 Howard Cutler， he explores many facets of everyday life， including relationships， loss， and the pursuit of wealth， to illustrate how to ride through life's obstacles on a deep and abiding source of inner peace。 Based on 2，500 years of Buddhist meditations mixed with a healthy dose of common sense， The Art of Happiness is a book that crosses the boundaries of traditions to help readers with difficulties common to all human beings。 After being in print for ten years， this book has touched countless lives and uplifted spirits around the world。
Nearly every time you see him， he's laughing， or at least smiling。 And he makes everyone else around him feel like smiling。 He's the Dalai Lama， the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet， a Nobel Prize winner， and a hugely sought-after speaker and statesman。 Why is he so popular？ Even after spending only a few minutes in his presence you can't help feeling happier。
If you ask him if he's happy， even though he's suffered the loss of his country， the Dalai Lama 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 toward happiness。 How to get there 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。
The Art of Happiness is the book that started the genre of happiness books， and it remains the cornerstone of the field of positive psychology。
Through conversations， stories， and meditations， the Dalai Lama shows us how to defeat day-to-day anxiety， insecurity， anger， and discouragement。 Together with Dr。 Howard Cutler， he explores many facets of everyday life， including relationships， loss， and the pursuit of wealth， to illustrate how to ride through life's obstacles on a deep and abiding source of inner peace。 Based on 2，500 years of Buddhist meditations mixed with a healthy dose of common sense， The Art of Happiness is a book that crosses the boundaries of traditions to help readers with difficulties common to all human beings。 After being in print for ten years， this book has touched countless lives and uplifted spirits around the world。
Reviews
Alisha Harvey
，
Interesting perspectives。 It’s a good reminder that happiness is a choice
Will Stapleton
，
I recently watched a video about an actor saying that when you get asked the same questions hundreds of times， the answer develops over time because you get so bored of answering it。 I make the connection here because the Dalai Lama has had a lifetime to develop his answers， they are rooted in a common good for everyone， which doesn't really identify the real magic in his affectiveness of dealing with very specific， new situations。 I recently watched a video about an actor saying that when you get asked the same questions hundreds of times， the answer develops over time because you get so bored of answering it。 I make the connection here because the Dalai Lama has had a lifetime to develop his answers， they are rooted in a common good for everyone， which doesn't really identify the real magic in his affectiveness of dealing with very specific， new situations。 。。。more
Arun Philips
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Learnings from the Dalai Lama about the importance of compassion， understanding the impermanence of life and the overlap of scientific and Buddhist ways of thinking about happiness and well-being。
Mirco Blaser
，
Have been meaning to read this for years and finally just found it in the streets in my neighbourhood。It was actually much more psychological and less spiritual than I expected。Quite a refreshing science based， but still quite open minded self-help book。 A lot of good insights into relationships， purpose， ways out of anxiety and some good meditations。
Shalon Montgomery
，
This is my first audiobook and I feel when taking in books such as this audio is the way to go。 This is definitely a book I will listen to again。 Interesting points to agree， disagree and mull over。
Ariel Pope
，
I really struggled to get through this book。 Not sure why， it wasn't particularly difficult to read， but there was a lot to process in the discussions between the author and the Dalai Lama。 I wish I had taken notes so I wouldn't have to read it again in the future to get the nuggets of wisdom out of it。 I really enjoyed the mix of Buddhist and western philosophies。 My understanding of Buddhism is practically non-existent so it was fascinating to read and understand the Dalai Lama's perspective。 I really struggled to get through this book。 Not sure why， it wasn't particularly difficult to read， but there was a lot to process in the discussions between the author and the Dalai Lama。 I wish I had taken notes so I wouldn't have to read it again in the future to get the nuggets of wisdom out of it。 I really enjoyed the mix of Buddhist and western philosophies。 My understanding of Buddhism is practically non-existent so it was fascinating to read and understand the Dalai Lama's perspective。 The main takeaways I got from this work were to practice compassion for everyone， even （and especially） your enemies， and that meditation is very helpful。 。。。more
Ashley
，
Read this a total of 3 times， I read this when I was in bad places in my life。 It WILL change your mindset and outlook on life。 I recommend highlighting important things！
Walter
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There is so much that is disingenuous about this man！ I won't use honorific appellations， but call him simply Tenzin Gyatso， though I could think of many less favourable expressions！ I think much of contemporary Buddhism is poisoned by the neoliberal attitude of North American Buddhists， who are invariably political。 So you are all so holier-than-thou！ Zounds！What really capped it for me in terms of never again touching anything that Tenzin Gyatso or one of his scribes like Cutler have put out i There is so much that is disingenuous about this man！ I won't use honorific appellations， but call him simply Tenzin Gyatso， though I could think of many less favourable expressions！ I think much of contemporary Buddhism is poisoned by the neoliberal attitude of North American Buddhists， who are invariably political。 So you are all so holier-than-thou！ Zounds！What really capped it for me in terms of never again touching anything that Tenzin Gyatso or one of his scribes like Cutler have put out is the fact that this man has asked for his compatriots to receive the toxic #clotshot！ What do we make of a spirit that deceives and leads to perdition？ You can complete the answer yourself。 。。。more
Lucy Spence
，
So much to take from this book。 Maybe we all should？
hungcq
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I picked up this book attempting to understand Buddhism arguments and to crticize them。 But the book is so bad that there is just nothing deserves a criticism。Just a cheap selfhelp book repeating a common platitude: sth is good for you， so just do it。 Lack an understanding of human nature。The fact that mister Dalai Lama approved the author to present his ideas in this way also said just as much about him and Buddhism。
Izzy
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Started off engaging and with time became a bit repetitive towards the end。I like how the psychiatrist showed his scepticism throughout the book but was willing to learn and understand the Dalai Lamas ways。
David Norris
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Lucid， funny and profound。 A secular， scientific Western thinker interviews and comments on the Dalai Lama's teachings。 A simple 300 page insight into the philosophy views on life， suffering and happiness。 Poignant messages for our times that I gained a great deal from。 Lucid， funny and profound。 A secular， scientific Western thinker interviews and comments on the Dalai Lama's teachings。 A simple 300 page insight into the philosophy views on life， suffering and happiness。 Poignant messages for our times that I gained a great deal from。 。。。more
Julie Brochu
，
Un petit livre qui fait du bien！ Parler du bonheur， de la façon de l’accueillir et de le partager… Que demander de mieux pour nourrir notre âme？
Perry Dunn
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There are some amazing ideas in this book。 I love that the presentation is very passive - it's not asserting that you have to believe a specific way， it's simply offering some very inspiring ideas。 When these ideas are flavored in Buddhism， their application to non-Buddhists is discussed as well， in a way that seems comfortably inclusive to all ideologies。 There are some amazing ideas in this book。 I love that the presentation is very passive - it's not asserting that you have to believe a specific way， it's simply offering some very inspiring ideas。 When these ideas are flavored in Buddhism， their application to non-Buddhists is discussed as well， in a way that seems comfortably inclusive to all ideologies。 。。。more
Crystal
，
Very good book！ Some really great wisdom is shared。 The Dalai Lama says， "I believe the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness"。 The concept is that if we， individually， are happy， we spread it to others， who then spread it to others 。。。 and makes this world a more beautiful place。I also appreciated the discussion on happiness vs pleasure。 When you have a choice， say with food， will selecting one make you happy or give you pleasure？ Some will give you both， such as perhaps a banana - it's Very good book！ Some really great wisdom is shared。 The Dalai Lama says， "I believe the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness"。 The concept is that if we， individually， are happy， we spread it to others， who then spread it to others 。。。 and makes this world a more beautiful place。I also appreciated the discussion on happiness vs pleasure。 When you have a choice， say with food， will selecting one make you happy or give you pleasure？ Some will give you both， such as perhaps a banana - it's delicious （pleasurable） and nutritious （contributes to a healthy body and makes our cells happy）。 A piece of cake will give you pleasure but will it also make you happy？ This question can be applied to all kinds of decisions， not just related to food。 。。。more
Liam Motley
，
3。5/5。I think there are many great fundamental Buddhist principles that are discussed in this book。 Great reminders of important things such as compassion and also liked the comparisons between Buddhism and western psychology。I did not love the aspect of Cutler suddenly having the “A-ha！” Moments a few days after speaking to the Dalai Lama as it seemed a bit inorganic - Especially with Buddhism being a practice that takes an incredible amount of discipline and practice。 Overall I think Cutler di 3。5/5。I think there are many great fundamental Buddhist principles that are discussed in this book。 Great reminders of important things such as compassion and also liked the comparisons between Buddhism and western psychology。I did not love the aspect of Cutler suddenly having the “A-ha！” Moments a few days after speaking to the Dalai Lama as it seemed a bit inorganic - Especially with Buddhism being a practice that takes an incredible amount of discipline and practice。 Overall I think Cutler didn’t approach the theories of Buddhism as well as I was expecting which is why I took 1。5 stars off。 Also tried to simplify everything in life when it’s not that simple。Really liked how Cutler demystified what Buddhism actually is and the effort it takes to become enlightened。 Also I think an incredibly significant aspect of the book was emphasizing the importance of spirituality even if you are not necessarily religious。 Spirituality is key in life for physical and mental health。Overall though some very important reminders which is why I rounded it up to 4 stars。 I am walking away from this book with a greater sense of compassion， understanding， and pathway through life which is why I would highly recommend the book， especially for beginners to Buddhism like myself。 。。。more
Eugenio Tamburini
，
I found the balance between Buddhist spirituality and hard psychology fascinating， and it all resulted in some prespective inspiring， practical knowledge。 Some parts of it may feel like common sense， maybe you’ve read other self help books and so this one wouldn’t be as illuminating， but even for an avid self help reader like myself， I found a ton of great insights that ring true。 It’s a book that can make the reader happier and more relaxed， and in today’s stress inducing world， sometimes that’ I found the balance between Buddhist spirituality and hard psychology fascinating， and it all resulted in some prespective inspiring， practical knowledge。 Some parts of it may feel like common sense， maybe you’ve read other self help books and so this one wouldn’t be as illuminating， but even for an avid self help reader like myself， I found a ton of great insights that ring true。 It’s a book that can make the reader happier and more relaxed， and in today’s stress inducing world， sometimes that’s all you need。 。。。more
Sandra Donegan
，
This book contains some wonderful advice and fascinating perspectives on life and living it in the best way。 I will be reading it again as it’s one of those that has so much to offer that you cannot absorb it all in one reading。I wasn’t expecting Howard C Cutler to share as much of his own advice， that surprised me a little and that’s the only reason why it’s not 5 stars from me。 Who knows， maybe I might up my rating after another read。
Chad Segura
，
Genuinely enjoyed the dual discussion on beliefs and psychiatry and their approaches to addressing issues。
Danny Maclean
，
Not very good， it’s really the author just talking about mindless garbage with occasional snippets from the Dali lllama。 To be fair， the snippets from the Dali llama were quite good and insightful to life
Simone Angela
，
I read this in French。I don't not why exactly， but this book makes my skin crawl。 I think this type of "enlightenment" was trendy in the late 90s and early 2000s。 At the time Asian meditation， zen， feng shui， and so on where all the rage among us stressed out Westerners。 I respect these philosophies， but what bothers me 22 years later is that apparently they were the answer to everything， and Buddhists were innately above our secular and brainy world view。 Reading this now feels pretty outdated。 I read this in French。I don't not why exactly， but this book makes my skin crawl。 I think this type of "enlightenment" was trendy in the late 90s and early 2000s。 At the time Asian meditation， zen， feng shui， and so on where all the rage among us stressed out Westerners。 I respect these philosophies， but what bothers me 22 years later is that apparently they were the answer to everything， and Buddhists were innately above our secular and brainy world view。 Reading this now feels pretty outdated。The concepts， in 2022， don't seem new or different from what we've attained in the Western world over the last two decades。It is also painful to read that the author seems to have such a hard time connecting emotionally with the Dalai Lama。 He tries to explain everything rationally to himself in this book。 It seems more a book for himself， reconciling these to him ephemeral ideas with what he's used to， than for us。 。。。more
Hannes
，
The content of the book has some great topics。 And describes various ways of thinking which are interesting or which I recognise or strive towards in my life。The writing style however is not great。 Maybe because the writer is a psychiatrist and not a writer。 Or maybe because it's an older book。 The book is dense， and often comes across patronising。Overal I'd recommend it though。 The content of the book has some great topics。 And describes various ways of thinking which are interesting or which I recognise or strive towards in my life。The writing style however is not great。 Maybe because the writer is a psychiatrist and not a writer。 Or maybe because it's an older book。 The book is dense， and often comes across patronising。Overal I'd recommend it though。 。。。more
Dan Hill
，
As soon as I finished this book I wanted to start it over again。 There’s a lot of wisdom as one would expect。 I hope the messages conveyed will stay with me。
Brendan O'Brien
，
Happiness without wealth
Victor Giustini
，
Manchmal bischen rumgerede， aber sonst interessant。
Oliver
，
Maybe I’m too negative and need to sit back and reflect on my review but this book didn’t flow nicely due to its interview transcript style of writing。 What I gathered was that in the west we have been exposed to a lot of “new” interactions and have in a way corrupted our minds。 I agree with practicing patience and reflection to combat the negative feelings but I am still skeptical about the Dalai Lama’s views as he hasn’t experienced all things （in no fault of his own）。
Edwin Setiadi
，
The science behind the Buddhist wisdomsThis book is written by psychiatrist Howard C。 Cutler， and not by His Holiness the Dalai Lama。 This is an important distinction to make early on as it sets the tone of the book more into the clinical investigative side of happiness， since Dr。 Cutler is a leading expert on the science of human happiness。However， it is also important to distinguish that the big picture of the book is generated from the many interviews and conversations that Dr。 Cutler had wit The science behind the Buddhist wisdomsThis book is written by psychiatrist Howard C。 Cutler， and not by His Holiness the Dalai Lama。 This is an important distinction to make early on as it sets the tone of the book more into the clinical investigative side of happiness， since Dr。 Cutler is a leading expert on the science of human happiness。However， it is also important to distinguish that the big picture of the book is generated from the many interviews and conversations that Dr。 Cutler had with the Dalai Lama， which makes them a perfect combination: the many wonderful Buddhist teachings provided by the Dalai Lama， elaborated by Dr。 Cutler with the scientific explanations behind them。 Now that’s a match made in Nirvana。The result is this magnificent book， the almost anatomical break down of the determinants that create （or prevent） the multiple journeys to our end goal: happiness。Right from the start Dr。 Cutler remarks that， “If there is a fundamental principle in The Art of Happiness with the greatest potential to make a significant contribution to the new science of human happiness， it is this: There is an inextricable link between one’s personal happiness and kindness， compassion， and caring for others。 And this is a two-way street: increased happiness leads to greater compassion， and increased compassion leads to greater happiness。”Indeed， while unhappy people have the tendency to be self-focused， often socially-withdrawn， and even antagonistic in nature， by contrast happy people are generally more sociable， creative， flexible， can endure and tolerate daily frustrations more easily， and perhaps most importantly they are more loving and compassionate。Compassion towards others， of course， includes developing tolerance and understanding even towards our enemies。 As the Dalai Lama commented， “In Buddhism in general， a lot of attention is paid to our attitudes towards our rivals or enemies。 This is because hatred can be the greatest stumbling block to the development of compassion and happiness。 If you can learn to develop patience and tolerance towards your enemies， then everything else becomes much easier—your compassion towards all others begins to flow naturally。”Because what if we go through life never encountering an enemy or any obstacle？ If from birth to death everyone we meet pampered us， helped us， never challenge us， or in short， everyone continued to treat us like a baby？ Sure， it might feel nice at first， but if persisted it could turn us into a some kind of gelatinous mass with the mental and emotional development of veal。 As Dr。 Cutler emphasize， “It’s the very struggle of life that makes us who we are。 And it is our enemies that test us， provide us with the resistance necessary for growth。”This last point is a form of reframing perception， one of the many Buddhist tools taught in the book to convert frictions or stumble blocks in our lives into something more positive from simply just looking at things from a different perspective。 Because， if we can make even our enemies - that have bad intentions towards us - into some positive force in our lives， there is quite literally nothing that can make us upset and unhappy。 You see， it’s not about what happens， but our interpretation of what happens that matter。The Dalai Lama also teaches us about eliminating other negative forces in our minds that can rob us the joy of happiness， by seeing things from a larger perspective， by dealing with grief properly， by healing the sense of remorse， by reframing anger， and many more。As Dr。 Cutler explains， “By mobilizing our thoughts and practicing new ways of thinking， we can reshape our nerve cells and change the way our brains work。 It is also the basis for the idea that inner transformation begins with learning （new input） and involves the discipline of gradually replacing our “negative conditioning” （corresponding with our present characteristic nerve cell activation patterns） with “positive conditioning” （forming new neural circuits）。 Thus， the idea of training the mind for happiness becomes a very real possibility。”Indeed， happiness is actually trainable。 And throughout the book the Dalai Lama has repeatedly emphasized the importance of inner discipline as the fundamental method of achieving this。 It involves combating negative states of mind such as greed， anger， and hatred， and cultivating positive states of minds such as kindness， tolerance， compassion， and perhaps most importantly， contentment。 And all of these are built on a foundation of a calm and stable state of mind （aka the state of mindfulness）。As Dr。 Cutler concludes， “The art of happiness has many components。 As we’ve seen， it begins with developing an understanding of the truest sources of happiness and setting our priorities in life based on the cultivation of those sources。 It involves an inner discipline， a gradual process of rooting out destructive mental states and replacing them with positive， constructive states of mind， such as kindness， tolerance， and forgiveness。” And the book is filled with so many examples and real-life stories about the struggle and eventual triumph to implement this。Moreover， while the wisdoms are priceless， perhaps the best feature of the book is a glimpse of the Dalai Lama’s demeanor， which we can learn a lot from。 His relaxed approach， with open mind， humility， compassion， sincerity， brutal honesty， and a heavy doze of humor and laughter all created a kind and approachable aura。 He always thinks before he speaks， never attacks， listens intently with sympathetic understanding， and able to frame and reframe his interpretations and responses in an impressive speed， even when he makes a mistake。 Simply put， he is the living embodiment of every single lesson that come out from this book。 And that’s why his picture is respectfully put as the cover of the book。 。。。more
Andy Ng
，
Although it does give good points for self help - This book can come across as either: 1） too scientific; and/or 2） too spiritual for me。 Nevertheless， it is an excellent reminder to live in the present and block out any past traumas/future worries。 Thank you to the writers。
Pavel Kolev
，
I， like many others mistakenly thought that this book was written by His Holiness。 He is not even a co-author。 The book is a series of interviews where the actual author adds comments （most of the book） and sometimes alters the actual meaning behind the words of the Dalai Lama。
Ella Belle
，