Customer Reviews

THE ART OF HAPPINESS

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A very easy book to read and a great antidote to the excesses of our western life style of consumption and greed.

It provides an easily digestible look at practical ways to live simply and happily.

It can seem patronising and too simple in places, it discusses things that are pretty obvious to most but that is because there is much truth in what the Dalai Lama says and his philosophy is pretty simple.

Live Happily!

A very easy book to read and a great antidote to the excesses of our western life style of consumption and greed.

It provides an easily digestible look at practical ways to live simply and happily.

It can seem patronising and too simple in places, it discusses things that are pretty obvious to most but that is because there is much truth in what the Dalai Lama says and his philosophy is pretty simple.

Live Happily!

I originally bought this for my wife, over a decade ago. She read it and then bought in on cassettes. We listened to it every night before going to bed as a way to end the day on a positive note. We wore the tape out and it helped us both relax into a very meditative state and we were not meditating. I bought it again in CD form and then bought it again for my kindle to listen to on those days when I the philosophy and deeper insight his Holliness shares with us. His teachings have helped me deal with many of lifes stressful and emotionally challenged moments, to include bad marriages (past, not present) betrayal of friends, family, and business partners, and it has helped me understand that its up to me as to how those peopel will effect my life. Compassion for others is always a better choice than revenge or evening the score. Forgiveness over holding a grudge. This coming from a former Marine.

This is one of the best "feel good" and inspiring books ever written. A person of any faith can take something away from this book and apply it to their life. I believe that if every person read this book a change for the better would occur in society.

This book is an entertaining, informative, and easy read. It is written by a western psychiatrist, Howard C. Cutler, M.D., and contains exceprts of interviews between the author and The Dalai Lama. Through out the book philosophical wisdom is provided in an easy to understand language. One does not have to be Buddhist in order to benefit from this read. It is not written in a concise handbook format, but reads like a narrative novel. The author's writing is more abundant than The Dalai Lama's words, so if you are looking for a book written by The Dalai Lama, this is not the book for you. This is an excellent book for western people to learn some simple concepts on how to be happy through employing eastern philosophies. Athough Buddhism is mentioned briefly here and there, it is definitely not a book on Buddhism. Anyone of any faith can gain insight through reading this book. The author's personal depictions pertaining to his learning process and occaisional missteps are refreshingly honest. The author thoughtfully provides a list of The Dalai Lama's books in the back of the book to facilitate one's desire to delve deeper into the subject of Buddhism from The Dalai Lama's perspective. The only reason I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 was that I was looking for a book written by The Dalai Lama and was mislead by the cover of the book, which implies greater input from The Dalai Lama than is present in the book. However, this book is a worthy read in its own right.

I thought this was a really good book. The Dalai Lama has a wonderful way of relating to people without sounding too preachy. As the book goes on, it does go a little bit more into the religion, but I like the appeal to humanity and his writing style. if you're of a speciffic faith and not interested in Budhism, you'll still really enjoy most of this book. I'd love to attend one of his lectures!

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The book will help you to achieve happiness through training your mind. I really like this book because it combines Buddist view of Dalai Lama and scientific view of the psychiatrist (Howard Cutler, MD). It is easy to understand.

This book is a dialogue between psychiatry (Cutler) and Tibetan Buddhism (Dalai Lama). Despite claiming to be a "handbook" it is not full of 'how-to-do-it' gems. It is more a philosophic exchange on the subject of happiness. As it is written for a western audience some of the metaphysical elements of Buddhism, such as karma and reincarnation, receive only a brief mention. Compassion, however, receives a lengthy treatment, as does living in the moment and dealing with anger. There are a few meditation exercises included.

The book is very readable and maintained my interest all the way through. If I have a criticism it is that the book does not contain enough psychiatry or enough Buddhism. Some how it seems to fall between the two disciplines. It reads like a first contact encounter between East and West, rather than a well developed, deeply contemplated thesis.