Finding Happiness [Paperback]

Christopher Jamison (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 20, 2009

Why is 'being happy' such an imperative nowadays? What meaning do people give happiness? In this book Abbot Christopher turns to monastic wisdom to offer answers, and to explain that in essence, happiness is a gift, not an achievement, the fruit of giving and receiving blessings. Following the same accessible and engaging format of FINDING SANCTUARY, Abbot Christopher takes different aspects of happiness, examines them, tells us what monastic wisdom has to say about them, and offers us steps towards our own journey to finding happiness.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I'm with the Abbot! " -- MELANIE PHILLIPS THE MORAL MAZE (BBC RADIO 4) "Following the same accessible and engaging format of Finding Sanctuary, Abbot Christopher Jamison looks in turn at the demons that make us unhappy." -- THE UNIVERSE Britain & Ireland's bestselling Catholic newsp'r "friendly... clever...original..." THE TABLET - 22 November --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Father Christopher Jamison is the Abbot of Worth, a Benedictine monastery in Sussex, which featured in the BBC2 series THE MONASTERY. Born in Melbourne, he studied at Downside School and Oxford University. After becoming a monk in 1973, he taught at Worth School and became Headmaster in 1994. He was elected Abbot in 2002, is President of the International Commission on Benedictine Education and sits on the Council of the Alliance for International Monasticism, a body that promotes links between monasteries across the North/South divide. He is the author of FINDING SANCTUARY.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Phoenix (August 20, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0753826097
• ISBN-13: 978-0753826096
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.6 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #259,078 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Based on the writings of John Cassian, April 11, 2009

By 

365andMe - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Finding Happiness: Monastic Steps for a Fulfilling Life (Hardcover)

Finding Happiness, by Abbot Christopher Jamison, is a nicely written book based on the writings of John Cassian, who was the first person to systematically write down the teachings of the desert monks and nuns. The first was St. Antony of Egypt, who as a 20 year old in 271 AD, went into the desert to live a religious life to discover himself and GOD. Over the next few centuries, the desert monks and nuns discovered authentic insights about the interior world. In the fourth century, John Cassian wrote about these insights calling the Eight Thoughts or the eight principle obstacles to perfection.

Abbot Jamison explains the Eight Thoughts an easy-to-read style with anecdotes and commentaries from modern life in England. He also brings his experiences with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to compliment the religious explanations. His writing has a Roman Catholic undertone, but is fairly balanced and informative.

The book starts with the history of happiness and the problems on how happiness id defined. What I found most eye-opening was the continued influence of Plato, Aristotle, and the Stoics on our definition of happiness. Illustrating the eight thoughts with comparisons of modern issues, Abbot Jamison brings these into the daily routine of life for those in and out of the monastery.

(Review by Steve, my hubby.)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finding Happiness by the Process of Elimination, March 24, 2009

By 

Rhonda P. - See all my reviews

This review is from: Finding Happiness: Monastic Steps for a Fulfilling Life (Hardcover)

Interestiong book. It's written by Abbott Christopher Jamison, host of "The Monastery" -a documentary BBC television series. The basic idea that runs through the book is that happiness comes to people indirectly as the fruit of defeating the causes of our unhappiness. To that end, a major chunk of the book is spent discussing "eight thoughts" to get you heading in the right direction (acedia, gluttony, lust, greed, anger, sadness, vanity, and pride).

No "happiness formula" here, just at lot of good wisdom of a religious flavor. Readers wanting a more scientific look at happiness might be better off with a book like "Finding Happiness in a Frustrating World".

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Happiness, Monk Style, December 30, 2009

By 

Joel Holtz (Vadnais Heights, MN) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Finding Happiness (Paperback)

This is a follow-up to FINDING SANCTUARY by Abbot Christopher Jamison, and is just as good.

Jamison starts with an interesting "history" of happiness and from there develops a strong case for the stepping stones to living a fulfilled life, by overcoming the 8 negative thoughts.

These are acedia(sloth), gluttony, lust, greed, anger, sadness, vanity and pride.

Astute readers will notice that one of the originial 7 deadly sins, ENVY, isn't on the list. The way to overcome the negative thoughts is by practicing the corresponding 8 virtues, which are spiritual awareness, moderation, chaste love, generosity, gentleness, gladness, magnanimity, and humility.

The chapters are all well written and easy to comprehend. The one on Sadness is the best, with Jamison keenly noting that sadness can indeed be "survived."

The one thing I would disagree with is that anger and sadness are automatically negative thoughts. Some anger is plainly wrong and sinful, but some isn't. And sometimes we have clearly valid reasons for being sad.

Ultimately, as Jamison points out, Happiness isn't "..an object to be grasped but a lifelong process that culminates in a happy death." (pg.177)

This is an easy to read book based on the writings of John Cassian, interspersed with the Abbot's observations living in Sussex. Those with a contemplative bent will benefit greatly but also anyone who wishes to live a more fulfilled life.

I highly recommend it.