49 of 55 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Most Powerful Little Book On How To Achieve Happiness..., January 22, 2007
This review is from: Zen And the Art of Happiness (Paperback)
I've read many, many books on Zen and the way of happiness...but this one is the best I've ever read. And the beauty of it is that it makes it very simple, straight to the point, and tells you the way to achieve real happiness in life. I've recommended it to many people and still re-read it every few months. The simplicity of it is very powerful and it has the potential to really change one's own life.
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52 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
A lesson on self-delusion, based purely on pseudoscience and speculation., September 28, 2010
This review is from: Zen And the Art of Happiness (Paperback)
Wow, what a mess, where do I begin? I was willing to give this book a shot, even after reading the crazy assumptions at the beginning, but eventually I couldn't deal with it anymore and had to write this review to warn others.
The book starts off with the not-so-preposterous claim that happiness is based on simply "being happy." Ok, you said it, now prove it. Nowhere in the book is this ever proved or even justified. The author centers his entire text on the assumption that by believing that "Every event that befalls me is absolutely the best possible event that could occur," it will be so. What? Why? The eventual "metaphysical" explanation for why this is because "all the laws of the Universe are in favor of the continuation of the Universe," and that since we are "one with the universe" (according to the author, enlightenment proves this), everything that ever happens to us favors our continuation within the universe. What a load of BS. Which laws are in favor of the continuation of the universe? I don't think the author has ever heard of, oh say, the Second Law of Thermodynamics which states that the quality of matter and energy in the universe is decaying over time, and that the logical conclusion is that universe is not eternal ([...]). It's only one of the most important laws we learn in high school chemistry. This is the author's flawed "Personal Philosophy;" that the sole reason that the universe continues to exist is because it designed to do so... and he expects us to adopt a similar belief system to feel better about the things that happen to us on a daily basis.
Then the book completely fell apart for me - the author explains how he got hit on the head with a rock, and tells how it "opened the channels" in his brain and helped him understand and translate the I Ching. He also mentions how his son was addicted to drugs, and devotes 3 pages to the tragedy but absolutely no explanation of how his son persevered through it all and changed his ways. Apparently he just magically did. He continues to blather on about how all religions are basically the same, that there is only one universal truth and includes various other tidbits of typical new-age drivel disguised as revolutionary and unique revelation. You've probably heard it all before if you have read any New-Age book.
A very important consideration before you buy: other than having a smattering of quotes from various Zen/Buddhist/Eastern monks, teachers and authors, "Zen and the Art of Happiness" has nothing to do with Zen. It barely even talks about meditation - the principle practice in Zen Buddhism. It devotes a whopping 3 pages to it. This book is not even about the psychology of positive thinking, because aside for a few vague references and endnotes, it provides no experimental evidence for any of its claims. This book is about the author's personal belief system, which is based on superficial understanding of Zen Buddhism, science and a very personal interpretation of Eastern religion - and a sense that somehow Eastern mysticism is better or more "true" than other thought systems because it is "ancient." These are all big fat warning signs that indicate you should stay away.
Although there are some thoughts here that I somewhat agree with, namely that positive thinking, simplicity and contentment with what we have generally make us "happier," I couldn't even give this book 2 stars because the author bases all of his argument on pseudoscience and his own blind assumptions of how the universe works. He erroneously asserts that we should consider all of our bad experiences as good experiences - merely re-labeling our thoughts and beliefs. Zen is about being mindful, understanding and escaping labels, both good and bad - not blindly changing one to the other based on the desire to be happy. It honestly sounds like the author is convinced of his own beliefs; however, that doesn't make this book or any of its baseless theories any more credible.
All in all, if you are looking for a good book on deluding yourself, look no further. If you know nearly anything about science, philosophy or Eastern thought, this little book will irritate you to no end. Instead, if you want a good book on actually understanding depression, happiness and Buddhism, I suggest you check out many fine books such as "Buddhism without Beliefs" by Stephen Bachelor or any of the writings by John Kabat-Zinn.
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42 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book changed my life, November 13, 2006
This review is from: Zen And the Art of Happiness (Paperback)
I bought this book on impulse the night before a long trip. I read it through, then went back and re-read many sections. It dramatically changed my perspective on life and helped me become a more peaceful person.
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