The Art of Happiness

Yascha

Rating: really liked it
Despite the 'author' being the Dalia Lama, this book was actually written by a Western Psychologist named Howard Cutler. It is mostly presented as interviews or meetings between himself and the Dalai Lama. I really enjoyed the segments that were pure quotes from the Dalai Lama, but found myself constantly frustrated by Cutler's questions and (obviously inserted after-the-fact) 'summaries' of the responses.

I would paraphrase the entire book like this:
Cutler -- "So what can every person do to be happy?"
Dalai Lama -- "Well this is a really complicated question and we need to look at specific cases in order to answer it fully. Here are a few basic guidelines ..."
Cutler -- "Yeah OK, so can you give me 3 steps that everyone can do to be happy?"
Dalai Lama -- (I can hear him sighing through the pages) "Yes, well I've given you some basic guidelines, but it's not a simple 3-step process. Here are some things to consider in these situations...
etc.

Cutler just seemed so stuck in his Western "we can make an algorithm for happiness and box it up neatly and put it on the shelf" ways and it's just not that simple.

Jenny

Rating: really liked it
I first read this book as a freshman in high school but I've read it again at least twice. I'm not sure how it initially started but I've always been fascinated by the Dalai Lama of Tibet. The more I read about him, the more I'm in awe of him. While I recommend reading his biography first, this specific book is about the concept of happiness and how we attain it. It's not a self-help book but rather a book about how the Dalai Lama believes that people inheritantly have the ability to find happiness but we obstruct it with our immaterial and superficial beliefs. It made me realize how much society corrupts people's values. On a personal level, it made me re-evaluate my life and my values. I was also amazed at how much his beliefs correlate with Native American traditional beliefs. This is one of those few books that I find myself re-opening from time to time.

Steven Stark

Rating: really liked it
This book is actually written by a psychiatrist and includes extensive interviews with the Dalai Lama about how to be a generally happier person. Parts of the book are really great, and a couple of sections are a little bland, mostly depending on what questions the author is asking. The Dalai Lama's amazing traits come across throughout, however. His pragmatic, logical, and yet also spiritual approach to everything.

Kimberly

Rating: really liked it
Dalai Lama believes in fundamental goodness in all human beings, in the value of compassion and kindness, and a sense of commonality among all living creatures.

Happiness is determined more by one's state of mind than by external events.

Excessive desire leads to greed, which leads to frustration, disappointment, problems and unhappiness.
True antidote of greee is contentment - to appreciate what we already have.

Relationships are not about just knowing people and superficial exchange, but to really share deepest problems and concerns in forming intimate friendships. Dalai Lama recommends maintaining closeness with as many people as possible, aim to connect with everyone in some way.

Concepts of intimacy vary among cultures. Western.... too caught up in finding "one special person" or romantic partner who we hope will heal our loneliness, yet prop up our illusion that we are still independent.

If we think of suffering as something unnatural, something that we shouldn't be experiencing, then it's not much of a leap to begin to look for someone to blame for our suffering. If I'm unhappy, then I must be the "victim" of someone or something. As long as we view suffering as an unnatural state, an abnormal condition that we fear, avoid and reject, we will never uproot the causes of suffering and begin to live a happier life.

It is entirely appropriate to seek out causes of our problems, searching for solutions on all levels - global, societal, familial, and individual.

Shifting to wider perspective - realizing there are many people who have gone through similar & worse experiences - can be very helpful.

If you learn to develp patience and tolerance toward your enemies, then everything else bcomes easier - your compassion towards all others begins to flow naturally. Compassion is the essence of a spiritual life.

The enemy is the necessary condition for practicing patience. Friends don't often test us, so our enemy is a great teacher.

Flexibility of the mind, those most adaptable to change will survive best.

Dad

Rating: really liked it
The Moms was watching a movie that was so filled with awkward and embarrassing social interaction that I cast desperately about me for something else to do. Near at hand was "The Art of Happiness" by Dolly and some doctor guy. I picked it up and began to read. I'm about half-way through (guess I'm 50% enlightened) and it's really quite good. Except for the parts that are stupid or wrong. The problem is not so much what the Big D has to say, but the doctor guy's interpretation or amplification. That's the problem with amplification, there can be a lot of distortion (which can sound really cool if your Jimi Hendrix, otherwise not so much). He makes what I feel are some pretty feeble attempts to support the assertions with "scientific" studies in pseudo-sciences like psychology, sociology, and neurology. Isn't it enough that it's true? Do you have to have "proof" as well? The proof is in the pudding and the world would be a pretty tasty place if everyone implemented the best parts of the ideas expressed in this book. (How was that for a strained analogy?) You don't have to be a Buddhist to get some really good stuff out of this book. (Which is good, because I HATE cows.)

Sarah

Rating: really liked it
I love the Dalai Lama and everything he says in this book. However, Cutler's input mostly detracts from the teachings of the Dalai Lama. At best, he makes small, often insignificant links between the Dalai Lama's point and western science. Like how he made the connection between Buddhism's idea of training the mind to the scientific idea of "plasticity" which proves that, indeed, you can train the mind. Was that ever really a question though? I didn't need to be convinced of that... At worst, he purposefully makes himself a sitting duck for "how not to be" and then contrasts his own folly with the wise teachings of the Dalai Lama. While real-life examples do make the sometimes abstract points of the Dalai Lama seem more accessible, it goes overboard. Also, his questions often take the conversation with the Dalai Lama in a completely different, often more obvious and tiresome, direction than I was hoping. With the conversation format, there were great opportunities to enter into intellectual debate and come to a complex understanding between two viewpoints. Instead, Cutler asked childish, simple questions that barely skimmed the surface of the Dalai Lama's well thought-out discourse, and no deeper understanding was gained by Cutler's interruptions. Overall, would have loved this book more as solo meditations by the Dalai Lama, or maybe with an interviewer who had better questions and comments.

BrokenTune

Rating: really liked it
DNF @ 15%

I mistakenly thought this was a book by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who is listed as one of the authors - or the only authors in some book databases - but it is not. This book was written by Howard C. Cutler, a psychiatrist, who spent one week with the Dalai Lama, and then used his interviews with the Dalai Lama as a basis for this book.
Now, once I found out that I was mislead by the book, I still wanted to read on and see what the author had to say. Unfortunately, I was quickly put off by two - in my opinion major - logical flaws in the construction of the book's premise:

1. The author provides the following motivation behind writing the book:

"When I initially conceived of this book, I envisioned a conventional self-help format in which the Dalai Lama would present clear and simple solutions to all life’s problems. I felt that, using my background in psychiatry, I could codify his views in a set of easy instructions on how to conduct one’s daily life. By the end of our series of meetings I had given up on that idea. I found that his approach encompassed a much broader and more complex paradigm, incorporating all the nuance, richness, and complexity that life has to offer."

You see, my problem is that the Dalai Lama's books, speeches and other communications are pretty easy to understand. He has a particular skill to explain complex issues in simple terms, but then simplicity is one of the essential elements in his way of life.

The other issue I had with the author's statement is that I find the approach of trying to create a dogma from a Buddhist point of view a rather ridiculous idea. If there ever was a spritual teaching whose essence is that it is wholly un-dogmatic and un-codified, it would be Buddhism, but then maybe I am just getting the wrong end of the stick.

2. The author's approach in this book is to try and combine Western science with the Dalai Lama's interpretations/teachings. Again, this is a flawed approach when early on in the book, the author includes the following quotation:

"In trying to determine the source of one’s problems, it seems that the Western approach differs in some respects from the Buddhist approach. Underlying all Western modes of analysis is a very strong rationalistic tendency – an assumption that everything can be accounted for. And on top of that, there are constraints created by certain premises that are taken for granted."

Basically, the Dalai Lama tried to explain that a Western approach which is mostly based on science is restricted in its understanding of the human condition. So, why the author tries to combine, or back up, the topics discussed from a Buddhist perspective in this book with references to Western scientific research (for which he often does not cite sources!!!) is totally beyond me.

Can't recommend this at all.

Lauren

Rating: really liked it
This is a book that has to be read slowly and with determination, with many pauses for looking-off-into-the-distance-deep-in-thought. It is not BY the Dalai Lama so much as it is about the Dalai Lama, interviews with him, thoughts on his beliefs and practices. It took me a long time to get through, but I really enjoyed it. I think that if everyone tried to fit a little Buddhism into their lives (not a little Buddhist, but a little BuddhISM), we would all be much calmer and happier, more patient and more understanding.

Heather Kidder

Rating: really liked it
This book always brings me a lot of peace when I read it. It calms me down and puts me at ease. I actually bought this book for josh but spent a lot of time reading it myself and its very enjoyable remind you about all the little good things in life and about what really matters.

Diane in Australia

Rating: really liked it
Howard Cutler, a psychiatrist, does several interviews with the Dalai Lama, and then writes this book. Umm ... I was underwhelmed. I do appreciate what the Dalai Lama teaches, but this book didn't really live up to the hype. If you know absolutely nothing about the Dalai Lama, you might get a starter course from this book. But for me, it wasn't anything new. I think part of the problem was Howard. I felt that he was a bit silly at times, and shallow at others, and just irritating most of the time.

2 Stars = Blah. It didn't do anything for me.

Debbie Zapata

Rating: really liked it
We all know that some books that felt important and special during a first reading can sometimes make us wonder WHY the second time around.

This turned out to be one such book for me, I'm afraid. I first read it many years ago during a physically and emotionally painful period of my life. The book helped me then, and I will always cherish that fact.

But this time around I was too distracted by Cutler's questions, statements, and ramblings to be able to focus on the Dalai Lama's words. I had to give up around page 95 or so when Cutler related some incidents in India and the way he had reacted to them. All I could think at that point was 'here is this man with the incredible opportunity to talk face to face nearly every day with the Dalai Lama and he is not learning a single thing!'

I'm putting this one aside for now. No book about happiness should make a reader unhappy. My star rating is more for the old days than for these, by the way.

Whitney

Rating: really liked it
I really liked this book. It has enough information to open your eyes, but not too much to scare you away. The Author, being a psychologist, was able to take the Eastern ideas from the Dalai Lama and compare them to a more Western way of thinking. Although I've seen many of the ideas and thoughts in other books, the Dalai Lama had a way with words that seemed to just -click- with me, and in the sections that I didn't really understand, Howard Cutler, the author, was able to clarify. This book is good for anyone who may be stuck in the same way of thinking...its a good starter for those who are just getting into 'eastern views'.

Sherilynn Macale

Rating: really liked it
This book has completely changed my perspective on how I deal with anger, hatred, and other negative mind states and emotions. In simply becoming aware of the Buddhist perspective, I feel I've learned how to feel more in control of my own life, of how I carry myself, and how I treat the people around me.

I feel more compassionate.
I feel more kind.
I feel more understanding.

I find it incredible how my Western upbringing contrasts to Eastern beliefs and traditions. Things that I thought were intrinsic and natural have turned out not to be instinctual, but rather *taught* through conditioning. It makes me happy to know that my sometimes negative mindset can be trained out of pessimism, and to be aware that there are those out there who have already accomplished this through the help of Buddhist teaching.

I think what surprised me the most when reading The Art of Happiness is just how human the Dalai Lama really is, and how for someone who is seen as a spiritual deity of sorts by millions around the world, he is every bit as equal as the "common man", and sincerely goes out of his way to make this idea clear to his audiences.

While I may not be converting to Buddhism any time soon, I'd still recommend this book to those suffering from anxiety, filled with a feeling of loneliness, or dealing with any other difficult time in their life. I'm grateful for the perspective I've been given after completing The Art of Happiness, and I definitely feel this book can help those who need a little boost in their lives.

Sara Alaee

Rating: really liked it
“Happiness is determined more by one's state of mind than by external events… Although you may not always be able to avoid difficult situations, you can modify the extent to which you can suffer by how you choose to respond to the situation...”

RoWoSthlm

Rating: really liked it
Dr. Howard C. Cutler, psychiatrist and one of the leading experts on the science of human happiness has spent some valuable time with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and in this book brought a western perspective of Tibetan Buddhism and its take on human quest for happiness.

Happiness is a tricky subject. Some people spend their whole lives trying to chase happiness, while others are just simply happy, seemingly, without searching for any particular ways to achieve it. Is happiness the ultimate purpose of life, or is there something else that matters in our lives? Dalai Lama says – everybody should aim for happiness, and everybody can achieve it. But what to put into it, what are the sources and kinds of happiness?

In America, people are granted the pursuit of happiness, it´s a fundamental right of the citizens. Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines happiness as “a state of well-being and contentment”. While it sounds quite simple, a true meaning of happiness is one of the most enigmatic feelings people daily try to understand and pursue. There are many obstacles on the way to that simple state of lasting happiness. Dalai Lama’s wisdom comes very handy for everybody interested how to deal with and eventually overcome those barriers and live a happier life.

The book starts by exploring the meaning of life, where the stage is set for the following discussions on how to develop capabilities of human compassion, how to treat others, how to deal with suffering, and very importantly, how to overcome all those bad feelings and manners, like anger and hatred – the huge obstacles of happiness. Happiness can’t be just thrown into us, it is a complex mental process. Our mind is meant to be trained for happiness by using right tools and right attitudes. It’s in our mind, and the book has many keys to it.

I like particularly the way that that Dalai Lama doesn’t push hard on the religion aspect in the pursuit of happiness, but stresses on the need for a spiritual dimension in everybody’s life. That’s what makes this philosophy and the book so appreciated. There’s much common sense in Dalai Lama’s teachings, as it is in, generally, all kinds of Buddhism. This is an important book to get that confirmed.

“People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they’re not on your road doesn’t mean they’ve gotten lost.” ― Dalai Lama