The Art of Happiness - Dalai Lama, Howard Cutler

Title: The Art of Happiness
Authors: His Honourable Dalai Lama and Howard C Cutler
Genre: Life guide/ Spiritual handbook (These definitions do not do the book justice)
Availability: Check the self help section of any good bookstore or buy online at www.amazon.co.uk
Recommended Retail Price: £8.99 Amazon Price: £7.49

***What is the book about***
The Art of Happiness explores the teachings of the Dalai ...
...be interpreted and used in the Western world to help us to understand and conquer the human difficulties we all go through in an attempt to achieve happiness.

***About the Authors***

*Dalai Lama*

The word Dalai means "ocean" in Mongolian and Lama translates into "Spiritual teacher" or "guru". What ever your own spiritual or religious beliefs, The Dalai Lama is certainly, ... more

Title: The Art of Happiness
Authors: His Honourable Dalai Lama and Howard C Cutler
Genre: Life guide/ Spiritual handbook (These definitions do not do the book justice)
Availability: Check the self help section of any good bookstore or buy online at www.amazon.co.uk
Recommended Retail Price: £8.99 Amazon Price: £7.49

***What is the book about***
The Art of Happiness explores the teachings of the Dalai Lama through a series of interviews with Psychologist, Howard Cutler. From these we learn how his wisdom and advice can be interpreted and used in the Western world to help us to understand and conquer the human difficulties we all go through in an attempt to achieve happiness.

***About the Authors***

*Dalai Lama*

The word Dalai means "ocean" in Mongolian and Lama translates into "Spiritual teacher" or "guru". What ever your own spiritual or religious beliefs, The Dalai Lama is certainly, as the title suggests, a teacher.

The current Dalai Lama is believed to be the 14th reincarnation since Sonam Gyatso was first bestowed the title by Mongolian ruler, Altan Khan in 1598. The Dalai Lama is believed, and has been throughout Tibetan history to be one of innumerable incarnations of the Bodhisattva of compassion which is the basis for the Buddist faith that all living things should be treated with kindness and compassion and that we have a great deal to learn from each other and our surroundings.

From the late 1700's until as recently as 1959, the Dalai Lama acted as head of the Tibetan government. This ended in 1959 when the People's Republic of China invaded Tibet in 1949 taking full control in 1959. It was at this time the current Dalai Lama was forced to flee to India where he helped to establish the Central Tibetan Administration, The Tibetan Government in Exile). Since its establishment, many schools and Buddhist temples have been opened Daramsala, India.

Upon the death of the Dalai Lama, his monks begin a search for his reincarnation in line with the Buddhist faith that all living things are reincarnated after death. They look for a small child who displays an understanding of the previous Dalai Lama and a familiarity with his possessions. The search will generally take several years but once the reincarnation is found he is brought to the other Lamas and monks to be trained and guided through his new role.

The current Dalai Lama has repeatedly stated that he will never be reborn inside territory controlled by the People's Republic of China made it clear that we will not return after his death under the power of the People's Republic of China and has even suggested that the Institution of the Dalai Lama may have already served its purpose, hinting that he may be the last reincarnate that we see.

It would be easy to continue writing about this remarkable man and his wisdom, kindness and personal peace however, I will take the harder route of encouraging you to pick up this book and then another, and then another which will give you a small sliver of insight into this remarkable being.

*Howard C Cutler*

Dr. Howard C. Cutler graduated from the University of Arizona College of Medicine with a Medical degree and went on to complete specialty training in Psychiatry at Good Samaritan Medical Centre. His credentials cannot be denied as he is a diplomat of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and he has a successful, private psychiatric practice in Phoenix, Arizona.

Having been given awarded a research grant to study Tibetan Medicine, Cutler traveled to India where he met the Dalai Lama in 1982. Over the course of several years the two discussed the subjects covered within the Art of Happiness.

What struck me about Cutler as I read this book, is how open he was in his approach to learning from the Dalai Lama as well as his ability to recognise weaknesses in not only himself, but also his profession.

***What is there to say about this book***
I must begin by explaining, my shelves are not filled with Self-help manuals nor are they littered with Religious literature of any kind. I have always run a mile from any "How to fulfill your destiny in 20 easy steps" kind of books and I don't have a religious bone in my body although I do consider myself to be a spiritual soul.

I bought this book originally for my partner's birthday (who reads hundreds of books with the words "Destiny", "Enlightenment" and "Journey " in the title) upon the request of a particularly grounded and sensible friend of ours. My partner has yet to read it as I high-jacked it before he had even read the back cover.

*The Message*
The overall message of the book is somewhat given away by the title. We all know our real purpose on this earth is to be happy (and I believe to create happiness for others where possible). It sounds so simple, but in a society where everyday life has been over-complicated this can often seem like an impossible dream; completely unobtainable.

What the Dalai Lama and Cutler discuss, is how to break it down into manageable and understandable practices which we can all use in our efforts to live a happier life.

The general rule is that by showing kindness and particularly compassion to others, opening our eyes to the world around us long enough to recognise the goodness we all have within us we can become more fulfilled. He insists this applies to the likes of his Tibetan captors, murders, paedophiles etc as well although this may be harder for some to grasp. Ridding ourselves of unhelpful emotions such as greed, guilt, jealousy and blame we can become whole people and able to appreciate a happier and more content existence.

There is nothing particularly revolutionary here. For the most part, it is just common sense, however we often get bogged down by the unimportant stuff in life and lose focus in this department. Most of us know that by being good people and projecting positivity we will ultimately benefit. Having said that, how many of us stop to think about putting it into practice? How often do we really appreciate the value of de-clutering our emotional bank in order to make room for the good we deserve? We are all guilty of allowing external circumstances to dominate and dictate our fate. What Cutler and the Dalai Lama have done with this book is remind the reader of what we mostly know but more often than not, ignore. This book puts everything into context. It acknowledges the need for suffering and yet encourages us to learn how to grow from it.

*East meets West*
The aspect I found particularly interesting about the book, is the relationship between East and West. The Eastern society, where the Dalai Lama carries out his Buddhist vows is by nature a more spiritual enivronment. Much of the tradition that plays such a major part in the identity of the Eastern world revolves around a spiritual force. What intrigued me, is how the rules that the likes of the Dalai Lama live their lives by could possibly translate across to the Western world where greed, selfishness and a lack of faith are prominent features of every day living. By using modern day examples we are all familiar with, the Dahli Lama demonstrates exactly how his practices translate into the Western World.

***What makes this book so special***
First and foremost, this is an inspirational read, not because of the Dalai Lama's greatness but because of his humility and basic humanity. It is inspirational because it makes happiness accessible to the reader. It is inspirational because it gives the reader encouragement and support and belief not only in ones' self, but in the world around us.

This is a fascinating book because the issue of happiness has been brought out into the open. We can talk about sex, murder and war, but no one is able to broach the topic of happiness because in order to do so, we have to figure out what makes us happy and that can sometimes be a very difficult thing to face.

The Dalai Lama is a hugely motivating source as you would expect but what motivated me most was his genuine belief that we are all equals. There are not many of us that can say that in honesty. Whether it is teenager working behind the counter at McDonalds or the woman on the end of the phone at your bank. It could even be the cow that was sacrificed to make the burger you bought on your way home last Saturday night. The fact is most of us believe we have more right than others to be here. The Dalai Lama is a humble and gracious man and at no time in this book did I feel judged or condescended to.

And he is funny! Of all the things I expected from him, a sense of humour wasn't one of them. He not only plays and teased Cutler mercilessly, but he is also very able to make fun of himself.

***Who should read it***
This book was written for everyone. With a simplicity and unbiased, unpretentious approach, it caters to all readers which is a truly difficult thing to do. Of everyone, I would most recommend this book to those who travel to work using public transport. For me, I find this is when my darker side most often presents itself. I find myself criticising my fellow passengers silently to myself, judging them, disapproving of them and by the time I have reached my destination, I am one big ball of unpleasant negative thinking. Reading the Art of Happiness as I traveled allowed me to cut out the irritating breathing rhythm of the lady next me or the impossibly loud music coming from a teenager's MP3 player. It gave me focus and perspective and quite simply made for brighter days.

**My final thoughts*

Without a doubt, spirituality goes a long way to providing an "inner peace" and instilling happiness in a person but as the Dahli Lama himself explains, that doesn't have to come from any religion. Spirituality comes from the heart and is a part of your soul. I am a spiritual person - more so having read this.

As I read this book, and each time I put it down, I felt a serenity, a calm and more often than not, noticed a smile I hadn't even realised was there across my face. There is a warmth that comes from reading the words across the pages of this book, as if you have a little guide with his hand on your shoulder telling you to cut yourself some slack, to relax and not take everything so seriously. And you know what? I have. 

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