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About the book
The Art of Happiness captures the conversations of the Dalai Lama with a Western psychologist, Dr Howard Cutler. The book provides an outsider’s view on the core Buddhist principles around the purpose of life, human nature, training the mind for positive change, suffering and ways in which one can transform to lead a happier life. Personally, the book deeply moved me in multiple instances because of the simplicity and the poignancy of the Dalai Lama’s arguments.
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Quotes
We begin, then, with the basic premise that the purpose of our life is to seek happiness.
Concepts that I liked from the book
- Happiness as a fundamental right - Counterintuitively, the Dalai Lama professes that the desire to seek happiness is universal and fundamental. The purpose of life is to seek happiness is the basic premise upon which the philosophy is built. If we accept this premise to be true for us, we can also accept that it will be true for other people that we interact with. This acceptance can help us develop a compassionate state of mind.
- Training the mind to be happier - Happiness is determined more by one’s state of mind than by external events. It is possible for one to cultivate more positive, life-affirming states of mind and eliminate negative states of mind through education, habitual practice and reflection. All three elements - education, habitual practice and reflection - are necessary.
- Pleasure contributes to happiness - The kinds of pleasure that have good consequences contribute to happiness. Eschewing pleasure to attain contentment is not required.
- The first step in seeking happiness is learning - The Dalai Lama says that the happier or positive states of mind are innate to human nature and are universal. However, they may not automatically manifest themselves. He presents the analogy that the desire for food to sustain life is innate and universal, but one doesn’t automatically know what to eat and how to cook. Learning about nutrition and cooking is important. Similarly, learning about happiness is important.
Criticisms