September 2005

The Art of Happiness: A Handbook For Living
by the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler

For anyone seeking a simple, introductory look into the fundamental beliefs and principles of the Dalai Lama, The Art of Happiness would be a great place to start. The book, authored by Howard C Cutler, MD, consists of excerpts and commentary from a series of documented conversations held between himself and the Dalai Lama.

Rather than following the original timeline of their conversations, the book is broken down into topics, such as the Sources of Happiness, the Value and Benefits of Compassion, Dealing with Anger and Hatred, etc. At first, this writing style feels bit choppy and somewhat rough to muddle through, but it quickly becomes self-evident this is the best format for addressing such a broad range of concepts and ideas that lead toward one universal goal — happiness.

Cutler, a psychologist, lends an interesting, analytical perspective on the views presented by the Dalai Lama. The questions he poses are very natural, very western, and very human; they are questions to which any ordinary person would be curious to know the answer. The Dalai Lama's calm and thoroughly pondered answers consistently prove to be straightforward and quite simplistic. The author, however, with his background in psychology, then proceeds to validate the Dalai Lama's perspectives with his own personal case studies and/or with specifically cited scientific data. This combination of theory and validation forms a well-balanced piece of work that is easily digestible yet scientifically believable.

While The Art of Happiness is loaded with simply stated concepts, it is also equally filled with a multitude of real examples of, and instructions for, the practical application of these concepts in life, and in the Western world. The ideas in this book seem to successfully transcend race, religion, and cultural background. Anyone and everyone who wishes to cultivate greater happiness in his or her life can stand to benefit from the read.

Reviewed by: Tara Bennett — Immrama Institute

Book Details:
322 pages
Released: October, 1998
Publisher: Riverhead
ISBN: 1573221112

Click here to order The Art of Happiness from Amazon.com