![]() Being at a life's high, winning the lottery, or being at a low, diagnosed with cancer, we eventually get back to our baseline level. These two examples in the book help explain how “happiness is determined more by one’s state of mind than by external events” (20). ![]() Compared to this story, a man is told he's HIV positive, which brings him to a lower level of happiness, but he soon begins to appreciate every day life more (19–20). ![]() This chapter starts by explaining how a woman being able to retire at age 32 is at a higher level of happiness, but she soon returns to her happiness level before early retirement. The Dalai Lama sees happiness as an objective: people setting goals and working to achieve them thus creating happiness in oneself.Ĭhapter 2: The Sources of Happiness Ĭhapter 1 talks about how to train the mind to become happier with Chapter 2, we can figure out our sources of happiness or unhappiness. “On the other hand, happy people tend to be more sociable, flexible, and creative and are able to tolerate life’s daily frustrations more easily than unhappy people.” (16) After later examining some previous experiments, he came to this conclusion: unhappy people tend to be self-focused, withdrawn, brooding and even antagonistic. The purpose of our life is to seek happiness was the phrase that stuck with him out of every other word the Dalai Lama spoke. By bringing about a certain inner discipline we can undergo a transformation of our attitude, our entire outlook and approach to living" (15). Rather I'm using the term in the sense of the Tibetan word Sem, it includes intellect and feeling, heart and mind. “When I say ‘training the mind,’ in this context I'm not referring to ‘mind’ merely as one's cognitive ability or intellect. His stance on happiness changed after spending some time with this peace leader. He also noted that the word ‘happy’ was derived from the term luck or chance (14). Cutler, as well as many of his patients, believed that happiness was “ill defined, elusive, and ungraspable” (14). Psychiatrist Howard Cutler followed the Dalai Lama around on this tour. Chapter one, The Right to Happiness, introduces what the book the Art of Happiness is about. The Dalai Lama spoke this powerful statement at a conference in Arizona among a crowd of people. So, I think, the very motion of our life is towards happiness…” (13). That is clear, whether one believes in religion or not, whether one believes in this religion or that religion, we all are seeking something better in life. "I believe that the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness. The Purpose of Life Chapter 1: The Right to Happiness The concepts that the purpose of life is happiness, that happiness is determined more by the state of one's mind than by one's external conditions, circumstances, or events-at least once one's basic survival needs are met and that happiness can be achieved through the systematic training of our hearts and minds. The book explores training the human outlook that alters perception. Cutler quotes the Dalai Lama at length, providing context and describing some details of the settings in which the interviews took place, as well as adding his own reflections on issues raised. You can find more information regarding these settings and the processing of your data in our privacy policy.The Art of Happiness (Riverhead, 1998, ISBN 1-57322-111-2) is a book by the 14th Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler, a psychiatrist who posed questions to the Dalai Lama. You can reject the use of cookies and other technologies and withdraw your consent any time with future effect by deactivating the respective code category in the cookie settings. You can find more details regarding the use and purpose of cookies, including first and third-party cookies, in our cookie settings. By clicking "Reject Tracking" you will only accept the necessary cookies for the operation of this website. By clicking "Allow all Cookies" you accept the processing of your data and its transfer to first and third parties. Cookies provide us with statistics to adjust and optimize the setting and content of this website to your interests and to place relevant advertisement by using first and third parties, too. ![]() We use first party cookies and similar technologies to ensure that you get the best possible experience on our website.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |