“The Art of Happiness PDF Summary”

Strictly speaking, “The Art of Happiness” is not actually written by the 14th Dalai Lama. But, its actual writer’s only intention is to relate Dalai Lama’s teachings – in His Holiness’ words.

That’s why the book can be best summarized as lists of quotes and monologues by the Dalai Lama, well organized by Howard C. Cutler, a Phoenix psychiatrist, in 5 parts and 15 chapters.

The first part is titled “The Purpose of Life,” and it consists of four chapters.

The basic idea of this part is relatively simple: we are not only born to be happy, but we’re also born happy. The problem is that we need some help to reclaim the state of innate happiness. Which is, in fact, the purpose of life.

Are you ready to take the next step? Walking on air as a way of life is not easily achievable if you are not equipped with the right mindset.

However, in order to discover what makes us happy, we must also find out what makes us unhappy. So, we must learn about our world and train our minds and bodies accordingly.

For example, many people are unhappy because they compare themselves to people who earn more than them. The Dalai Lama says that the trick is to flip this relation: why aren’t we comparing ourselves to the less fortunate?

Only then we’ll be able to learn that affection and love, closeness and compassion are the things that actually make us happy. A lot of talk about happiness, but not enough actionable tips is that right? Hold your horses, because things are about to get peaceful:

The second part, “Human Warmth and Compassion” is dedicated to a deeper exploration of these categories.

For example, according to the Dalai Lama, the Western concept of romantic love is very narrow and ultimately flawed. We must learn to connect with much more than one person. And in a much more profound and more meaningful way.

Because helping others makes us happier. And because it’s the one thing we can hope for when the suffering comes. It’s that simple, – it’s not a rocket science for God’s sake, but we so effortlessly disregard these teachings and focus on the material side of things.

Suffering is merely the end result of wanting – not accepting your current situation induces sorrow on a colossal scale. Shift your mindset and attention to things that you feel grateful for. A twist of perception is more than enough to get the ball rolling.

And that’s what the third part of “The Art of Happiness,” “Transforming Suffering” is all about.

Understandably, the Dalai Lama thinks that suffering and pain is an inevitable part of our existence. Moreover – and just like any Buddhist – he also feels that it may be one of the more important parts as well.

Life shouldn’t be about trying to avoid suffering; it should be about facing it and finding meaning inside it. As he says – suffering is there to teach us about comfort. Because if we didn’t feel pain, we’d stick our hands in fires and burn them altogether.

But, what about anger, hatred, and anxiety?

Well, that’s what the fourth part, “Overcoming Obstacles,” is dedicated on in its entirety. The basic premise: you can’t control what’s happening to you, but you can control how you react to it.

Remember? The Pareto Principle.

Or, in other words, whether it’s anger, hatred or anxiety, a positive attitude is the right attitude. In fact, the only viable one. Because bad feelings are never your friends. And the thing they fear the most: your mind taking a stand and saying “I don’t need to be angry. I don’t need to hate.”

Finally, the fifth part, “Closing Reflections on Living a Spiritual Life,” is a one-chaptered conclusion about what it means to live spiritually and which religion offers the best road to happiness.

Unsurprisingly, according to the Dalai Lama, it’s all of them – if practiced the right way.

Key Lessons from “The Art of Happiness”

1.      Flip the Practice of Comparing Yourself to Others to Your Favor
2.      Romantic Love Is a Myth – and a Bad One Too
3.      There’s Nothing Unnatural in Suffering: Learn to Accept It

Flip the Practice of Comparing Yourself to Others to Your Favor

Almost every philosophy is based on a straightforward notion: the purpose of life is to be happy. But, the 14th Dalai Lama says, it’s not enough to just know this – you must also really understand it.

For example, comparing yourself to the wealthier will leave you with a bitter taste in your mouth. So, why don’t you start comparing yourself to the ones less fortunate than you?

Just think about it: if you’re reading this summary, there are probably at least 4 billion such people worldwide!

Romantic Love Is a Myth – and a Bad One Too

The western idea of romantic love revolves around the concept of “the one.” The prince on a white horse in shining white armor. The blue-eyed blond virgin fallen head-over-heels with your every word and action.

However, this is actually a really narrow concept of love. Love is something much bigger. And includes many more people. If not – the whole world.

There’s Nothing Unnatural in Suffering: Learn to Accept It

Possibly the most important lesson in “The Art of Happiness”: suffering will inevitably happen. But, don’t blame God or your friends or yourself for it. It’s simply a part of life. And if you want to be happy, you’ll need to accept it.

Even more – to learn from it. Because from suffering we learn the most about happiness.

“The Art of Happiness Quotes”

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.A disciplined mind leads to happiness, and an undisciplined mind leads to suffering.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.In general, if we carefully examine any given situation in a very unbiased and honest way, we will realize that to a large extent we are also responsible for the unfolding of events.