What is real happiness and joy? Does this question popup in your mind and discussions a lot? Do you wonder why you are not happy? Happiness is, after all, the goal of your existence. While money would make some of happy, trekking in the woods could be the most joyous activity for others. Whatever your thing is, you need to find out what it is to be happy. Or is there another way to be happy with just what you have? The Book of Joy shows us how to find joy, based on discussions between Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu decided to explore what is real joy and happiness some three years ago. What materialized is a book of essays that talks about joy and happiness and shows us how to find joy. The two met in Dharamsala, India for a few days in an intense dialogue to figure out what ails the peoples of this world.
The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World
Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Avery (September 20, 2016)
ISBN-10: 0399185046, 978-0399185045
The Book of Joy Summary
Anger and Hate are one of the most powerful emotions.And it is often these, which have been used to manipulate the hosts and harm the rest. Our world is much better materially today than it was a hundred years ago. Yet, our moral and spiritual erosion has robbed us of joy and happiness.
In The Book Joy, the spiritual gurus set out on a task to find the answers to these pressing and ever present questions facing humanity today. There are millions suffering from depression, stress, and anxiety, which have affected their health in multiple ways. Can a perpetual state of bliss be a simple answer to these chronic ailments? Perhaps.The state of happiness may not cure the illness, but it will surely prolong and promote good health.
Suffering and sorrow is an undeniable reality of humanity. There is no way around it. But there is a way to live with it. To accept it and still experience joy. The Archbishop says, “Joy is much bigger than happiness. While happiness is often seen as being dependent of external circumstances, joy is not.”
In The Book of Joy the authors outline two main approaches. One that answers the mind and one that soothes the heart. The authors outline eight pillars of joy that will help the readers deal with different sources of discontent, from within. The misery lies in the external world. With these principles the authors give you the tools you need to build a world within that is not a slave to external triggers.
The Eight Pillars of Joy
- Perspective
- Humility
- Humor
- Acceptance
- Forgiveness
- Gratitude
- Compassion, and
- Generosity
The authors with assistance from John Abrams weave in philosophy with science to recharge the fountains of joy. “Actions follow thoughts” is a well-known and accepted maxim in psychology. The two leaders touch on this important scientific conclusion by sharing how you can begin your day with Intention Setting – a practice followed by many Tibetan monks. The authors talk about how you can counter each negative emotion with different meditation practices and control your state of mind.
The light banter among two friends and spiritual leaders puts you at ease as you look at the world through the lens of misery and joy. Everything we do eventually distills to being happy, being elated, and on a high. Yet, it is not happiness that we should aspire for, but joy. And that is what The book of Joy talks of.