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The Book of Joy
Lasting Happiness in a Changing World
The Book of Joy (2016) is an insightful guide to living a life free of sadness, stress and suffering. These blinks are full of actionable ways to cultivate joy for yourself and others while overcoming the obstacles that so often prevent people from finding happiness on earth.
- People who are feeling down on life
- Those who struggle to cultivate meaningful relationships
- Anyone interested in Buddhist teachings
His Holiness, the Dalai Lama is a Nobel Peace Prize recipient and the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. His teachings advocate compassion and Buddhism, and he’s written several books about them.
Archbishop Emeritus of South Africa, Desmond Tutu is also a Nobel Peace Prize recipient and a civil rights activist for racial reconciliation. He was a famous opponent of apartheid in South Africa and is the author of a number of books, including The Book of Forgiving.
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The Book of Joy
Lasting Happiness in a Changing World
- Read in 16 minutes
- Audio & text available
- Contains 10 key ideas
Synopsis
The Book of Joy (2016) is an insightful guide to living a life free of sadness, stress and suffering. These blinks are full of actionable ways to cultivate joy for yourself and others while overcoming the obstacles that so often prevent people from finding happiness on earth.
Key idea 1 of 10
Suffering is a core aspect of both life and happiness.
From the morning traffic jam to the bills that never stop piling up, suffering is a constant in human life. But despite its obvious drawbacks, suffering is essential to enjoying the positive moments in life, and is even a vital part of life itself. In fact, pain and suffering can actually be fruitful and constructive.
For instance, every mother knows how painful giving birth can be. Nonetheless, they accept the pain as necessary because of the tremendous joy that a new child brings. If women avoided the discomfort of childbirth, the human race would be done for!
Or take Nelson Mandela. He suffered tremendously during his 27 years in prison. He was made to sleep on the floor, and his every moment was occupied with mindless manual labor, like breaking rocks.
While one might assume that, after such an experience, Mandela would be as broken as the rocks he smashed to bits, his suffering actually helped him cultivate kindness and empathy for his political adversaries. This compassion later played an integral role in Mandela’s becoming the first president of a free South Africa.
So, suffering is important, but only if experienced in a particular way, one that requires shifting your perspective away from yourself and toward others. After all, as the Buddhist mind-training practice lojong teaches, obsessing over yourself and whether you’re good or bad will inevitably lead to sadness.
Just consider an experience that the Dalai Lama had after being asked to share his Buddhist teachings at Bodh Gaya, the holiest Buddhist site in the world.
Before arriving at the site, he felt a sharp pain in his stomach. It appeared serious and he had to be taken to hospital immediately – but the nearest one was two hours away.
On his way there, he saw a sick, old man, sitting alone on the street, clearly nearing death. The author shifted his attention to this other person, felt the man’s agony and, at least for a moment, forgot his own pain.
Key ideas in this title
- Suffering is a core aspect of both life and happiness.
- Sometimes suffering is beyond your control, but you can always choose how to respond.
- Anger stems from frustrated expectations, but compassion can help.
- Loneliness and envy can damage your life and your health.
- Cheating death can transform your life and bring you one step closer to joy.
- Developing perspective and humility can bring you closer to true joy.
- Humor and acceptance can defuse tense situations and set you at ease.
- Forgiveness and gratitude are essential steps on the road to joy.
- Being compassionate and thinking of others will grow your happiness.
- Final summary
