Just because you see his face and name on the cover doesn't mean you'll find his soul in the book.

I was recently going through some personal changes and have always held Buddhism and the Dalai Lama in high regard, so I felt it was time to get to know something about the man and his religion; on the self-interest side, I hadn't been too pleased with my life's direction so, to kill the proverbial two birds, I picked up a copy of "The Art of Happiness" during a business trip. I began with hope but in the end, I am not happy with the book.

The subtitle, "A Handbook for Living" is accurate and the format is laid out topically and presented in narrative format so that book's flow moves from defining the goal to achieving it. The main sections of the book are: The Purpose of Life; Human Warmth and Compassion; Transforming Suffering; Overcoming Obstacles; Closing Reflections on Living a spiritual Life. All was well and fine until I read the Author's Note.

I appreciate that many noteworthy (and marketable) people are busy and that getting their story into print requires either an editor, a ghost writer, or co-author (and in the case of many foreign-speaking people, a translator). Although the book displays the authors of the book as His Holiness The Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler, M.D., the Author's Note lays out how the material came about and who actually produced the text in the book. The opening sentences say it all: "In this book, extensive conversations with the Dalai Lama have been recounted. The private meetings with the Dalai Lama in Arizona and India, which form the basis of this work, took place with the express purpose of collaborating on a project that would present his views on leading a happier life, augmented
by my own observations and commentary from the perspective of a Western psychiatrist."

What one gets in the book is Cutler telling you what he's talked to the Dalai Lama about and what he's heard the Dalai Lama say and then what Cutler thinks it means in the context of living a happier life.

The writing is light-weight and didn't go into enough depth or intensity for my expectations of the book. I'm sure there are many people who would enjoy and find benefit in reading it, but I bought the book expecting to be challenged by the Dalai Lama's heart and mind, not be spoon fed by an American psychiatrist.



Recommended: No