The Art of Happiness

October 1, 1998
The Dalai Lama's most salient traits are his great beaming smile and hearty laugh, spontaneous expressions of happiness that inspired Cutler, a psychiatrist, to initiate what evolved into a long and productive series of conversations about what aspects of Buddhist thought could help non-Buddhists achieve a sense of fulfillment. Their discussions ranged far and wide, revealing many differences between Eastern and Western thought. When Cutler asks the Dalai Lama if he is happy, the answer is "Yes"; when he asks if he is ever lonely, the answer is an unqualified "No." How can that be? Because, the Dalai Lama replies, he always looks at others positively and experiences a "feeling of affinity, a kind of connectedness." Over and over again, Cutler poses complicated psychological inquiries only to have the Dalai Lama offer responses that reach far beyond the parameters of the self. There really is such a thing as an art of happiness, and this is one of the best how-to books a reader will ever find. ((Reviewed October 1, 1998))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1998, American Library Association.)