Following the massive success of THE ART OF HAPPINESS, the Dalai Lama & Howard Cutler now bring their bestselling message to our working lives. Of the many Dalai Lama titles on sale, THE ART OF HAPPINESS - written with western psychiatrist Howard Cutler - is by far the biggest bestseller of them all. A huge international success, it has sold over 2 million copies worldwide, with nearly 300,000 of these in the UK alone. Now, this inspirational new book brings the successful East-meets-West pairing together again to provide a practical application of Tibetan Buddhist spiritual values to the world of work. In this wise and practical book, the Dalai Lama shows us how to place our working lives into the context of our lives as a whole. Rather than striving to find a role which suits us, we should allow our work to arise naturally from who we are - and what is most important to us. From here we reach a pathway that can lead us to true life fulfilment and purpose.

About the Author

The Dalai Lama is one of the world's great spiritual leaders. The recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and many other international awards, he receives constant and extensive media coverage.

Reviews

In this sequel to The Art of Happiness, Cutler, diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, continues his discussions with the Dalai Lama, this time focusing on finding happiness at the place we spend most of our waking hours-work. Each chapter addresses a different aspect of the environment (e.g., work and identity, boredom and challenge, and job, career, and calling) and contains excerpts of sessions between the Dalai Lama and the author. The two discuss how to get along with an impossible boss or an irritating co-worker, for example, and the Dalai Lama applies Buddhist principles and gives examples from his experience. Cutler clarifies each idea and expands it to fit the North American lifestyle. Despite his living in a monastery, the Dalai Lama has a remarkable sensitivity to and understanding of the realities of the workplace, says Cutler. While he believes strongly in his teachings, he admits that they are easier said than performed. His guidance is not particularly new or earth-shattering, yet those who pick up the book will undoubtedly find something to help them through the daily grind. Recommended for public libraries, as it's likely to be as successful as its predecessor. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 5/1/03.]-Deborah Bigelow, Leonia P.L., NJ Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

'If you're dissatisfied at work, or are finding it hard to understand your true calling, this book is for you... Cutler puts into practice the basic principles of the Dalai Lama that can be applied in all areas of your life. THE ART OF HAPPINESS AT WORK is very readable'. -- Be Unlimited

It should come as no surprise that the Dalai Lama, who is believed by his followers to be the human incarnation of the Buddha of Compassion, would take a compassionate interest in helping Westerners find happiness in the daily grind. Still, this slim follow-up to the 1998 bestsellerThe Art of Happiness will be a revelation to those who aren't yet familiar with the thought of the brilliant Buddhist monk. Attitude and a sense of meaning are the keys to happiness at work, the exiled Tibetan leader tells psychiatrist Cutler in the course of conversations that took place over several years. What will surprise many is the prime importance the Dalai Lama places on reason and analysis, and on the need to acquire "a sense of self that is grounded in reality, an undistorted recognition of one's abilities and characteristics." Cutler presents the findings of various Western researchers, including the concept of "flow," that state of blissful absorption in an activity that allows people to lose track of time and self-identity. The Dalai Lama compares flow to meditative experience, yet downplays it. In order to achieve the kind of happiness that can be sustained even in the hardest times, he says, we must engage in the slow, steady work of training our hearts and minds, rooting out negative habits and cultivating basic human values like kindness and compassion. The Dalai Lama avoids generalization, emphasizing the complexity of individual situations. He won't condemn the manufacture of weapons, for example, because, he says, although they are destructive, "nations do need weapons for security purposes." At a time when Western spiritual seekers are flocking to books telling them that all they really need to be happy and good is to enter into a blissful meditative communion with the now, it is provocative and moving to be urged to think and to know oneself by the man who is arguably the greatest living symbol of the developed spirit in action. And what may be most moving is this: if the Dalai Lama is right, and if people do as he suggests-if they learn to see themselves impartially and to analyze their work in light of how many people it touches-they will begin to see, whether they are picking oranges or writing a novel, that the highest purpose of work and, indeed, of life is the helping of others. (Sept.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.