The Art of Happiness at Work

Amazon.com
In their 1998 book The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and co-author Howard C. Cutler, M.D., explored how inner development contributes to overall happiness. In their second collaboration, the authors considered how they could best follow their highly successful first book. They chose a subject that affects millions of people around the world and produced. In this very readable, useful book, the authors attempt to discover the following: "Where does work fit in to our overall quest for happiness?" and "To what degree does work satisfaction affect our overall life satisfaction and happiness?" The Art of Happiness at Work is a modern-day Socratic dialogue in which Cutler asks the Dalai Lama about the difficulties and rewards we might encounter in the workplace. The authors explore issues such as work and identity, making money, the Buddhist concept of "right livelihood," and transforming dissatisfaction at work. The discussion appears simple, if not obvious, at first, but upon closer scrutiny, the Dalai Lama's profound wisdom and sensitivity emerges. For the Dalai Lama, basic human values such as kindness, tolerance, compassion, honesty, and forgiveness are the source of human happiness. Throughout the book, he illustrates with clear examples how bringing those qualities to bear on work-related challenges can help us tolerate or overcome the most thorny situations. Recognizing that not all problems can be solved, the Dalai Lama provides very sound advice. The authors urge balance and self-awareness and wisely state, "No matter how satisfying our work is, it is a mistake to rely on work as our only source of satisfaction." --Silvana Tropea

From Publishers Weekly
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 bestseller The 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. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
Expanding the authors' previous book, THE ART OF HAPPINESS, the Dalai Lama answers questions from a thoughtful psychiatrist about the difficulties Westerners have finding happiness at work. Dr. Cutler's ideas and knowledge of behavioral science are important in this dialogue; he's a rich thinker who can speak about Western attitudes without disavowing them or being con-descending toward those who hold them. The Dalai Lama responds to his questions with spectacular encap-sulations of Buddhist thought: We enjoy work when we approach it with respect for our own mental life and for the connections we have with everyone at work. More than being just a place to produce, work is a place to express human values and our own unique gifts in the broader context of life. T.W. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Time, October 23, 2003
...provides comfort for us working stiffs: during some meditation rituals, even the Dalai Lama gets bored on the job.

USA Today, October 13, 2003
While this might sound a little lofty, you...might be surprised at how your perspective changes as you read the book.

Book Description
From the authors who brought you the million-copy bestseller The Art of Happiness comes an exploration of job, career, and Þnding the ultimate happiness at work.

It spent nearly two years on the New York Times bestseller list and has sold well over a million copies in hardcover. It remains, five years later, in its original hardcover edition. It was the book by the Dalai Lama that broke new ground, that made him accessible to a larger audience, spreading his words of wisdom and message of inner peace that captured the imagination of America. His Holiness the Dalai Lama, for the first time since that revolutionary book, has once again teamed up with psychiatrist Howard Cutler to resume the discussion about what makes life meaningful begun in The Art of Happiness.

Over the past several years, Howard Cutler has continued his conversations with the Dalai Lama, asking him the questions we all want answered about how to find happiness in the place we spend most of our time. Work-whether it's in the home or at an office-is what mostly runs our lives. We depend on it to eat, to clothe and shelter ourselves, and to take care of our families. Once again, Dr. Cutler brings forward seminal studies and asks the Dalai Lama to respond. Beginning with a direct correlation between productivity and happiness, Dr. Cutler questions His Holiness about the nature of work. In psychiatry and according to the Dalai Lama, our motivation for working determines our level of satisfaction. The book explores these three levels of focus: Survival: focus on salary, stability, food and clothing
Career: focus on advancement
Calling: focus on work as a higher purpose Cutler probes the Dalai Lama's wisdom by posing these questions: How does the relationship between our personal values and those of our employers affect happiness? What is the relationship between self-awareness and work? What are the main sources of dissatisfaction and how can we cope with them? How do we deal with conflicts with coworkers and bosses? How do we deal with jealousy, anger, or hostility at work? How does the lack of freedom affect our levels of happiness? How do we deal with boredom or lack of challenge? Unfair criticism? Overly demanding or taxing situations? Job change and unemployment? Once again, Cutler walks us through the Dalai Lama's reasoning so that we know how to apply the wisdom to daily life. This is an invaluable source of strength and peace for anyone who earns a living.

About the Author
His Holiness the Dalai Lama, is the spiritual and temporal leader of the Tibetan people. His tireless efforts on behalf of human rights and world peace have brought him international recognition. He is a recipient of the Wallenberg Award (conferred by the U.S. Congressional Human Rights Foundation), the Albert Schweitzer Award, and the Nobel Peace Prize. Howard C. Cutler, M.D., is a diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He first met the Dalai Lama in 1982, while visiting India on a research grant to study Tibetan medicine. Dr. Cutler maintains a private psychiatric practice in Phoenix.


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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. Read all 6 "From The Critics" >


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