Saturday, August 20, 2016

The Art of Happiness - Dalai Lama XIV and Howard C. Cutler


Nearly every time you see him, he's laughing, or at least smiling.
And he makes everyone else around him feel like smiling. 
He's the Dalai Lama, the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet, a Nobel Prize winner, and a hugely sought-after speaker and statesman. 
Why is he so popular? 
Even after spending only a few minutes in his presence you can't help feeling happier.

If you ask him if he's happy, even though he's suffered the loss of his country, the Dalai Lama will give you an unconditional yes. 

What's more, he'll tell you that happiness is the purpose of life, and that the very motion of our life is toward happiness. 
How to get there has always been the question. 
He's tried to answer it before, but he's never had the help of a psychiatrist to get the message across in a context we can easily understand.

The Art of Happiness is the book that started the genre of happiness books, and it remains the cornerstone of the field of positive psychology.

Through conversations, stories, and meditations, the Dalai Lama shows us how to defeat day-to-day anxiety, insecurity, anger, and discouragement. 

Together with Dr. Howard Cutler, he explores many facets of everyday life, including relationships, loss, and the pursuit of wealth, to illustrate how to ride through life's obstacles on a deep and abiding source of inner peace. 
Based on 2,500 years of Buddhist meditations mixed with a healthy dose of common sense, The Art of Happiness is a book that crosses the boundaries of traditions to help readers with difficulties common to all human beings. 
After being in print for ten years, this book has touched countless lives and uplifted spirits around the world.
 

[Book Description Source: www.amazon.com ] 

Ratings
Goodreads Rating - 4.13 out of 5 (54,666 Ratings; 1620 Reviews - As on Aug 20 2016)
My Rating 4 out of 5
My Comments:  This book makes it to most of the lists of Top 10 happiness books that I found in the internet. Though Dalai Lama has been credited as the main author, the book is actually an interpretation of the views expressed by Dalai Lama when interviewed by the co-author Dr. Cutler, a psychologist.


Buying Options 
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Saturday, August 13, 2016

Simplicity - Edward de Bono


Simplicity is the classic work about making the complicated simple, from world-renowned writer and philosopher Edward de Bono. 
From confusing manuals to uninterpretable jargon to bureaucratic red-tape, modern life can be highly complicated and frustrating. 
For many of us it is almost impossible to make sense of. 
In Simplicity, lateral-thinking guru Edward de Bono shows us how to bring simplicity into our increasingly complicated lives. 
Through his ten rules of simplicity, he encourages us to be creative and break down the complex into manageable and recognisable parts. 
By making the complicated simple, you will free up time, reduce stress and make better decisions.
[Book Description Source: www.amazon.com ] 

Ratings
Goodreads Rating - 3.7 out of 5 (297 Ratings; 23 Reviews; as on Aug 13 2016)
My Rating 3 out of 5
My Comments: Though there are no path breaking techniques taught in this book, the concept of Simplicity and the general approaches to achieve is well explained in a concise manner. 
The book is "Simple" and light read, living up to its title. 
Liked it more than than the previous book of Edward de Bono  (Lateral Thinking) which was rather an insipid read, though the technique "Lateral Thinking" was path breaking.


Buying Options 
Buy from Amazon.com  Buy from Amazon.in