Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill
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By: Matthieu Ricard
Format: Paperback
From: Little, Brown and Company
Pub. Date: December 2006
From: Little, Brown and Company
Pub. Date: December 2006
Product Details:
Catalog: Book
Release Date: 2007-01-05
Media: Paperback
Number Of Pages: 304
Ean: 9780316167253
Isbn: 0316167258
Catalog: Book
Release Date: 2007-01-05
Media: Paperback
Number Of Pages: 304
Ean: 9780316167253
Isbn: 0316167258
ABOUT THE BOOK
EDITORIAL REVIEW
Never has happiness as an emotional and physical state of being been so widely discussed. Matthieu Ricard is one of the most compelling voices on the subject, and one of the few who can bring together the teachings of eastern and western thought. In this accessible new work, Ricard provides a straightforward assessment of how to create true and lasting happiness. He addresses the pursuit of a meaningful life at its most fundamental level the strengthening of the inner conditions that lead to genuine happiness. Ricard helps readers form new patterns of interaction with themselves and with the larger world, working toward happiness step by step, starting with 20 minutes of daily mind training and meditation. Ricard has been featured in Time, Self, O Magazine, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times Magazine. Ricard has served as interpreter for the Dalai Lama and also works with many influential thinkers within the scientific community, including Brian Greene and Daniel Goleman. With his father, Jean Francois Revel, Ricard co-authored the French bestseller The Monk and the Philosopher, which was translated into 21 languages. He also co-authored the 2001 book The Quantum and the Lotus with astrophysicist Trinh Xuan Thuan. Acclaim for Happiness: Written with grace and clarity, Ricard offers exciting ideas and practical tools for increasing our understanding of ourselves and our relationship to the world. Paul Ekman, Ph.D., author of Emotions Revealed "In this highly readable and enlightening volume, Matthieu Ricard offers us the keys to opening up the chambers of the mind where serenity resides. His elegant descriptions show us how the preoccupation with the self leads to the detrimental urges, thoughts, and feelings that present barriers to genuine liberation. This superb volume demonstrates how we can experience contentment even in the face of unpleasant circumstances Aaron Beck, Ph.D., author of Cognitive Therapy and the Emotional Disorders Matthieu Ricard is a Buddhist monk who completed a Ph.D. in cellular genetics with the Nobel laureate Francois Jacob before leaving France to study Buddhism in the Himalaya 35 years ago. He lives and works on humanitarian projects in Nepal.
USER REVIEWS
"Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill
This is the best book I have ever read on the subject of happiness. A real treasure.
Happiness is not a mystery but a possible goal for anyone who seriously wants to become a happier and better person. If you love science, literature and culture, Matthieu Ricard is the right guru for you.
A must read for everyone who loved his book "The Monk and the Philosopher".
A book you won't ever part with for you'll want to read in it again and again.
Inge Hohndorf"
~ Written on 2008-05-13
This is the best book I have ever read on the subject of happiness. A real treasure.
Happiness is not a mystery but a possible goal for anyone who seriously wants to become a happier and better person. If you love science, literature and culture, Matthieu Ricard is the right guru for you.
A must read for everyone who loved his book "The Monk and the Philosopher".
A book you won't ever part with for you'll want to read in it again and again.
Inge Hohndorf"
~ Written on 2008-05-13
"This book has been written by the world's happiest person. Neuroscientists have conducted various tests on thousands of people including the author and have come to the conclusion based on scientific proof. It is therefore necessary to keep that piece of information at the back of your mind when you read the book.
Every word in the book comes out loud and clear as having been created by a truly happy and contented person.
Simply by reading the book and following some of the exercises that the author suggests, you can transform yourself from a tense and neurotic being into a joyful, stress free person.
Though the author is a Buddhist monk, this book is not about Buddhism nor does it attempt to convert one to that religion. This is a practical, down to earth method to learn to be happy."
~ Written on 2008-04-06
Every word in the book comes out loud and clear as having been created by a truly happy and contented person.
Simply by reading the book and following some of the exercises that the author suggests, you can transform yourself from a tense and neurotic being into a joyful, stress free person.
Though the author is a Buddhist monk, this book is not about Buddhism nor does it attempt to convert one to that religion. This is a practical, down to earth method to learn to be happy."
~ Written on 2008-04-06
"This is just a footnote to the other reviews, especially the one that wants more of the "how" to implement the author's suggestions.
Ricard is one of the finest students of one of the finest teachers of the Tibetan tradition as is, for example, the very popular author Pema Chödrön.
Chödrön's books and "Happiness" by Ricard share the same characteristic: they make great inspirational reading BUT in the absence of a regular meditative discipline they remain only that.
There is a great abundance of excellent books (which by the way are not enough on their own), and there are even quite a lot of excellent teachers, who can guide one with regard to that regular practice.
Of course what "practice" is is something that must be investigated by you yourself. The many exercises found throughout Ricard's book, if assiduously undertaken, are material enough for a thorough familiarization with practice as I understand it.
I wish you the very best in your quest,
Richard Wrigley."
~ Written on 2008-03-30
Ricard is one of the finest students of one of the finest teachers of the Tibetan tradition as is, for example, the very popular author Pema Chödrön.
Chödrön's books and "Happiness" by Ricard share the same characteristic: they make great inspirational reading BUT in the absence of a regular meditative discipline they remain only that.
There is a great abundance of excellent books (which by the way are not enough on their own), and there are even quite a lot of excellent teachers, who can guide one with regard to that regular practice.
Of course what "practice" is is something that must be investigated by you yourself. The many exercises found throughout Ricard's book, if assiduously undertaken, are material enough for a thorough familiarization with practice as I understand it.
I wish you the very best in your quest,
Richard Wrigley."
~ Written on 2008-03-30
"I think a lot of the other reviews clearly explain why this is a wonderful book. It definitely has added a lot of perspective to my outlook on things. I believe as Ricard explains, that tweaks to the way we think and our attitude will definitely foster happier thoughts in our minds. There are some very memorable thoughts from this book - the one I liked most was the fact that happiness can never be based on external circumstances for they are fleeting. A loss of a loved one or a job can plunge a man from happiness to despair and darkness in an instant. If like Ricard, you believe that happiness can be a permanent state of mind, it has to be on the inside and all ephemeral, external circumstances will flutter the mind like lines written on water.
But there are limitations and not-so-great things about the book which could have been improved.
- Too much quoting philosophers and famous people
Almost every chapter is filled with various philosopher's take on things like happiness, emotions etc. I was more interested in Ricard's own experience and his Gurus' opinions (which were also there at places) rather than a big collection of differing thoughts of other philosophers.
- Lack of explanation on 'how to do'
There is a clear lack of explanation of how to deal practically with the issues Ricard brings up. His theory that negative thoughts like hatred need antidotes like patience is great, but there is not much detail on how to cultivate them. Ricard says the solution is meditation, but how and what to exactly meditate on is short in content.
A recurring theme is that when say, you are very angry, look at the anger itself without attaching it to the target of the anger and meditate, and it will melt away. Look at the emotion itself without the object it is related to and it will melt away like 'snow under the sun'.
It sounds good to read but I find it tough to implement. While one is meditating, how is it possible to 'look' at something without giving it an image or a mental picture? How to 'look' at an abstract entity is mentioned nowhere in the book. Maybe it comes naturally to advanced spiritual practitioners, but for a layman like me, I need more explanation on how to do these things than just a vague paragraph and impressive metaphors.
In spite of these limitations, I found it an enlightening book to read.
"
~ Written on 2008-02-08
But there are limitations and not-so-great things about the book which could have been improved.
- Too much quoting philosophers and famous people
Almost every chapter is filled with various philosopher's take on things like happiness, emotions etc. I was more interested in Ricard's own experience and his Gurus' opinions (which were also there at places) rather than a big collection of differing thoughts of other philosophers.
- Lack of explanation on 'how to do'
There is a clear lack of explanation of how to deal practically with the issues Ricard brings up. His theory that negative thoughts like hatred need antidotes like patience is great, but there is not much detail on how to cultivate them. Ricard says the solution is meditation, but how and what to exactly meditate on is short in content.
A recurring theme is that when say, you are very angry, look at the anger itself without attaching it to the target of the anger and meditate, and it will melt away. Look at the emotion itself without the object it is related to and it will melt away like 'snow under the sun'.
It sounds good to read but I find it tough to implement. While one is meditating, how is it possible to 'look' at something without giving it an image or a mental picture? How to 'look' at an abstract entity is mentioned nowhere in the book. Maybe it comes naturally to advanced spiritual practitioners, but for a layman like me, I need more explanation on how to do these things than just a vague paragraph and impressive metaphors.
In spite of these limitations, I found it an enlightening book to read.
"
~ Written on 2008-02-08
"Simple to understand and get through. Changes ones outlook on life completely. I am rereading it again!"
~ Written on 2008-01-11
~ Written on 2008-01-11