The Art of Happiness (Riverhead, 1998, ISBN 1-57322-111-2) is a book by the 14th Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler, a psychiatrist who posed questions to the Dalai Lama. Cutler quotes the Dalai Lama at length, providing context and describing some details of the settings in which the interviews took place, as well as adding his own reflections on issues raised.
The book explores training the human outlook that alters perception. The concepts that the purpose of life is happiness, that happiness is determined more by the state of one's mind than by one's external conditions, circumstances, or events—at least once one's basic survival needs are met and that happiness can be achieved through the systematic training of our hearts and minds.
Contents
Chapter summaries
Part I. The Purpose of Life
"I believe that the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness. That is clear, whether one believes in religion or not, whether one believes in this religion or that religion, we all are seeking something better in life. So, I think, the very motion of our life is towards happiness…” (13). The Dalai Lama spoke this powerful statement at a conference in Arizona among a crowd of people. Chapter one, The Right to Happiness, introduces what the book; the Art of Happiness is about.
Psychiatrist Howard Cutler followed the Dalai Lama around on this tour. Cutler, as well as many of his patients, believed that happiness was “ill defined, elusive, and ungraspable” (14). He also noted that the word ‘happy’ was derived from the term luck or chance (14). His stance on happiness changed after spending some time with this peace leader.
“When I say ‘training the mind,’ in this context I'm not referring to ‘mind’ merely as one's cognitive ability or intellect. Rather I'm using the term in the sense of the Tibetan word Sem, it includes intellect and feeling, heart and mind. By bringing about a certain inner discipline we can undergo a transformation of our attitude, our entire outlook and approach to living" (15).
The purpose of our life is to seek happiness was the phrase that stuck with him out of every other word the Dalai Lama spoke. After later examining some previous experiments, he came to this conclusion: unhappy people tend to be self-focused, withdrawn, brooding and even antagonistic. “On the other hand, happy people tend to be more sociable, flexible, and creative and are able to tolerate life’s daily frustrations more easily than unhappy people.” (16)
The Dalai Lama sees happiness as an objective: people setting goals and working to achieve them thus creating happiness in oneself.
Chapter 1 talks about how to train the mind to become happier; with Chapter 2, we can figure out our sources of happiness or unhappiness. This chapter starts by explaining how a woman being able to retire at age 32 is at a higher level of happiness, but she soon returns to her happiness level before early retirement. Compared to this story, a man is told he's HIV positive, which brings him to a lower level of happiness, but he soon begins to appreciate everyday life more (19–20). These two examples in the book help explain how “happiness is determined more by one’s state of mind than by external events” (20). Being at a life's high, winning the lottery, or being at a low, diagnosed with cancer, we eventually get back to our baseline level. This baseline level is described in the book as how we react to life-changing news; even then our lives will reach a normal baseline again (21).
Part II. Human Warmth and Compassion
Compassion and intimacy are two of the strongest emotions a person can achieve. It is impossible to find these emotions solely within ourselves. We are constantly trying to search for another to be compassionate about, or intimate with. One needs to approach others with a positive attitude, to create an open and friendly atmosphere. Being openly friendly with others, allows one to be compassionate. “We have to maintain an attitude of friendship and warmth in order to lead a way of life in which there is enough interaction with other people to enjoy a happy life” (Dalai Lama, 69).
Intimacy is the central core of our existence. It creates openness with others, which is necessary for a happy lifestyle. According to the Dalai Lama intimacy is “...having one special person with whom you can share your deepest feelings, fears, and so on” (76). The Dalai Lama's opinion is supported by research of Cutler, as he writes “Medical researchers have found that people who have close friendships, and have people they can turn to for affirmation, empathy, and affection are more likely to survive health challenges such as heart attacks, major surgeries and are less likely to develop diseases and cancer” (78). Intimacy is also physical closeness. “The desire for intimacy is the desire to share ones innermost self with another” (The Dalai Lama, 81). One can express himself too much also. Once a person has opened oneself completely to everyone, the special intimacy is lost, and it is hard to satisfy the need of connection with one special person. “The model intimacy is based on the willingness to open ourselves to many others, to family, friends, and even strangers, forming genuine and deep bonds based on common humanity” (Dalai Lama, 84). By opening oneself to the world around us, it creates the opportunity to form special bonds with someone new, or build upon a relationship one may already have.
According to Chapter 5, Howard C. Cutler also asks The Dalai Lama a question about connections and relationships between people: "What would you say is the most effective method or technique of connecting with others in a meaningful way and of reducing conflicts with others?" The Dalai Lama says that there is no formula or exact example for all problems.(87) The Dalai Lama believes that empathy is the key to be more warm and compassionate in connections to others. He thinks that it is very important and extremely helpful to be able to try to put ourselves in the other person's place and see how would we react to the situation.(89) To show compassion and try to understand the background of other people. Cutler also writes a few stories/experiences from his life. For instance when he was in an argument with someone and his reaction was inappropriate without trying to understand and appreciate what the other person might think – no empathy.
Part III. Transforming Suffering
Throughout this chapter the Dalai Lama gives examples of how different people dealt with losing a loved one. The Dalai Lama states that he believes it is a good idea to prepare yourself ahead of time for the kinds of suffering you might encounter, because sometime in life you are going to experience some type of suffering, so if you prepare yourself you will know what to expect. He goes on about how everyone is going to face suffering sometime in their life and if we view suffering as something natural then we can begin to live a happier life. If you can prepare yourself for the fact that in your life you're going to experience a traumatic event, for example a death of a family member, you can face the fact that everybody in life eventually passes on and you'll be able to get over the grieving process sooner and carry on with a happier life knowing that they're in a better place. The Buddhist recognizes the possibility of clearing the mind and achieving a state in which there is no more suffering in people's lives. If you come to the fact and realize you are suffering you'll overcome it faster rather than denying that everything is all right.
Getting through suffering is a very difficult thing to accomplish but there are people out there who can help you overcome you losing a loved one or whatever you may be suffering from. Everyone has to go through suffering sometime in their life, but how people get over it shows how strong that person is. How someone perceives life as a whole plays a huge role in a person's attitude about pain and suffering. There is a possibility of freedom from suffering. That is possible by removing the causes of suffering and living a happier life.
Chương 9 tập trung vào một luận điểm then chốt của The Art of Happiness: phần lớn khổ đau tinh thần của con người không đến trực tiếp từ hoàn cảnh bên ngoài, mà do chính tâm trí tạo ra. Dalai Lama phân biệt giữa nỗi đau không thể tránh (như bệnh tật, mất mát) và khổ đau tinh thần kéo dài, vốn phát sinh từ cách con người diễn giải, ghi nhớ và phản ứng với những trải nghiệm đó. Khi tâm trí không ngừng nhai lại các sự kiện tiêu cực, khổ đau được duy trì ngay cả khi nguyên nhân ban đầu đã không còn.
Một cơ chế quan trọng của khổ đau tự tạo là sự lặp lại ký ức đau buồn trong tâm trí. Con người có xu hướng hồi tưởng, phân tích và kể lại cho chính mình những câu chuyện về tổn thương đã qua, khiến nỗi đau tinh thần kéo dài gấp nhiều lần so với thời gian sự kiện thực sự diễn ra. Theo Dalai Lama, khổ đau vì thế không nằm ở bản thân ký ức, mà ở việc tâm trí bám chấp vào nó và liên tục tái kích hoạt cảm xúc tiêu cực.
Part IV. Overcoming Obstacles
The Dalai Lama thought of bringing change to the cause of the pain and suffering in this chapter.
Chapter 13 examines anger and hatred as some of the most destructive obstacles to happiness and inner peace. The Dalai Lama argues that anger has a uniquely powerful ability to disrupt mental stability, often undoing years of emotional cultivation in a single moment. When anger arises, the mind becomes clouded, impairing judgment and making it difficult to respond wisely to difficult situations. As a result, anger not only damages relationships but also undermines one’s own psychological well-being.
The chapter challenges the common belief that anger is necessary to defend oneself or to correct injustice. While anger may generate a temporary sense of strength or urgency, the Dalai Lama emphasizes that it ultimately weakens one’s capacity for effective action. He stresses that firm and decisive responses do not require hatred, and that calm determination is far more effective than emotional reactivity in addressing conflict or wrongdoing.
Another key theme of the chapter is the self-destructive nature of hatred. Holding on to resentment keeps the mind in a state of tension and hostility, causing continuous inner suffering long after the original harm has occurred. Hatred, therefore, harms the person who harbors it more than the person toward whom it is directed, trapping the individual in a cycle of emotional distress.
To counter anger and hatred, the Dalai Lama proposes changing one’s perspective. By examining the broader context of harmful actions—including the ignorance, fear, or suffering that may drive others’ behavior—the intensity of anger can be reduced. This shift in perspective does not excuse wrongdoing, but it allows the mind to respond with greater clarity and emotional balance.
The chapter concludes by emphasizing patience and compassion as the most effective antidotes to anger. Patience is presented not as weakness, but as a form of inner strength that protects mental freedom. Through cultivating compassion, individuals can break the cycle of hostility and respond to conflict with wisdom, stability, and genuine concern for well-being—both their own and that of others.
Part V. Closing Reflections on Living a Spiritual Life
The beginning of the chapter discusses how the art of happiness has many different components. It talks about what the book has established so far about happiness—how we need to understand the truest sources of happiness and set our priorities in life based on the cultivation of those sources. Then it introduces us to the final chapter about spirituality.
The author goes on to talk about how when people hear the word "spirituality" they automatically think it goes with religion. He says that despite the Dalai Lama having a shaved head and wearing robes, they had normal conversations like two normal people.
The Dalai Lama says that having a process of mental development is key. We need to appreciate our potential as human beings and recognize the importance of our inner transformation. He talks about how there are two different levels of spirituality (295). One level is to do with religious beliefs; he says that he thinks each individual should take their own spiritual path that best fits them and their mental disposition, natural inclination, temperament, and cultural background (305).
Lama says that all religions can make an effective contribution for the benefit of humanity; they are designed to make the individual a happier person and the world a better place and we should respect them (305).
At the end of the chapter he talks about how deep religious faith has sustained countless people through difficult times. He tells a story about a man named Terry Anderson who was kidnapped off the streets in Beirut in 1985. After seven years of being held as a prisoner by Hezbollah, a group of Islamic fundamentalist extremists, he was finally released. The world found him a man overjoyed and happy to be reunited with his family and he said that prayers and religion got him through those seven years (303). This is the main example Lama used.
Other editions
Easton Press recently published a leather-bound edition.
Other books by the Dalai Lama
A sequel, The Art of Happiness at Work, was published in 2003 by Riverhead Press (ISBN 1-57322-261-5), also with Howard Cutler.
Ethics for the New Millennium (1999). Riverhead Press. (ISBN 1-57322-025-6).
An Open Heart, edited by Nicholas Vreeland. Back Bay Books. (ISBN 0-316-98979-7).
For other books, see Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama: Other writings