Play Book Tag discussion

The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World, by The Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu and Douglas Carlton Abrams.

A Buddist, a Christian and a Jew got together for a week to celebrate the Dalai Lama's birthday, and to discuss how to achieve joy and happiness. (Sorry, that's about as far as Abrams got to making a joke.) I really enjoyed listening to this book every night for a week or two. It was a peaceful way to end the day. The audio contains the actual conversations between the two holy men - The Dalai Lama, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. It was nice to hear the playful interactions between the men. They have been friends for a long time despite the differences in religion and locations. I also liked Douglas Abrams, who facilitate the the interviews and provided interesting research findings that supported many of the ideas. He is listed as a translator and put it all together. The book was well organized, and nicely paced.

They discussed many expected ideas, such as acceptance, gratitude, and helping others, but took them to the next level. Both men described different types of meditations that can help deal with negative feelings such as anger or envy. I liked this better than the empty mind type of meditation. Mudita practice is very similar to something that I learned years ago in a positive psychology book (by Seligman probably), but this is more action oriented.

When people focus too much on themselves - their feelings, their grievances, their pleasure, their stuff, their weaknesses - it leads to negative emotions. They describe practices that help get you out of your own head, and contribute to feelings of joy. Helping other people is one of the things that can lead to a happier life. Hedonism and pleasure are short lived and they don't contribute to true happiness. I can't do it justice. They say it all much better than I could.

It's not a very long book, and everyone is bound to learn at least one new thing. If nothing else, it's a relaxing (or boring) listen that might help put you to sleep.

Just noticed you'd read this (doing the shelving, finally!). Good choice for mental health! :-)

It really was an enjoyable spiritual experience.