The quest for happiness has been a basic human desire since before the dawn of history. It continues today despite the observation of Buddha and others through the ages that suffering is our inescapable fate.

In the United States, as in other Western societies, we frequently seem to equate happiness with the realization of our desires: finding the perfect mate, landing the right job, or buying the dream house in the suburbs.

Of course, just about everyone knows someone who has one or more of the things they desire and yet are still unhappy. That seems to strongly suggest, as the Dalai Lama asserts in a new book he has coauthored, that happiness comes not from the external world, but from within.

''I believe the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness,'' the Dalai Lama says in the opening sentence to ''The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living'' (Riverhead, $22.95), written with Dr. Howard C. Cutler, a Phoenix psychiatrist whom the Dalai Lama met in 1982 when Cutler was in India studying Tibetan medicine.

''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,'' the Dalai Lama writes.

That begs the question of how do we attain happiness and, more fundamentally, what exactly is happiness. For the Dalai Lama, it's all in our minds.

''From the Dalai Lama's perspective, there are many different levels of happiness,'' Cutler said in an interview during a recent visit to Boston. ''But based on our discussions, I'd say his definition of happiness is a feeling of joy and a sense of contentment that results from developing a calm, stable state of mind rooted in affection and compassion.''

The Dalai Lama makes a clear distinction between happiness and pleasure. Pleasure is based mainly on ''physical, sensory experiences'' that are subject to change and can be fleeting, he contends.

But happiness, as the Dalai Lama views it, is connected to one's heart and mind and because of this is more reliable and resilient to the vicissitudes of life.

''The Dalai Lama isn't saying that we shouldn't provide for our families or have a comfortable home,'' said Cutler, who was raised as a Jew but has adapted Buddhist practices into his life. ''But if suffering is a natural fact of human existence, then we need strategies to deal with that.''

Cutler was introduced to the Dalai Lama by the exiled Tibetan leader's late older brother, Lobsang Samden, who was director of the Tibetan Medical Institute in Dharamsala, India. The Dalai Lama, who left his Himalayan homeland, has set up a government-in-exile in Dharamsala.

Because of the Dalai Lama's lofty position and worldwide reputation, Cutler had expected to encounter an ''aloof, dignified'' religious leader. Instead, Cutler found him to be ''one of the warmest, most genuine and sincere persons I had ever met.''

Cutler began working on the book soon after he helped organize the Dalai Lama's visit to Arizona in 1993. Cutler said he did not want to write another book on Buddhism. The book market is full of titles on the subject.

''I wanted to distill various elements of the Dalai Lama's teaching into something practical that people could use in their everyday lives,'' he said.

When it comes to happiness and the Dalai Lama, one of the most intriguing questions, and one that certainly interested Cutler, is how the Tibetan spiritual leader is able to remain so upbeat given the dismal plight of his people.

Like many others who have been in the Dalai Lama's presence, Cutler said the Buddhist leader's happiness is both palpable and infectious, even when he is discussing Tibet-China relations.

''Part of it comes from developing the capacity to view any given situation from a variety of perspectives,'' Cutler said. ''In his own life, the fact that he was forced to leave his country and live as a refugee could be seen as horrible. But from a different angle, living like a refugee has been a good thing because he has met many different people from different backgrounds whom he never would have met if he stayed in Tibet.''

The Dalai Lama's insights might seem obvious, but Cutler says it is easy to lose sight of the obvious in our frenetic and success-oriented society. ''Some of these ideas sound like cliches, but the trick is to constantly remind yourself of that, and gradually it does change the way you look at things,'' Cutler said.

[ Homepage ] [ NewsRoom ]



This site is maintained and updated by The Office of Tibet, the official agency of His Holiness His Holiness the Dalai Lama in London. This Web page may be linked to any other Web sites. Contents may not be altered.
Last updated: 19-Jan-99