Product Description

Although we are materially better off than ever before, surveys show that
we are depressed and listless. In his revolutionary book, Buddhist monk
Matthieu Ricard, shows that happiness is not just an emotion, but a skill
that can be developed. Free of mumbo jumbo, Happiness contains 20-minute
exercises to train the mind to recognise and pursue happiness by
concentrating on life's fundamentals.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #991 in Books
• Published on: 2007-01-11
• Original language: German
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Review
"'A remarkable book. It is hard to imagine a more convincing guide to that elusive thing: happiness' Pankaj Mishra. 'If you want to be happier and better, this is the book you should read. It provides the best available philosophy of life and practice for the twenty-first century.' Richard Layard, Professor of Economics, London School of Economics 'The readers of this book will find themselves in the presence of an extraordinary human being... [It] beautifully illustrates that happiness is to be found in controlling the mind, not circumstances' Daniel Kahneman, winner Nobel Prize economics, 2002 'In his new book, Ricard combines the talents of a philosopher and scientist to produce a rigorous and compelling analysis of his subject. He reminds us that to change individuals is also, ultimately, to change the world.' George Soros"

About the Author
Mattieu Ricard is a Buddhist monk. He is also a translator, photographer and bestselling author. He lives in Tibet and Nepal.

Customer Reviews

Essential reading
I doubt any review could do this book justice. It is a rare thing: a book that is both powerful & deep . . . AND light and joyous; it is both well written, so that reading it is a pleasure, and thought-provoking and even challenging, such that we might need to allow many weeks if not months to allow it's messages to sink in.

Matthieu admits that he is a happy man and this shines through in every chapter. So too does both his knowledge and life experiences of both scientific and Buddhist thinking and practice. His ability to blend these two, often apparently contradictory schools, into a coherent and convincing approach to his subject is a special talent. Besides achieving all this in 'A guide to developing life's most important skill' (the sub-title) this true sage of an author also makes the topic accessible to anyone and everyone.

This book should be a standard text in all schools. It's message is not only profound but urgently needed in today's world: we CAN all be happy! OK, it might not be a quick fix, but after reading this book you'll be ready, and well prepared, for a journey to our natural, inner essence: of happiness through awareness and compassion.

Amongst the many positive qualities of this book are the regular exercises to help the reader understand his points through first-hand experience . . . and wonderful quotes from the many wise-men (from many different backgrounds and faiths) he's had the pleasure to share his path with.

There is perhaps one compliment that only another author can give to another: if I had to recommend a book to somebody and had to choose between one of my own and this one . . . I'd choose Matthieu's every time . . . and be happy to do so.

life changing
This book really does what it says. Ricard offers a simple insight into the budhist perspective and in doing so provides a guide to improving your life that can be followed by anyone, budhist or not. Ricard explains every concept so thoroughly and presents his arguments so clearly you cannot help but see the logic behind what he is saying.

Read this book!
I haven't stopped going on about how much I love this book since I first picked it up!

A friend gave it to me and I am thoroughly enjoying it. It's written in a really interesting way with lots of scientific research mixed in with Budhist wisdom.

I would heartily reccomend it. It is very thought provoking and has made me start to change some of the ways I think about things already.