Happiness by Matthieu Ricard - Started reading this a bit ago. Nice primer on Buddhism. Absolutely loved the book that traces a dialog with his father, The Monk and the Philosopher: A Father and Son Discuss the Meaning of Life.
Happiness does not come automatically. It is not a gift that good fortune bestows upon us and a reversal of fortune takes back. It depends on us alone. One does not become happy overnight, but with patient labor, day after day. Happiness is constructed, and that requires effort and time. In order to become happy, we have to learn how to change ourselves.
~ Luca and Francesco Cavalli-Sforza
Is it fair to say happiness is a journey, not a destination? Is that what Ricard and Cavalli-Sforza are saying. I saw a scene in the movie Peaceful Warrior where Dan, the main character, is asked to climb a long hill to see something special. He's all excited during the journey, but when they reach to top, there is no surprise. Dan's disappointed, and his companion prods Dan to realize that happiness was not in the destination but in the journey. Is that always the case?
Happiness - Table of Contents
- Talking About Happiness
- Is Happiness the Purpose of Life?
- A Two-Way Mirror: Looking Within, Looking Without
- False Friends
- Is Happiness Possible?
- The Alchemy of Suffering
- The Veils of the Ego
- When Our Thoughts Become Our Worst Enemies
- The River of Emotion
- Disturbing Emotions: The Remedies
- Desire
- Hatred
- Envy
- The Great Leap to Freedom
- A Sociology of Happiness
- Happiness in the Lab
- Happiness and Altruism: Does Happiness Make Us Kind or Does Being
- Kind Make Us Happy?
- Happiness and Humility
- Optimism, Pessimism, and Naivete
- Golden Time, Leaden Time, Wasted Time
- One with the Flow of Time
- Ethics as the Science of Happiness
- Happiness in the Presence of Death
- A Path
 | Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill |
 | The Monk and the Philosopher: A Father and Son Discuss the Meaning of Life |