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

  1. Talking About Happiness
  2. Is Happiness the Purpose of Life?
  3. A Two-Way Mirror: Looking Within, Looking Without
  4. False Friends
  5. Is Happiness Possible?
  6. The Alchemy of Suffering
  7. The Veils of the Ego
  8. When Our Thoughts Become Our Worst Enemies
  9. The River of Emotion
  10. Disturbing Emotions: The Remedies
  11. Desire
  12. Hatred
  13. Envy
  14. The Great Leap to Freedom
  15. A Sociology of Happiness
  16. Happiness in the Lab
  17. Happiness and Altruism: Does Happiness Make Us Kind or Does Being
  18. Kind Make Us Happy?
  19. Happiness and Humility
  20. Optimism, Pessimism, and Naivete
  21. Golden Time, Leaden Time, Wasted Time
  22. One with the Flow of Time
  23. Ethics as the Science of Happiness
  24. Happiness in the Presence of Death
  25. 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

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