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Summary of The Book of Joy 

4.7 . 1962 reviews

Short summary

The Book of Joy was co-authored in 2016 by Nobel Peace Prize Laureates His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The two spiritual leaders met for 7 days on the occasion of the Dalai Lama's 80th birthday to talk about life and joy. Specifically, they answered one question that has lingered on the human mind for ages: how do we find joy in the face of life's inevitable suffering?

Acknowledging the reality of suffering, the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Tutu explain that joy, just like any other emotion, can be nurtured. They clarified that the human mind is a system of numerous emotional channels and that the mind has to make conscious efforts to select which emotions to use in any event. In this summary, you will learn how to live a life filled with an intense feeling of joy and pleasure that is independent of any situation or circumstance.

"Every day, think as you wake up, ‘I am fortunate to be alive. I have a precious human life. I am not going to waste it.'" ~ The Dalai Lama

Table of content

  • Summary of The Book of Joy
  • About the author
  • What is The Book of Joy about?
  • Who should read The Book of Joy
  • Topics in The Book of Joy
first key point

Suffering is an integral part of life, and your perception of it matters a lot

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In our modern society, we are constantly being made to believe that it's possible to live without suffering or going through hard times. We tell ourselves that once we achieve our goals, become rich, get married to the partner of our dreams and have a family, we will be happy forever and no longer suffer.

We fail to acknowledge the fact that suffering is an integral part of life, and it's inevitable. In fact, the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Tutu both agreed that nothing beautiful comes in life without a measure of some pain, frustration, and suffering.

Even Buddha is believed to have said, “I have taught one thing and one thing only: suffering and the cessation of suffering.”

Take, for instance, mothers and childbirth. The process of childbirth is an excruciatingly painful one, but women have to endure and go through it in exchange for their kids—their bundles of joy. Also, if you think of most of the formative experiences you have had in life, experiences that helped you grow to become who you are today, chances are there was some level of suffering involved.

In essence, no one gets a smooth ride in life; we all experience moments of suffering, one time or another along the line. These moments range from the everyday troubles of stress, frustration, and worry to the life–defining experiences of adversity, illness, and loss of people close to us.
When you see hard times as moments that will soon pass, you will be a lot less stressed and frustrated.
However, while we have no control over the things that happen to us in life, we can influence their impact on our lives by adjusting our attitudes toward them. Sure, life’s journey is a crooked one, and nobody can avoid some bumps along the line, but our own perception of the journey determines so much. Our mind is the axle that often determines whether we experience the ride as bumpy or smooth.

In the following sections of this summary, you will learn to adopt a positive outlook on life and see every hard time as an opportunity to grow.
second key point

Having a healthy perspective—we create our own world with our mind

In life, the first step toward joy and happiness is having a healthy perspective. The reason for this is that the way we see the world is the way we experience the world. Changing the way we see the world changes how we feel and act, which in turn changes the world itself. And as the Dalai Lama often says, there are many different angles to every event in life.
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third key point

You can’t experience joy if you feel you are more important and better than others

fourth key point

Accept life in all its imperfection, and beauty and find ways to laugh at your foibles

fifth key point

In order to live a life that is full of joy, you must also learn to accept your life in all its blemishes and beauty

sixth key point

Gratitude: Shifting your thoughts away from what you lack to what you have in abundance

seventh key point

The fastest way to experience joy is by bringing joy to others

eighth key point

Conclusion

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What is The Book of Joy about?

Who should read The Book of Joy

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Do you find yourself staring at your computer for long minutes, unaware of time slipping by? Do you enter a room and suddenly cannot remember why you stepped in the first place? Is it a herculean task for you to sit through ten pages of a book without reaching for your phone? If yes, your focus needs some work and fast.

Actually, yours is not a unique situation. Many adults like you have issues concentrating on a given task. However, in this fast-paced world of ours, you can’t afford to be not focused at all times. Thankfully, this article comes to your rescue! With the tips and tricks from Hyperfocus by Chris Bailey, you will get in the top percent of folks who have mastered the art of concentration.