The Art of Happiness (38 page)

“This can be very difficult at the initial stage, so let us begin to practice from this very session. At the initial stage, when you begin to experience this underlying natural state of consciousness, you might experience it in the form of some sort of ‘absence.' This is happening because we are so habituated to understanding our mind in terms of external objects
_;
we tend to look at the world through our concepts, images, and so on. So when you withdraw your mind from external objects, it's almost as if you can't recognize your mind. There's a kind of absence, a kind of vacuity. However, as you slowly progress and get used to it, you begin to notice an underlying clarity, a luminosity. That's when you begin to appreciate and realize the natural state of the mind.

“Many of the truly profound meditative experiences must come on the basis of this kind of stillness of mind.... Oh,” the Dalai Lama laughed, “I should warn that in this type of meditation, since there is no specific object to focus on, there is a danger of falling asleep.

“So, now let us meditate ...

“To begin, first do three rounds of breathing, and focus your attention simply on the breath. Just be aware of inhaling, exhaling, and then inhaling, exhaling—three times. Then, start the meditation.”

The Dalai Lama removed his glasses, folded his hands in his lap, and remained motionless in meditation. Total silence pervaded the hall, as fifteen hundred people turned inward, in the solitude of fifteen hundred private worlds, seeking to still their thoughts and perhaps catch a glimpse of the true nature of their own mind. After five minutes, the silence was cracked but not broken as the Dalai Lama began to chant softly, his voice low and melodic, gently leading his listeners from their meditation. At the close of the session that day, as always, the Dalai Lama folded his hands together, bowed to his audience out of affection and respect, rose, and made his way through the surrounding crowd. His hands remained clasped together and he continued to bow as he left the room. As he walked through the dense crowd he bowed so low, in fact, that for anyone who stood more than a few feet away, it was impossible to see him. He appeared to be lost in a sea of heads. From a distance one could still detect his path, however, from the subtle shift in the crowd's movement as he passed along. It was as if he had ceased to be a visible object and had simply become a felt presence.

This book would not exist without the efforts and kindness of many people. First, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth Dalai Lama, with deep gratitude for his boundless kindness, generosity, inspiration, and friendship. And to my parents, James and Bettie Cutler, in loving memory, for providing the foundation for my own path to happiness in life.

My sincere thanks extends to many others:

To Dr. Thupten Jinpa for his friendship, his help in editing the Dalai Lama's portions of this book, and his critical role in acting as interpreter for the Dalai Lama's public talks and many of our private conversations. Also to Lobsang Jordhen, the Ven. Lhakdor, for acting as interpreter for a number of my conversations with the Dalai Lama in India.

To Tenzin Geyche Tethong, Rinchen Dharlo, and Dawa Tsering, for their support and assistance in many ways over the years.

To the many people who worked so hard to assure that the Dalai Lama's 1993 visit to Arizona was a rewarding experience for so many others: to Claude d‘Estree, Ken Bacher, and the board and staff of Arizona Teachings, Inc., to Peggy Hitchcock and the board of Arizona Friends of Tibet, to Dr. Pam Willson and those who helped organize the Dalai Lama's address at Arizona State University, and to the dozens of dedicated volunteers for their tireless efforts on behalf of all those who attended the Dalai Lama's teachings in Arizona.

To my extraordinary agents, Sharon Friedman and Ralph Vicinanza, and their wonderful staff, for their encouragement, kindness, dedication, help in many aspects of this project, and hard work above and beyond the call of duty. I owe them a special debt of gratitude.

To those who provided invaluable editorial assistance, insight, and expertise, as well as personal support during the lengthy writing process: to Ruth Hapgood for her skillful efforts in editing earlier versions of the manuscript, to Barbara Gates and Dr. Ronna Kabatznick for their indispensable help in wading through voluminous material and focusing and organizing that material into a coherent structure, and to my very talented editor at Riverhead, Amy Hertz, for believing in the project and helping shape the book into its final form. Also to Jennifer Repo and the hard-working copy editors and staff at Riverhead Books. I would also like to extend warm thanks to those who helped transcribe the Dalai Lama's public talks in Arizona, type the transcripts of my conversations with the Dalai Lama, and type parts of the earliest versions of the manuscript.

 

 

 

In closing, my profound thanks:

To my teachers.

To my family and the many friends who have enriched my life in more ways than I can express: to Gina Beckwith Eckel, Dr. David Weiss and Daphne Atkeson, Dr. Gillian Hamilton, Helen Mitsios, David Greenwalt, Dale Brozosky, Kristi Ingham Espinasse, Dr. David Klebanoff, Henrietta Bernstein, Tom Minor, Ellen Wyatt Gothe, Dr. Gail McDonald, Larry Cutler, Randy Cutler, Lori Warren, and with special thanks and deep appreciation to Candee and Scott Briertey—and to other friends whom I may have failed to mention here by name, but whom I hold in my heart with continued love, gratitude, and respect.

The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living,
10th Anniversary Edition, by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler, M.D. New York: Riverhead Books, 2009 (originally published 1998).

 

 

The Art of Happiness at Work
by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler, M.D. New York: Riverhead Books, 2003.

 

 

The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World
by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler, M.D. New York: Doubleday 2009.

 

 

The Art of Happiness book project is a series of books on the theme of human happiness, written by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler, M.D. The books examine various facets of human happiness from both Eastern and Western perspectives. Since the original publication of
The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living
in 1998, there has been a rapidly growing interest in the subject of happiness worldwide, including a new field of psychology devoted to the scientific study of human happiness and flourishing. During these years, the Dalai Lama and Dr. Cutler have continued their collaboration.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama was born on July 6, 1935, to a poor farming family in northeastern Tibet. At the age of two he was recognized as the Dalai Lama, the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet, the fourteenth in a succession dating back six hundred years. At age six he began his lifelong training as a Buddhist monk. Since 1959, he has lived in exile from Tibet in Dharamsala, India. His tireless efforts on behalf of human rights, world peace, and basic human values have brought him international recognition. He is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize and a U.S. Congressional Gold Medal.

For more information about the Dalai Lama, including his schedule of teachings, visit:
www.dalailama.com
.

 

 

 

Howard C. Cutler, M.D.,
is a psychiatrist, bestselling author, and speaker. He is coauthor with His Holiness the Dalai Lama of the acclaimed Art of Happiness series of books, which have been translated into fifty languages and have appeared on bestseller lists around the world. As a leading expert on the science of human happiness and a pioneer in the field of positive psychology, Dr. Cutler gives keynote presentations, leads workshops, and teaches courses on happiness throughout the world.

He is a diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and is on the editorial board of the
American Journal of Psychotherapy.
Dr. Cutler has dedicated his life to helping others find greater happiness, fulfillment, and success. He lives in Phoenix.

For more information about
The Art of Happiness,
including books, workshops, and courses, or to contact Dr. Cutler, please visit:
www. theartofhappiness.com
.