Nearly every time you see the Dalai Lama, he’s laughing, or at least smiling. And he makes everyone else around him feel like smiling. Even after spending only a few minutes in his presence you can’t help feeling happier.

If you ask him if he’s happy, even though he’s suffered the loss of his country and met many challenges along the way, the Dalai Lama will give you an unconditional yes. What’s more, he’ll tell you that happiness is the purpose of life, and that the very motion of our life is toward happiness. How to get there has always been the question!

The Art of Happiness is the book that launched the genre of happiness books, and it remains the cornerstone of the field of positive psychology, and personal growth. Through conversations, stories, and meditations, the Dalai Lama shows us how to defeat day-to-day anxiety, insecurity, anger, and discouragement. Together with Dr. Howard Cutler, he explores many facets of everyday life, including relationships, loss, and the pursuit of wealth, to illustrate how to ride through life’s obstacles on a deep and abiding source of inner peace.

Based on 2,500 years of Buddhist meditations mixed with a healthy dose of common sense, The Art of Happiness is a book that crosses the boundaries of traditions to help readers with difficulties common to all human beings. After being in print for ten years, this book has touched countless lives and uplifted spirits around the world.