The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by Dalai Lama (14th), Desmond Tutu

The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World, by His Holiness The Dalai Lama (14th) and Archbishop Desmond Tutu is a beautifully written journey into understanding true happiness, rooted in the Buddhist and Christian teachings of the two inspirational spiritual leaders. From their first meeting in 2015, the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Tutu embarked on an 8-day discussion, coming together to share their differing views on the pursuit of joy and lasting happiness. Through the inspirational words of the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Tutu, The Book of Joy outlines measures that each of us can take to rediscover our inner joy and tap into its ‘endless reservoir of calm and strength’.

The Book of Joy divides the reader into three main sections - understanding joy and sorrow, overcoming obstacles, and transforming relationships. Drawing together the ancient wisdom of their respective traditions and synthesizing them with cutting-edge science and their own personal life stories, His Holiness and the Archbishop share profound insights into the practice of joy in our daily lives today. This journey of understanding joy and lasting happiness is further complemented by the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Tutu’s infectious enthusiasm and spontaneous outbursts of laughter, both of which serve to illustrate the remarkable simplicity of their message.

The Book of Joy begins with a reminder that first, we must understand sorrow in order to find and enjoy lasting joy. His Holiness and the Archbishop emphasize the fact that joy and sorrow are inextricably intertwined, and stress the importance of recognizing, acknowledging, and accepting our sorrows. Through reflection and deep inner contemplation, we can learn to understand our own sorrow and suffering, as well as empathize with the sorrows of others and find true joy in compassion.

The next section outlines how we can overcome obstacles to joy in our lives. In their trademark compassionate approach, His Holiness and the Archbishop provide strategies to help us recognize and confront our own ego-driven ‘poisons’ of destructive emotions such as hatred, envy and greed - the root cause of inner suffering. Through the power of meditation, compassion, and spiritual practice, the authors share their own personal stories and illustrate how we can use these same tools to overcome the obstacles we face on our own paths to lasting joy.

The journey ends with advice on transforming our relationships. In this section, the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Tutu emphasize the importance of love and kindness - the two cornerstones of genuine spiritual understanding. Beyond these two essential qualities, the authors invite us to explore ways to become more empathetic, understanding, forgiving and courageous. Through each of their stories, they illustrate how these qualities can lead to a transformation of our relationships - with ourselves, with our family and friends, and with the world at large.

Ultimately, The Book of Joy encourages readers to move beyond simply understanding joy and instead, to embrace it and strive to embody it in our daily lives. As we become aware of our own inner joy and come to recognize its true power, we can open ourselves to the joy and love of those around us, experiencing a world of compassion that transcends our individual limitations and connects us all to a broader sense of understanding and lasting happiness.