“The Art of Happiness” is as much a conversation as it is a guide to self-improvement. The two authors, the Dalai Lama XIV and Dr. Howard C. Cutler, work together to provide simple answers with a lot of scientific backing. While Tibetan Buddhism informs many of the Dalai Lama’s insights, Dr. Cutler works to ground these ideas in psychology for a wider audience. You will learn how to find the same kind of inner peace that led the Dalai Lama to receive his Nobel Peace Prize. This book helped establish the field of “positive psychology” nearly two decades ago, and it continues to fill a central role in the study of happiness.

If you often deal with negative feelings and struggling to make important decisions, this advice can help you. With this guidance, you can gain the discipline to figure out the factors that make you happy. Then, you will find out how to rid yourself of whatever makes you miserable. Dr. Cutler brings forward the science behind the Dalai Lama’s views every step of the way. He questions His Holiness about the roles of the unconscious mind, past experiences, and materialism in the quest for inner peace. The Dalai Lama takes each question in stride and provides compelling answers that account for Western ideals.

You will feel personally addressed when reading this book: The Dalai Lama sees all people the same, whether they are old friends or new acquaintances. The emotionally intimate tone conveys his message of positivity and purpose. Contemporary views meet traditional Tibetan wisdom, and optimism merges with realism through the meeting of these two great minds. The Dalai Lama firmly attests that happiness is the purpose in all lives and that it is attainable. Read this book, and you can begin to train your mind to keep that sense of happiness no matter the circumstances.