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A review by ladydewinter
Glücksregeln für den Alltag by Howard C. Cutler, Dalai Lama XIV
3.0
So, I wanted to read a book by the Dalai Lama. I don't even know why I picked it; there are quite a few at our store and I think I just liked the introduction. In any case, this was the first book by the Dalai Lama I read (or maybe I should say "read and finished", because I remember borrowing some of books from our local library when I was still at school, but I never was able to finish them because I found them rather difficult to read).
Technically (and factually) saying that this book is "by the Dalai Lama" is wrong, because it was written by Ηoward C. Cutler. It's the record of a series of conversations between the Dalai Lama and Cutler, with some added elaborations to give some more context. The overall topic is "The Art of Happiness At Work", and the book deals with things like the importance money and the relationships with our co-workers in regard to our happiness at, well, work, as well as how to deal with not feeling challenged enough/feeling too challenged at work and how to cope with unemployment.
At the end of the day, most of the things in this book pretty much boil down to common sense, mixed with Buddhist teachings. Still, just because something is common sense doesn't mean it doesn't bear repeating, and I have to say that since I started reading the book I have tried to apply some of the strategies mentioned in it to my job and my life, and while some habits are really hard to change, I think I can say reading this has helped me already.
The focus is very much on the Western way of work, and it's interesting to get an "outsider's perspective" on it, as it is. Sometimes, the Dalai Lama's answers seem rather inconclusive, but obviously there are situations where it's hard to find an answer that applies to everyone, everywhere, and I actually liked that he is very much aware of that.
I don't know whether it's the fault of the translation or of the format, but sometimes it read a little awkward (at times it *definitely* was the translation). It was nice to get some scientific background on the topics, but to be honest, I find the science of happiness a bit odd as it is.
Since the book is written from Cutler's perspective, we also get a few of his thoughts and feelings regarding the Dalai Lama, as well as his descriptions of his behaviour and mode of talking. The latter were very interesting and engrossing. The former - like the authors of "Buddhism for Dummies", the sense of awe Cutler feels is very much apparent, but since it doesn't read like blind worship, it's endearing rather than off-putting. It's just - nice. You feel like he is very much in awe and feels incredibly lucky to have the chance to talk with this man, and - well, it's nice. And at times it's also funny and cute and you know, after all the depressing books I've read lately this was one that was uplifting and inspiring.
I really enjoyed this, and it won't be the last of this kind of book that I'll read.
Technically (and factually) saying that this book is "by the Dalai Lama" is wrong, because it was written by Ηoward C. Cutler. It's the record of a series of conversations between the Dalai Lama and Cutler, with some added elaborations to give some more context. The overall topic is "The Art of Happiness At Work", and the book deals with things like the importance money and the relationships with our co-workers in regard to our happiness at, well, work, as well as how to deal with not feeling challenged enough/feeling too challenged at work and how to cope with unemployment.
At the end of the day, most of the things in this book pretty much boil down to common sense, mixed with Buddhist teachings. Still, just because something is common sense doesn't mean it doesn't bear repeating, and I have to say that since I started reading the book I have tried to apply some of the strategies mentioned in it to my job and my life, and while some habits are really hard to change, I think I can say reading this has helped me already.
The focus is very much on the Western way of work, and it's interesting to get an "outsider's perspective" on it, as it is. Sometimes, the Dalai Lama's answers seem rather inconclusive, but obviously there are situations where it's hard to find an answer that applies to everyone, everywhere, and I actually liked that he is very much aware of that.
I don't know whether it's the fault of the translation or of the format, but sometimes it read a little awkward (at times it *definitely* was the translation). It was nice to get some scientific background on the topics, but to be honest, I find the science of happiness a bit odd as it is.
Since the book is written from Cutler's perspective, we also get a few of his thoughts and feelings regarding the Dalai Lama, as well as his descriptions of his behaviour and mode of talking. The latter were very interesting and engrossing. The former - like the authors of "Buddhism for Dummies", the sense of awe Cutler feels is very much apparent, but since it doesn't read like blind worship, it's endearing rather than off-putting. It's just - nice. You feel like he is very much in awe and feels incredibly lucky to have the chance to talk with this man, and - well, it's nice. And at times it's also funny and cute and you know, after all the depressing books I've read lately this was one that was uplifting and inspiring.
I really enjoyed this, and it won't be the last of this kind of book that I'll read.