Solve for Happy


Book Description

In this “powerful personal story woven with a rich analysis of what we all seek” (Sergey Brin, cofounder of Google), Mo Gawdat, Chief Business Officer at Google’s [X], applies his superior logic and problem solving skills to understand how the brain processes joy and sadness—and then he solves for happy. In 2001 Mo Gawdat realized that despite his incredible success, he was desperately unhappy. A lifelong learner, he attacked the problem as an engineer would: examining all the provable facts and scrupulously applying logic. Eventually, his countless hours of research and science proved successful, and he discovered the equation for permanent happiness. Thirteen years later, Mo’s algorithm would be put to the ultimate test. After the sudden death of his son, Ali, Mo and his family turned to his equation—and it saved them from despair. In dealing with the horrible loss, Mo found his mission: he would pull off the type of “moonshot” goal that he and his colleagues were always aiming for—he would share his equation with the world and help as many people as possible become happier. In Solve for Happy Mo questions some of the most fundamental aspects of our existence, shares the underlying reasons for suffering, and plots out a step-by-step process for achieving lifelong happiness and enduring contentment. He shows us how to view life through a clear lens, teaching us how to dispel the illusions that cloud our thinking; overcome the brain’s blind spots; and embrace five ultimate truths. No matter what obstacles we face, what burdens we bear, what trials we’ve experienced, we can all be content with our present situation and optimistic about the future.




Paths to Happiness


Book Description

A psychologist offers fifty science-backed ideas, activities, and adventures for cultivating a happier mindset. From positive psychology expert Edward Hoffman, Ph.D., Paths to Happiness guides you through fifty fun, stimulating, mind-opening ways to achieve greater joy and feel more fulfilled. From dabbling in watercolors to expressing gratitude, embracing nostalgia to power napping, each suggestion in this book has been shown by scientific research to increase happiness and support well-being. Every topic is explored in a digestible manner and invites readers to reflect on their lives, with easy ways to cultivate a happier mindset. The easy dip-in, dip-out style and engaging activities make this accessible guide to finding happiness in daily living—one that can be revisited again and again.




The Path


Book Description

For the first time, an award-winning Harvard professor shares his wildly popular course on classical Chinese philosophy, showing you how ancient ideas—like the fallacy of the authentic self—can guide you on the path to a good life today. Why is a course on ancient Chinese philosophers one of the most popular at Harvard? Because it challenges all our modern assumptions about what it takes to flourish. Astonishing teachings emerged two thousand years ago through the work of a succession of Chinese scholars exploring how humans can improve themselves and their society. And what are these counterintuitive ideas? Transformation comes not from looking within for a true self, but from creating conditions that produce new possibilities. Good relationships come not from being sincere and authentic, but from the rituals we perform within them. A good life emerges not from planning it out, but through training ourselves to respond well to small moments. Influence comes not from wielding power but from holding back. Excellence comes from what we choose to do, not our natural abilities. In other words, The Path “opens the mind” (Huffington Post) and upends everything we are told about how to lead a good life. Its most radical idea is that there is no path to follow in the first place—just a journey we create anew at every moment by seeing and doing things differently. “With its…spirited, convincing vision, revolutionary new insights can be gleaned from this book on how to approach life’s multifarious situations with both heart and head” (Kirkus Reviews). A note from the publisher: To read relevant passages from the original works of Chinese philosophy, see our ebook Confucius, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi: Selected Passages, available wherever books are sold.




The Path


Book Description

Khenpo Sherab Zangpo draws on Tibetan Buddhist tradition and his own fascinating life story to describe a way forward for contemporary practitioners, offering lucid guidance on daily practice, finding the right teacher, and cultivating a wiser and more compassionate attitude toward others and ourselves. The Path brings us the remarkable teachings of Khenpo Sherab Zangpo, a leading scholar from the famous Larung Buddhist Institute of Five Sciences in Eastern Tibet. As a lineage holder in the tradition of the Great Perfection—the highest teachings of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism—Khenpo Sherab offers insight into the nature of our world and the possibility of transformation through committed engagement with the path. Enriched by many stories from his life in Tibet, Khenpo Sherab enhances our understanding Buddhism’s foundational teachings on suffering, impermanence, and interconnectedness, and explores answers to questions that all modern practitioners face: How do I decide who is the right teacher for me? What role does faith play in my practice? How can I confront the realities of death? Offering lucid guidance on the nuances of daily practice and the methods for cultivating a wiser and more compassionate attitude toward others and ourselves, Khenpo Sherab helps us chart the Tibetan Buddhist path with exceptional clarity, making this book a tremendous resource for beginners and advanced practitioners alike.







Your Path to Happiness


Book Description

A Practical Methodology For Greater Happiness An excerpt from Your Path to Happiness: Now, I leave you with a pragmatic way of living that, if practised, can help you to achieve hedonic and eudaimonic happiness in life, solve your problems and fulfil your dreams. In this psychology book about self-actualization, Chua introduces a straightforward way of understanding of how happiness can be achieved and how unhappiness can be corrected. In the book, concepts from evolutionary psychology, behavioural psychology, humanistic psychology, cognitive psychology, psychoanalysis, social psychology, positive psychology, applied psychology, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Islam are explored and integrated together as one. By synthesizing various branches of psychology together, Chua suggests a few psychological interventions that you can utilize in your life to enjoy positive affect, reach your full potential, achieve your dreams, overcome your difficulties and solve your problems. Learn how to: Increase your self-control Get rid of perfectionism and self-hatred Identify the sources of aggressive behaviour Become more authentic and spontaneous Seek happiness within instead of from the external world Be better at your job Find freedom in life Become your true self Improve your relationships with others Break your bad habits Take responsibility for your life Practice mindfulness Lead a purposeful life Remove regrets from your life Become more resilient in the face of adversity Reduce anxiety and depression symptoms Enjoy greater vitality and creativity Deal with binge-eating, self-harm, addiction, smoking and drug-taking ...and much more. Placing emphasis on the scientific method, the interventions in Your Path to Happiness are made to be practical. Thus, if they are applied, Your Path to Happiness can help you to become the best version of yourself, transform from your current self to your true self, and remove any problematic behaviour that you may exhibit. Anyone, regardless of how miserable or detestable they currently are, can stand to benefit.




Your Path to Unshakeable Happiness


Book Description

What if you knew that the path to happiness was your birthright and given the right set of tools you could be happy most of the time even when life is most challenging? How would your life be different or better? What pain would you let go? Of course most of us want to be happier, but how? In this book, Margaret Blaine, author and teacher of Nichiren Buddhism, provides a very clear guide to happiness regardless of your circumstances. Nichiren Buddhism s is a form of modern Buddhism uniquely geared to the 21st century. Through a story of real world people with real struggles you'll see how Buddhist philosophy and practices can help you get unstuck and provide you with an opportunity to become happier. Discover: •How to get unstuck and move your life forward •Specific tools and techniques anyone can use to become happier •How to quiet your mind even when the world around you is chaotic •How to successfully negotiate transitions with grace •A 90-day practice challenge; prepare to be surprised and fascinated by what happens in your life! •Discussions of Buddhist philosophy and how it provides answers for our modern lives •How to experience moments of enlightenment From making transitions like changing a job or losing a loved one, to handling difficult situations or internal struggles, to just wanting to be happier everyday this book provides the tools, techniques, and philosophies to put you on the path to happiness. You might be asking yourself if all this is even possible. The answer is simple: Find out for yourself what some 12 million practitioners of modern Buddhism have come to know. Order a copy of "Your Path to Unshakeable Happiness" today; it might just become one of your favorite spiritual self-help books.




Mind, Brain and the Path to Happiness


Book Description

Mind, Brain and the Path to Happiness presents a contemporary account of traditional Buddhist mind training and the pursuit of wellbeing and happiness in the context of the latest research in psychology and the neuroscience of meditation. Following the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of Dzogchen, the book guides the reader through the gradual steps in transformation of the practitioner’s mind and brain on the path to advanced states of balance, genuine happiness and wellbeing. Dusana Dorjee explains how the mind training is grounded in philosophical and experiential exploration of the notions of happiness and human potential, and how it refines attention skills and cultivates emotional balance in training of mindfulness, meta-awareness and development of healthy emotions. The book outlines how the practitioner can explore subtle aspects of conscious experience in order to recognize the nature of the mind and reality. At each of the steps on the path the book provides novel insights into similarities and differences between Buddhist accounts and current psychological and neuroscientific theories and evidence. Throughout the book the author skilfully combines Buddhist psychology and Western scientific research with examples of meditation practices, highlighting the ultimately practical nature of Buddhist mind training. Mind, Brain and the Path to Happiness is an important book for health professionals and educators who teach or apply mindfulness and meditation-based techniques in their work, as well as for researchers and students investigating these techniques both in a clinical context and in the emerging field of contemplative science.




Genuine Happiness


Book Description

Discover your personal path to bliss "This book will give anyone interested in the spectrum of core meditative practices stemming from the Buddhist tradition but in essence universal the deepest of perspectives on what is possible for us as human beings as well as excellent guidance in the essential, time-tested attitudes and practices for actualizing our innate capacity for wisdom, compassion, and well-being, right here and right now." —Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Coming to Our Senses and Full Catastrophe Living "In Genuine Happiness, Alan Wallace displays his rare talent in boiling down the complex to the clear and in guiding readers through a practical path to contentment. A gift for all moods and seasons." —Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ "This lucid and rich book offers brillant, wise, and accessible teachings on the essentials of four core meditation techniques that lead one to genuine joy and happiness. Alan Wallace's years of practice and teaching shine through every page, as with ease and great humanity, he brings to the reader the possibility of liberation." —Joan Halifax Roshi, abbot of Upaya Zen Center "Genuine Happiness is a treasure chest of wisdom: clear, inspiring teaching jewels. It is an excellent support for any student of meditation." —Sharon Salzberg, author of Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience In today's overstimulated world, many are realizing that happiness gained through material wealth and frivolous conquests is short-lived. To achieve long-term happiness, you must access your own bountiful resources—housed in your heart and mind. In Genuine Happiness, longtime Buddhist practitioner Alan Wallace shows you the path to bliss. Drawing on more than three decades of study under His Holiness the Dalai Lama and sixty other teachers, as well as 2,500 years of Buddhist tradition, Alan Wallace guides you step by step through five simple yet powerful meditations to help you focus your mind and open your heart to true happiness. Featuring a Foreword by the Dalai Lama, this book will help you discover that it is possible to experience genuine happiness every day. As you incorporate the meditations from Genuine Happiness into your life, you will discover that the joy you've sought has always been only a few meditative minutes away.




Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness


Book Description

The sequel to "Mindfulness in Plain English" delivers a simple message: Living a happy life is not a theory or dream, but something eminently practical and achievable through the Buddha's Eightfold Path.