Meet the Authors
The Dalai Lama
Too much self-centered thinking is the source of suffering. A compassionate concern for others' well-being is the source of happiness.
So when joy arises at the level of your mind and not just your senses, you can maintain a deep sense of satisfaction for a much longer period of time.
We have to think about humanity, discover a sense of oneness of all seven billion human beings.
If you are filled with negative judgment and anger, then you will feel separate from other people. You will feel lonely. But if you have an open heart and are filled with trust and friendship, even if you are physically alone, even living a hermit’s life, you will never feel lonely.
We should recognize our shared humanity … When humanity is happy, we will be happy. When humanity is peaceful, our own lives are peaceful
We must look at any given situation or problem from the front and from the back, from the sides, and from the top and the bottom, so from at least six different angles. This allows us to take a more complete and holistic view of reality, and if we do, our response will be more constructive.
Too much self-centered thinking is the source of suffering. A compassionate concern for others’ well-being is the source of happiness.
It takes time, and we must take the long view. When we look at our world with a longer time frame, say, of a hundred years, we can then envision a world that is very different. A better, kinder, a more equitable, more joyful world. But we must start the process of that change now, not wait for some ideal time.
The spiritual leader of Tibet, his Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyato, was born on July 6th 1935 in Taktser, Amdo, northeastern Tibet. At the age of two, he was recognized as the reincarnation of the previous 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso. After beginning monastic studies at age six, he assumed political power of Tibet at age 15. He fled to India in 1959 following the Chinese invasion of Tibet and he now resides in Dharamshala.
He is world renowned for his humanitarian efforts which led to the award of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 and the US Congressional Gold Medal in 2006. Through numerous conferences, lectures, and workshops, the Dalai Lama shares messages of peace and compassion for all of humanity. In The Book of Joy as in many previous interactions, he engages in interfaith dialogues to advance freedom and peace.
The Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Joy is much bigger than happiness. While happiness is often seen as being dependent on external circumstances, joy is not.
As we discover more joy, we can face suffering in a way that ennoble rather than embitters. We have hardship without becoming hard. We have heartbreak without being broken.
It's like a flower. You open, you blossom, really because of other people. And I think some suffering, maybe even intense suffering, is a necessary ingredient for life, certainly for developing compassion.
Be a reservoir of joy, an oasis of peace, a pool of serenity that can ripple out to all around you.
You are made for perfection, but you are not yet perfect. You are a masterpiece in the making.
To hold down emotions in a controlled environment, as it were, is not wise. I would say go ahead and even maybe shout out your sadness and pain… It is locking them up and pretending that they are not there that causes them to fester and become a wound.
We’ve always got to be recognizing that despite the aberrations, the fundamental thing about humanity, about humankind, about people, is that they are good, they were made good, and they really want to be good.
It’s like muscles that have to be exercised in order for them to be strengthened. Sometimes we get too angry with ourselves, thinking that we ought to be perfect from the word go. But this being on Earth is a time for us to learn to be good, to learn to be more loving, to learn to be more compassionate.
Joy is the reward, really, of seeking to give joy to others. When you show compassion, when you show caring, when you show love to others, do things for other, in a wonderful way you have a deep joy that you can get in no other way.
Desmond Mpilo Tutu was born in Klerksdorp, South Africa on October7th, 1931 to Xhosa and Tswana parents.Tutu was ordained as an Anglican priest in 1961 and later was elected as the first Black Archbishop of Cape Town in 1986. He worked tirelessly throughout his life to defend the rights of Black South Africans and to abolish the racial segregation and discrimination of the Apartheid system. He spoke passionately about nonviolent protests in defiance of the horrors of Apartheid. His work drew international attention to the injustices and successfully encouraged nations to apply pressure to the South African Administration. In 1994, he was appointed as head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission where he investigated human rights violations and sought to promote healing, repair, and racial reconciliation.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a human rights and conflict resolution icon throughout the world, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 among several other honors. At age 90, Tutu died in Cape Town, South Africa on December 26th, 2021. He is remembered as a universal human rights hero whose warmth, courage, and intelligence touched the lives of many.
Douglas Abrams
The Dalai Lama and the Archbishop are two of the great spiritual masters of our time, but they are also moral leaders who transcend their own traditions and speak always for humanity as a whole.
The Archbishop and the Dalai Lama were saying that so much of our stress is dependent on seeing ourselves as separate from others, which perhaps returns to the loss of our sense of communal connection, of Ubuntu.
We try so hard to separate joy and sorrow into their own boxes, but the Archbishop and the Dalai Lama tell us that they inevitably fastened together.
What I had learned from our dialogue was that we did not have to wait for others to open their hearts to us. By opening our heart to them, we could feel connected to them, whether on a mountaintop or in the middle of Manhattan.
Joy, it seemed, was a strange alchemy of mind over matter. The path to joy, like with sadness, did not lead away from suffering and adversity but through it.
We are most joyful when we focus on others, not on ourselves. In short, bringing joy to others is the fastest way to experience joy oneself.
The more we make a different choice to heal our own suffering, the more we can turn to others and help to address their suffering with the laughter-filled,tear-stained eyes of the heart. And the more we turn away from our self-regard to wipe the tears from the eyes of another, the more --- incredibly -- we are able to bear, to heal, and to transcend our own suffering.
An author, editor, and literacy agent, Douglas Abrams describes himself as truth hunter seeking insights for living a meaningful life and for advancing "a wiser, healthier, more just world." Through the Global Icon Series of which Book of Joy is a part, Abrams sought to capture conversations with "world-renowned luminaries." He has co-written with spiritual leaders, visionary scientists, and Nobel Laureates on significant topics such as the climate crisis and mass incarceration reform.
Abrams brought the Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama together for a week long conversation to answer the question "how do we find joy in the face of life's inevitable suffering?" Despite the hardships of their lives, these two inspirational figures embody joy, hope, playfulness, and wisdom evident in the warm conversations that fill this book.
photo: Miranda Penn Turin
