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Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill
In this groundbreaking book, Matthieu Ricard makes a passionate case for happiness as a goal that deserves as least as much energy as any other in our lives.
Wealth? Fitness? Career success? How can we possibly place these above true and lasting well-being? Drawing from works of fiction and poetry, Western philosophy, Buddhist beliefs, scientific research, and personal experience, Ricard weaves an inspirational and forward-looking account of how we can begin to rethink our realities in a fast-moving modern world. With its revelatory lessons and exercises, Happiness is an eloquent and stimulating guide to a happier life.
Wealth? Fitness? Career success? How can we possibly place these above true and lasting well-being? Drawing from works of fiction and poetry, Western philosophy, Buddhist beliefs, scientific research, and personal experience, Ricard weaves an inspirational and forward-looking account of how we can begin to rethink our realities in a fast-moving modern world. With its revelatory lessons and exercises, Happiness is an eloquent and stimulating guide to a happier life.
304 pages, Paperback
First published June 30, 2003
2187 people are currently reading
12006 people want to read
About the author
Matthieu Ricard
219 books805 followersMatthieu Ricard, a Buddhist monk, trained as a molecular biologist before moving to Nepal to study Buddhism. He is the author of The Monk and the Philosopher (with his father, Jean-François Revel); The Quantum and the Lotus (with Trinh Thuan); Happiness; The Art of Meditation; Altruism: The Power of Compassion; A Plea for the Animals; and Beyond the Self: Conversations between Buddhism and Neuroscience (with Wolf Singer). He has published several books of photography, including Motionless Journey and Tibet: An Inner Journey, and is the French interpreter for the Dalai Lama.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 482 reviews
March 30, 2010
I can imagine reading this book at some other life juncture and thinking "ah, that's nice" and moving on. That is, I can imagine reading it and not taking it seriously, and not getting very much out of it. But a number of things have come together just at this point in my life to cause me to pay special attention to this idea. It's very scientific and it's very simple.
1. Brains are quite plastic. Just as we might completely rewire the brain/nerve/finger connection by practicing guitar for 10,000 hours, just as a chess master greatly expands the chess/logic/strategy capacities of her brain by playing chess against tough opponents for 10,000 hours, we can completely overhaul our brain's skills in coping with sadness, stress, anger, impatience, envy and everyday unpleasant emotions by steady consistent practice.
2. But even more than that, we can transform our experience of the world in positive ways, we can learn to get ever so much more from everyday life, from each passing moment, than we may ever have imagined possible. In fact, the experience of enlightenment in the Buddhist sense consists in exactly that. This book, then, describes the science of enlightenment.
3. It's important not just to people who are struggling with depression or other mental illness, not just to those who have significant trauma in their past or abuse from which they'd like to recover, but to all of us who live in this world day by day, to all who want the world to be a better place, who want to spread happiness and joy to those around them, who wish for strength with which to confront adversity and for triumph over the ills of mortal existence. This is it. This is the real thing.
4. Chapter by chapter Ricard lays out his thesis. Happiness matters. Compassion matters. The emotions that foster well-being and flourishing in humans are compassion, loving kindness, respect, appreciation, thoughtfulness, humility, mindfulness, etc. The emotions that foster misery are anger, jealousy, addictive desire, pride, contempt, strong grasping, and so on. We can through practice train our minds to engender the former and let go of the latter so consistently that the tendency for the latter even to arise becomes insignificant, and the habit of the former becomes the very texture and landscape of our lives.
5. Studies of EEGs of trained meditators (for meditation is simply mind-training) show positive brain responses far outside the normal bell-curve of ordinary subjects. Not only can we change from a normally melancholy or splenetic personality to a normally happy one, but we can become extraordinarily way-outside-the-bell-curve happy, serene, joyful, patient, respectful, kind, loving, and well.
6. Is such a thing even desirable? Yes it is, and there are chapters laying out the reasons why.
7. Coming from a scientific perspective, there's nothing mysterious here. Just as I can become a better piano player by practice, so I can become a better person, a better moral agent, by practice as well.
8. Coming from a religious perspective, this is the transformation we seek that's available through Christ's atonement. When we clear the hurdles to begin, when we feel the desire to pursue this and are willing to devote our efforts to it, when we're convinced that it's worthwhile and it matters, which convincing comes through grace, then are we remade as new beings through God's grace and our best efforts.
9. Coming from a specifically LDS perspective, this is eternal progression, this I believe is our divine nature, that by exercising our agency in any direction we consistently choose, we can become not just good humans, but we can go completely beyond normal human experience and become someone with strength and spiritual power beyond ordinary human abilities. We can become as gods. The scientific way to express our potential godhood, then, is "brain plasticity". We all knew these were plain and precious truths. We all knew that they were factually true in the real world, not some crazy mythological dream, you know? I mean, through Christ is myth made real, and each of us is made a hero, a priest, a being of enormous potential and potency, a god.
10. The question arises, why if we have such potency do we even need Christ? The answer I see to that question is we need him to show us in which direction to head, what aspects of ourselves to develop and which to let go of. It doesn't matter so very much having the answer to any question if you don't know what questions to ask. Christ, then, points us to the right questions.
11. But isn't this just more selfishness, to want such happiness for ourselves, such power and peace? The answer I see to that is that we ache for the world, we suffer because of the world's hurts, and we wish to heal the world of its wrongs. But until we heal ourselves what do we have to offer the world? Unless we're made whole, how can we bring wholeness to others? Part and parcel of the wish to be a better person is the desire to help everyone who hurts, to have strength and joy from which to give to others to help empower them to become who they truly are.
Our ability to help others is severely limited by our own hurts. By freeing ourselves we also touch all those around us with freedom, and we're given strength to mourn with those who mourn, joy to share with those in need of comfort, and abundance for those who lack. In fact, the only person we have direct power to free is our own selves. So then this is our life's work, to do that.
Along with developing our own compassion and independence, part of that very process is aiding and empowering others. As Ricard points out, the weak and injured person is mainly concerned with her own emotional reaction to the suffering of others. We're too concerned with our own suffering to have the ability to relieve that of others. How often in my life have I shied away from tackling seemingly intractable problems like slavery or street children because the very idea is too painful for me to contemplate for long?
12. So this book is to me one of the most important books I've ever read. The work is still all to be done, of course. Now it's time for me to begin training in earnest. Everything so far has been preparation, what I needed in order to get me to the point that I could recognize the importance of this and choose to start working on it. From here forward it's all new territory, dripping with promise like dew on a spring morning, bursting with life like a dogwood blossom on Easter. =)
1. Brains are quite plastic. Just as we might completely rewire the brain/nerve/finger connection by practicing guitar for 10,000 hours, just as a chess master greatly expands the chess/logic/strategy capacities of her brain by playing chess against tough opponents for 10,000 hours, we can completely overhaul our brain's skills in coping with sadness, stress, anger, impatience, envy and everyday unpleasant emotions by steady consistent practice.
2. But even more than that, we can transform our experience of the world in positive ways, we can learn to get ever so much more from everyday life, from each passing moment, than we may ever have imagined possible. In fact, the experience of enlightenment in the Buddhist sense consists in exactly that. This book, then, describes the science of enlightenment.
3. It's important not just to people who are struggling with depression or other mental illness, not just to those who have significant trauma in their past or abuse from which they'd like to recover, but to all of us who live in this world day by day, to all who want the world to be a better place, who want to spread happiness and joy to those around them, who wish for strength with which to confront adversity and for triumph over the ills of mortal existence. This is it. This is the real thing.
4. Chapter by chapter Ricard lays out his thesis. Happiness matters. Compassion matters. The emotions that foster well-being and flourishing in humans are compassion, loving kindness, respect, appreciation, thoughtfulness, humility, mindfulness, etc. The emotions that foster misery are anger, jealousy, addictive desire, pride, contempt, strong grasping, and so on. We can through practice train our minds to engender the former and let go of the latter so consistently that the tendency for the latter even to arise becomes insignificant, and the habit of the former becomes the very texture and landscape of our lives.
5. Studies of EEGs of trained meditators (for meditation is simply mind-training) show positive brain responses far outside the normal bell-curve of ordinary subjects. Not only can we change from a normally melancholy or splenetic personality to a normally happy one, but we can become extraordinarily way-outside-the-bell-curve happy, serene, joyful, patient, respectful, kind, loving, and well.
6. Is such a thing even desirable? Yes it is, and there are chapters laying out the reasons why.
7. Coming from a scientific perspective, there's nothing mysterious here. Just as I can become a better piano player by practice, so I can become a better person, a better moral agent, by practice as well.
8. Coming from a religious perspective, this is the transformation we seek that's available through Christ's atonement. When we clear the hurdles to begin, when we feel the desire to pursue this and are willing to devote our efforts to it, when we're convinced that it's worthwhile and it matters, which convincing comes through grace, then are we remade as new beings through God's grace and our best efforts.
9. Coming from a specifically LDS perspective, this is eternal progression, this I believe is our divine nature, that by exercising our agency in any direction we consistently choose, we can become not just good humans, but we can go completely beyond normal human experience and become someone with strength and spiritual power beyond ordinary human abilities. We can become as gods. The scientific way to express our potential godhood, then, is "brain plasticity". We all knew these were plain and precious truths. We all knew that they were factually true in the real world, not some crazy mythological dream, you know? I mean, through Christ is myth made real, and each of us is made a hero, a priest, a being of enormous potential and potency, a god.
10. The question arises, why if we have such potency do we even need Christ? The answer I see to that question is we need him to show us in which direction to head, what aspects of ourselves to develop and which to let go of. It doesn't matter so very much having the answer to any question if you don't know what questions to ask. Christ, then, points us to the right questions.
11. But isn't this just more selfishness, to want such happiness for ourselves, such power and peace? The answer I see to that is that we ache for the world, we suffer because of the world's hurts, and we wish to heal the world of its wrongs. But until we heal ourselves what do we have to offer the world? Unless we're made whole, how can we bring wholeness to others? Part and parcel of the wish to be a better person is the desire to help everyone who hurts, to have strength and joy from which to give to others to help empower them to become who they truly are.
Our ability to help others is severely limited by our own hurts. By freeing ourselves we also touch all those around us with freedom, and we're given strength to mourn with those who mourn, joy to share with those in need of comfort, and abundance for those who lack. In fact, the only person we have direct power to free is our own selves. So then this is our life's work, to do that.
Along with developing our own compassion and independence, part of that very process is aiding and empowering others. As Ricard points out, the weak and injured person is mainly concerned with her own emotional reaction to the suffering of others. We're too concerned with our own suffering to have the ability to relieve that of others. How often in my life have I shied away from tackling seemingly intractable problems like slavery or street children because the very idea is too painful for me to contemplate for long?
12. So this book is to me one of the most important books I've ever read. The work is still all to be done, of course. Now it's time for me to begin training in earnest. Everything so far has been preparation, what I needed in order to get me to the point that I could recognize the importance of this and choose to start working on it. From here forward it's all new territory, dripping with promise like dew on a spring morning, bursting with life like a dogwood blossom on Easter. =)
October 1, 2020
Một trong những cuốn sách hay nhất và toàn diện nhất về hạnh phúc.
Trước khi tu tập chuyên sâu ở Tây Tạng thì nhà sư Matthieu là một người nghiên cứu khóa học, vậy nên cuốn sách này là một sự tổng hợp hài hòa về triết lí của Đạo phật và những nghiên cứu mới về khoa học hạnh phúc.
Mình có đọc nhiều sách của Matthieu trong đó nhiều cuốn là cuộc đối thoại của Matthieu với những người bạn là triết gia, nhà tâm lí học thì thấy Matthieu có cái nhìn rất hay, đa chiều và đầy sự bao dung.
Đọc bàn về hạnh phúc thì là một phần solo toàn bộ của Matthieu. Có thể nói cuốn sách này là triết lí sống cô đọng của Matthieu trong suốt nhiều năm trải nghiệm và rèn luyện để có được sự bình an, giác ngộ.
Dù bạn là ai thì cũng nên đọc cuốn sách này, vì từ khi bắt đầu tới cuối cuộc đời, ai cũng muốn được hạnh phúc, nhưng kết quả là chúng ta nhận được hạnh phúc bề mặt, hời hợt hơn là một trạng thái hạnh phúc lâu bền đích thực.
Trước khi tu tập chuyên sâu ở Tây Tạng thì nhà sư Matthieu là một người nghiên cứu khóa học, vậy nên cuốn sách này là một sự tổng hợp hài hòa về triết lí của Đạo phật và những nghiên cứu mới về khoa học hạnh phúc.
Mình có đọc nhiều sách của Matthieu trong đó nhiều cuốn là cuộc đối thoại của Matthieu với những người bạn là triết gia, nhà tâm lí học thì thấy Matthieu có cái nhìn rất hay, đa chiều và đầy sự bao dung.
Đọc bàn về hạnh phúc thì là một phần solo toàn bộ của Matthieu. Có thể nói cuốn sách này là triết lí sống cô đọng của Matthieu trong suốt nhiều năm trải nghiệm và rèn luyện để có được sự bình an, giác ngộ.
Dù bạn là ai thì cũng nên đọc cuốn sách này, vì từ khi bắt đầu tới cuối cuộc đời, ai cũng muốn được hạnh phúc, nhưng kết quả là chúng ta nhận được hạnh phúc bề mặt, hời hợt hơn là một trạng thái hạnh phúc lâu bền đích thực.
June 17, 2017
If i picked up this book earlier in my life , i would have left it unfinished , because I used to think i'm such a happy person.
But after being through a lot , picking this book up and reading it couldn't get any better .
This book is not addressed only to people suffering from mental illness , it could be read by anyone , litterally any one who's searching for a better , happier and healthier life .
I loved how he made complicated explanations seem easy and simple and how he managed to change my perspective on happiness .
Though I don't quite like Budhism nor i'm interested in learning it , I really enjoyed this spiritual aspect of it , it seemed logic , flawless and exactly what i've been needing and searching for.
But to be completely honest with you guys , I got bored sometimes since it's a clinical self-help book and i got used to reading this genre only when it's written in a story-kind-of-way , you know with characters and all .
Plaidoyer Pour le bonheur is not the kind of books that will make you happy right after you read it , unless you really do believe in self help books and their powerful ( yet blind) impact on readers , however , it will make you think and change the way you see happiness.
But after being through a lot , picking this book up and reading it couldn't get any better .
This book is not addressed only to people suffering from mental illness , it could be read by anyone , litterally any one who's searching for a better , happier and healthier life .
I loved how he made complicated explanations seem easy and simple and how he managed to change my perspective on happiness .
Though I don't quite like Budhism nor i'm interested in learning it , I really enjoyed this spiritual aspect of it , it seemed logic , flawless and exactly what i've been needing and searching for.
But to be completely honest with you guys , I got bored sometimes since it's a clinical self-help book and i got used to reading this genre only when it's written in a story-kind-of-way , you know with characters and all .
Plaidoyer Pour le bonheur is not the kind of books that will make you happy right after you read it , unless you really do believe in self help books and their powerful ( yet blind) impact on readers , however , it will make you think and change the way you see happiness.
November 30, 2014
Without succumbing to his arguments in favor of pacifism, or his simplistic exaltation of places like Tibet and Bhutan, I think Ricard has written a brilliant treatise on human flourishing. This is a great read. And it will challenge the way you think.
September 19, 2013
It's hard to write a review about this one. While I liked the general idea that happiness is a skill that can be learned and would agree with it, the book itself doesn't seem to helpful with that.
Ricard has an interesting biography, but he seems pretty oblivious how this might have shaped him. In the introduction he gives a brief overview on his youth as the son of a renowned philosopher, doing his PhD in mol. genetics at the Pasteur Institute under a Nobel Laureate and how he left for Tibet afterwards, spending 8+ hours a day meditating. I'm glad that this worked for him, but somehow I doubt that this is something that is reproducible by many people.
Though Ricard states that he sees this book isn't 'Buddhist' but from a perspective of 'secular spirituality' it's pretty thick with Buddhism. Which wouldn't be too bad in itself, but it pretty often drifts away in some pretty useless metaphors (be water, my friend!) and the scientific perspectives presented are pretty undercited and I feel single studies are given pretty uncritically and it's probably not too surprisingly all support his views (well, I somehow would have expected a bit more critical thinking of someone who did a PhD).
Ricard has an interesting biography, but he seems pretty oblivious how this might have shaped him. In the introduction he gives a brief overview on his youth as the son of a renowned philosopher, doing his PhD in mol. genetics at the Pasteur Institute under a Nobel Laureate and how he left for Tibet afterwards, spending 8+ hours a day meditating. I'm glad that this worked for him, but somehow I doubt that this is something that is reproducible by many people.
Though Ricard states that he sees this book isn't 'Buddhist' but from a perspective of 'secular spirituality' it's pretty thick with Buddhism. Which wouldn't be too bad in itself, but it pretty often drifts away in some pretty useless metaphors (be water, my friend!) and the scientific perspectives presented are pretty undercited and I feel single studies are given pretty uncritically and it's probably not too surprisingly all support his views (well, I somehow would have expected a bit more critical thinking of someone who did a PhD).
August 24, 2009
Ricard strongly emphasizes that diligent practice is the key to happiness, that we confuse pleasure and desire with happiness, and that true happiness is constant and maintained from within, not reliant on external circumstances. Also emphasized are that the positive emotions need to be cultivated and that they don't simply arise out of the absence of the negative amotions such as anger or hatred. Some good practices are given to handle the more difficult emotions and to cultivate the more positive emotions. I especially appreciated the chapter on the remedies for disturbing emotions - contemplating the antidotes (patience for anger, altruistic love for hatred, inner freedom for desire), feeling the emotion separate from the storyline, and using the emotions as catalysts once the fixation has been dropped.
While I enjoyed the book, the scientific studies discussed near the end slow the book down since they're focused more on proof than on actual practices to enhance happiness. The key strength of this book are those practices.
While I enjoyed the book, the scientific studies discussed near the end slow the book down since they're focused more on proof than on actual practices to enhance happiness. The key strength of this book are those practices.
July 20, 2016
Easily the worst book of the quite thriving buddhist/meditation/happiness subgenre. The guy's a buddhist monk, but he's also french and he used to study at the Pasteur Institute (a fact he repeats ad nauseam) and his dad was a philoso-pha, of the french stock, and he wrote about... those of you who've picked up a french philo book or two might have guessed it, Karl Marx...
Somehow both of these facts make Mattieu really proud and very unbuddhistly proud as he peacocks his way through the introduction. From thenon the tone of the book remains ludicrously affected and very supposedly high brow. In terms of actual insight be it in the science of meditation, the "science" of happiness or even, say, monk life, it's really poor. He's not a good writer, he's not a particularly insightful person, au contraire, and he's too full of himself. Plus he doesn't like to overstress and write too much. He's already busy photographing the mountaintops of Tibet, as he pompously informs us while giving out a lecture on how you can find happiness anywhere irrespective of your circumstances. So of course, since your milieu doesn't matter, you might as well go become a monk in Tibet to put that point across and sit all day, well, sitting and photographing mountains.
As I was reading, this, well I 'll put it frankly and bluntly, as I was reading this quite annoying and self obsessed person, I remembered the down to earth, really ordinary zen roshi from Larry Shainberg's splendid Ambivalent Zen: At some point Larry tells him, you know I am contemplating a lot going to a monastery for a few years, I was thinking these guys there who work so hard and so long, they must really become much better. And the roshi goes, no they become worse, they develop pride.
Somehow both of these facts make Mattieu really proud and very unbuddhistly proud as he peacocks his way through the introduction. From thenon the tone of the book remains ludicrously affected and very supposedly high brow. In terms of actual insight be it in the science of meditation, the "science" of happiness or even, say, monk life, it's really poor. He's not a good writer, he's not a particularly insightful person, au contraire, and he's too full of himself. Plus he doesn't like to overstress and write too much. He's already busy photographing the mountaintops of Tibet, as he pompously informs us while giving out a lecture on how you can find happiness anywhere irrespective of your circumstances. So of course, since your milieu doesn't matter, you might as well go become a monk in Tibet to put that point across and sit all day, well, sitting and photographing mountains.
As I was reading, this, well I 'll put it frankly and bluntly, as I was reading this quite annoying and self obsessed person, I remembered the down to earth, really ordinary zen roshi from Larry Shainberg's splendid Ambivalent Zen: At some point Larry tells him, you know I am contemplating a lot going to a monastery for a few years, I was thinking these guys there who work so hard and so long, they must really become much better. And the roshi goes, no they become worse, they develop pride.
December 28, 2011
This is the most inspiring book I have read recently. I picked it up when I was feeling depressed and I was starting to get into learning about Buddhist thought. It is amazing and inspiring and I have started to re-read it. I also sent it to my sister who seemed rather down and is "searching" for happiness right now. As a side note, the brain activity which signals someone is happy was tested in the author and he scored off the charts. They also tested others who meditate and practice loving-kindness and they all scored super high. I don't know how scientific it is (even the author admits this) but... I do believe meditation is beneficial and this book is a great introduction. Interestingly, Ricard was on his way to being an academic and biologist when he decided to become a Buddhist monk. If you aren't sure how to be happy or even what happiness really is, read this!
March 12, 2017
Je ne suis pas spécialement lectrice des livres de développement personnel - j'essaye de me développer personnellement en lisant n'importe quoi. "Plaidoyer pour le bonheur" de Ricard est un achat compulsif d'un jour de stress, j'ai pensé qu'en de telles circonstances, ça ne pouvait pas me faire de mal. Je connaissais déjà l'auteur, pour avoir lu ses entretiens avec son père, et son "Plaidoyer pour les animaux", et j'espérais bien en apprendre un peu plus, peut-être, sur la conception bouddhiste du bonheur.
Effectivement, si j'ai finalement assez peu appris en tant que tel sur le bonheur pour les bouddhistes, le texte couvre de nombreuses réflexions sur le bonheur. Sa lecture permet de remettre quelques repères en place, de rappeler et de comparer quelques philosophes occidentaux sur la question, d'évoquer des études sociologiques et scientifiques sur le sujet : un grand panorama sur les gens souriants. C'est une lecture qui peut se suivre par petites pauses, et qui a l'effet bienvenu d'apaiser un peu votre journée. Franchement, j'ai même étendu ma bienveillance et le cercle de ma compassion aux collègues chiants, et je leur souhaite également de sortir un jour du samsara.
Mais si le texte permet de couvrir une réflexion aussi vaste de manière si claire, c'est aussi qu'il se permet certains raccourcis, et j'ai parfois été frustrée, au début du livre, de le voir évoquer pêle-mêle des philosophes et des écrivains qui n'avaient rien à voir les uns avec les autres, simplement pour illustrer à coups de citations bien trop rapides un point qu'il ne se donnait pas la peine de démontrer. C'était une bonne petite tambouille - un coup de Schopenhauer par ici, une cuillérée de Dalaï-Lama par là - mais qui ne tient pas vraiment la route.
Et je suis une grande fan des proverbes tibétains, que j'ai relevés tout au long du livre. Mon préféré restant bien sûr : "Parler à quelqu'un de renoncement, c'est comme donner un coup de bâton sur le nez d'un cochon. Il n'aime pas du tout ça !""
Pourtant, à la fin du livre, une sensation agréable demeure, et l'envie probablement d'aller creuser un peu plus loin. A la fin de "Plaidoyer pour les animaux", Matthieu Ricard m'avait donné envie de devenir vegan, et je me rappelle avoir été empêchée par le sentiment que je ne pouvais pas, ne saurais pas le faire ; et ça m'a pris un an pour trouver le courage d'aller voir plus loin que le bout de mon nez. En finissant "Plaidoyer pour le bonheur", j'ai très envie de me mettre à la méditation, mais sans avoir aucune idée de la manière dont m'y prendre. Qui sait, peut-être qu'un jour, j'irais chercher l'inspiration de ce côté-là du monde.
Effectivement, si j'ai finalement assez peu appris en tant que tel sur le bonheur pour les bouddhistes, le texte couvre de nombreuses réflexions sur le bonheur. Sa lecture permet de remettre quelques repères en place, de rappeler et de comparer quelques philosophes occidentaux sur la question, d'évoquer des études sociologiques et scientifiques sur le sujet : un grand panorama sur les gens souriants. C'est une lecture qui peut se suivre par petites pauses, et qui a l'effet bienvenu d'apaiser un peu votre journée. Franchement, j'ai même étendu ma bienveillance et le cercle de ma compassion aux collègues chiants, et je leur souhaite également de sortir un jour du samsara.
Mais si le texte permet de couvrir une réflexion aussi vaste de manière si claire, c'est aussi qu'il se permet certains raccourcis, et j'ai parfois été frustrée, au début du livre, de le voir évoquer pêle-mêle des philosophes et des écrivains qui n'avaient rien à voir les uns avec les autres, simplement pour illustrer à coups de citations bien trop rapides un point qu'il ne se donnait pas la peine de démontrer. C'était une bonne petite tambouille - un coup de Schopenhauer par ici, une cuillérée de Dalaï-Lama par là - mais qui ne tient pas vraiment la route.
Et je suis une grande fan des proverbes tibétains, que j'ai relevés tout au long du livre. Mon préféré restant bien sûr : "Parler à quelqu'un de renoncement, c'est comme donner un coup de bâton sur le nez d'un cochon. Il n'aime pas du tout ça !""
Pourtant, à la fin du livre, une sensation agréable demeure, et l'envie probablement d'aller creuser un peu plus loin. A la fin de "Plaidoyer pour les animaux", Matthieu Ricard m'avait donné envie de devenir vegan, et je me rappelle avoir été empêchée par le sentiment que je ne pouvais pas, ne saurais pas le faire ; et ça m'a pris un an pour trouver le courage d'aller voir plus loin que le bout de mon nez. En finissant "Plaidoyer pour le bonheur", j'ai très envie de me mettre à la méditation, mais sans avoir aucune idée de la manière dont m'y prendre. Qui sait, peut-être qu'un jour, j'irais chercher l'inspiration de ce côté-là du monde.
May 4, 2013
My longer term flirtations with buddhism led me to finally try to read a book on this topic. I picked Ricard because of his scientific credentials, he is an ex-molecular biologist gone monk, interfacing now with scientists on studies of meditation.
Unfortunately the book didn't really grab me on any level. It mixes basics of buddhist teaching and metaphors with little bits of (western, analytic) psychology, some anecdotes and entry level introduction into meditation practice. All however feels for me lukewarm and I don't think I learn anything (beyond a few nice quotes).
I think this is probably better than 99% of books on this topic you can find in a standard bookshop (and better than 99.999% of books in an "esoteric" bookshop), but for me this wasn't really worth the time.
Unfortunately the book didn't really grab me on any level. It mixes basics of buddhist teaching and metaphors with little bits of (western, analytic) psychology, some anecdotes and entry level introduction into meditation practice. All however feels for me lukewarm and I don't think I learn anything (beyond a few nice quotes).
I think this is probably better than 99% of books on this topic you can find in a standard bookshop (and better than 99.999% of books in an "esoteric" bookshop), but for me this wasn't really worth the time.
February 3, 2016
This has to be one of my favourite books on happiness and positive psychology. Covering such concepts as seeking happiness within/without, the alchemy of suffering, egoism, managing our thoughts and disturbing emotions, compassion, altrusium, happiness set point and the impact positive thinking and mediation has on the neuroplasticity, Ricard's coverage of the topic is comprehensive without being too heavy or technical.
Being happy is a skill which can only be acquired through practice, and this book is an excellent guide.
Being happy is a skill which can only be acquired through practice, and this book is an excellent guide.
June 28, 2015
A very thorough and life-changing book, I will certainly re-read it to fully absorb all the concepts and understand the complex ideas, it has already changed the way I think about quite a lot of things.
January 30, 2023
Must read over onproductieve gewoontes, altruïsme en ons brein !!
February 1, 2014
Well, this book did change my life - I ended up going to a somewhat intensive meditation retreat of 9 days as a consequence of events that were triggered from this book. And this is an activity I look forward to doing every year. I wasn't sad or depressed with my life - things were normal in the normal meaning of the word and neither was I looking forward to "happiness".
I'm happy this book found out me as it was an accidental book that I picked up from library simply because the author looked interesting ( a Buddhist monk with a PhD in molecular genetics under a Nobel prize winning scientist. Just to ensure that I got everything the book said, I went through it the second time and then third time - this is the first book that I did and I'm sure I will be going through it again.
The book is not a traditional Buddhist book though it may have influences from Buddhist philosophy. Key points that I still remember:
- Happiness is a skill, just like any other skill we develop through practice. It has been shown in brain studies the effects of meditation on long term meditators that the structure of the brain itself changes.We always see that within the same situation, two people can behave in very different ways depending on their state of mind.
- If we spend thousand of hours to get an education, acquire a skill as music or physical exercise, why not spend some time in developing a mind which can help us flourish.
- It talks about emotions and is origins as well as very techniques to counter the negative ones.
- I like the idea of freedom: Many a times, people can act at a whim being slave to the emotions and assume it's freedom.
- Difference between pleasure and happiness.
- Field of positive psychology has been conducting studies on monks and we all can gain from it.
- I found it good enough to give it as a gift to people I cared for - in family and last job.
Thank you Mathieu for writing this book.
I'm happy this book found out me as it was an accidental book that I picked up from library simply because the author looked interesting ( a Buddhist monk with a PhD in molecular genetics under a Nobel prize winning scientist. Just to ensure that I got everything the book said, I went through it the second time and then third time - this is the first book that I did and I'm sure I will be going through it again.
The book is not a traditional Buddhist book though it may have influences from Buddhist philosophy. Key points that I still remember:
- Happiness is a skill, just like any other skill we develop through practice. It has been shown in brain studies the effects of meditation on long term meditators that the structure of the brain itself changes.We always see that within the same situation, two people can behave in very different ways depending on their state of mind.
- If we spend thousand of hours to get an education, acquire a skill as music or physical exercise, why not spend some time in developing a mind which can help us flourish.
- It talks about emotions and is origins as well as very techniques to counter the negative ones.
- I like the idea of freedom: Many a times, people can act at a whim being slave to the emotions and assume it's freedom.
- Difference between pleasure and happiness.
- Field of positive psychology has been conducting studies on monks and we all can gain from it.
- I found it good enough to give it as a gift to people I cared for - in family and last job.
Thank you Mathieu for writing this book.
August 27, 2023
Read this book for the second time. While it wasn't as good as I remember, it still is deserving of five stars.
I think the reason I liked it a little less is because when I first read it, it completely changed my paradigm for what it means to be happy and where happiness comes from - namely that happiness does not come from circumstances but from within ourselves. I've since worked to adopt this truth into my life and have read several more books that have helped me along this happiness journey more than this book did.
Still Ricard does an incredible job and teaching how true happiness depends more on how we feel about our lives than our lives themselves. Because of that, happiness is completely in our control because we get to choose our response to our worlds.
The book outlines how to deal with negative emotions (such as allowing ourselves to feel them - similar to cognitive behavior therapy - and meditating on their opposites), the importance of altruism (I call it charity), and the positive effects of meditation among other valuable things.
While Ricard can get a little boring or esoteric when he talks about studies on happiness, for the most part the book is engaging and practical. The Buddhist principles he shares can be adopted into any faith background - much like stoicism.
Chapter 10 (dealing with negative emotions) and chapter 14 (finding personal freedom) were my favorites.
I'd definitely recommend this book although if you're only gonna read one book on happiness, make it Russ Harris's The Happiness Trap - it's just as insightful (maybe even more so), an easier read, and even more practical (meaning it coaches you through the application of principles instead of just sharing those principles).
I think the reason I liked it a little less is because when I first read it, it completely changed my paradigm for what it means to be happy and where happiness comes from - namely that happiness does not come from circumstances but from within ourselves. I've since worked to adopt this truth into my life and have read several more books that have helped me along this happiness journey more than this book did.
Still Ricard does an incredible job and teaching how true happiness depends more on how we feel about our lives than our lives themselves. Because of that, happiness is completely in our control because we get to choose our response to our worlds.
The book outlines how to deal with negative emotions (such as allowing ourselves to feel them - similar to cognitive behavior therapy - and meditating on their opposites), the importance of altruism (I call it charity), and the positive effects of meditation among other valuable things.
While Ricard can get a little boring or esoteric when he talks about studies on happiness, for the most part the book is engaging and practical. The Buddhist principles he shares can be adopted into any faith background - much like stoicism.
Chapter 10 (dealing with negative emotions) and chapter 14 (finding personal freedom) were my favorites.
I'd definitely recommend this book although if you're only gonna read one book on happiness, make it Russ Harris's The Happiness Trap - it's just as insightful (maybe even more so), an easier read, and even more practical (meaning it coaches you through the application of principles instead of just sharing those principles).
August 18, 2018
I liked the blend of buddhism and meditation combined with the recent findings in many studies of the brain. The positive effects on people who do certain things and have certain outlooks and attitudes in reaching for happiness is portrayed in a compelling fashion here. The author is very aware of life and the world beyond where he typically resides in Nepal and Tibet. His generous spirit in writing and sharing of himself comes through with each page. With books like this if they are very good and this one is, I know I will re-read it to get a much deeper understanding than I got the first time.
December 14, 2010
I appreciate the mix of science and spirituality. I devoured this book in a matter of days. I like the feeling of empowerment Ricard wants his readers to leave with, but I do sense a bit of preaching from time to time. He claims that the book is not Buddhist, but it is. Ricard even chooses sometimes to compare Buddhism with monotheistic religions, outlining, in his opinion, the clear superiority of the Buddhist philosophy in leading a happy life. Aside from these few instances, Ricard makes a tremendous effort to mix Eastern and Western philosophies for his audience. I certainly learned!
May 1, 2013
Un livre pour vous accompagner dans les épreuves de la vie et vous expliquer que le bonheur n'est pas matériel mais bien spirituel. Un livre plein de sagesse :)
May 25, 2025
"Why don’t we devote even the briefest of moments once a day to introspection? Are we really satisfied by clever conversation and a little mindless entertainment? Let’s look within. There is much to do."
March 10, 2017
This is a sort of holistic look at happiness from the perspective of a Buddhist monk who was originally formally trained as a scientist and grew up around philosophers. There's a lot to wade through, here, but at its heart, the main goal seems to be to convince us that meditation is really what we should all be doing to improve our general wellbeing. I, for one, am totally sold on this. Ricard details various studies done where scientists are able to measure brainwaves of trained meditators vs. control subjects and see drastic differences. There's also a lot of anecdotal discussion of meditators dealing with extreme circumstances, specifically Tibetan monks who were imprisoned and tortured for years but showed very little psychological trauma upon their freedom. The research presented is incredibly fascinating, indeed.
The only real negative here is that at times this can get quite in the weeds, so to speak. This is not a typical "pop psych" or "self help" book. There are a lot of very poignant sentences like, "What really matters is the nature of our living experience, whether it is optimal or afflictive." Towards the end of the book, Ricard starts going into ethics and altruism and discussing Kant and Hobbes, and I could feel myself drifting away... To be fair, I think all of this stuff is worth unpacking and would be worth a second readthrough, but some of the bits towards the end seem like they would be better looked at in depth in a separate book. I did notice that he has an entire book dedicated to altruism (Altruism: The Power of Compassion to Change Yourself and the World), so perhaps that's where that ended up.
I did really enjoy the sections where Ricard details "afflictive mental states" such as hatred and envy and discusses how we can learn to deal with these emotions, using a combination of meditation and Buddhist philosophy. I find myself more intrigued by Buddhism now and want to pick up some more books on the topic.
Ultimately, I imagine nearly everyone needs to read this book or one like it. I say "one like it" because there are plenty of books out there telling you why you should really be meditating, so at this point, I think we all need to just convince ourselves to do it. I, personally, am going to attempt to go through Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World, which seems a little more "pop psych" and "self-helpy", and might be an alternative if you're not interested in all of the Buddhist philosophy bits.
The only real negative here is that at times this can get quite in the weeds, so to speak. This is not a typical "pop psych" or "self help" book. There are a lot of very poignant sentences like, "What really matters is the nature of our living experience, whether it is optimal or afflictive." Towards the end of the book, Ricard starts going into ethics and altruism and discussing Kant and Hobbes, and I could feel myself drifting away... To be fair, I think all of this stuff is worth unpacking and would be worth a second readthrough, but some of the bits towards the end seem like they would be better looked at in depth in a separate book. I did notice that he has an entire book dedicated to altruism (Altruism: The Power of Compassion to Change Yourself and the World), so perhaps that's where that ended up.
I did really enjoy the sections where Ricard details "afflictive mental states" such as hatred and envy and discusses how we can learn to deal with these emotions, using a combination of meditation and Buddhist philosophy. I find myself more intrigued by Buddhism now and want to pick up some more books on the topic.
Ultimately, I imagine nearly everyone needs to read this book or one like it. I say "one like it" because there are plenty of books out there telling you why you should really be meditating, so at this point, I think we all need to just convince ourselves to do it. I, personally, am going to attempt to go through Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World, which seems a little more "pop psych" and "self-helpy", and might be an alternative if you're not interested in all of the Buddhist philosophy bits.
August 23, 2022
Delivers exactly what it promises.
Curious blend of philosophy, wisdom, science, psychology, and deeply practical instruction.
Broad and deep, it's unlikely one would need to read another book on the same topic. This is it: the book on what humans know about happiness so far. It's all here.
Uneven tone. It feels like it was written in French and Tibetan and then translated into English. I found myself often wanting to rewrite in half as few words. But he really doesn't want to be misunderstood so whatever.
I'll still need to re-read it and make careful notes. It's excellent. Superb. Best book ever written on happiness out of the dozens on the topic.
EDIT: After a third read it is a lot more clear:
Best book ever written on happiness as a skill. The essence is: happiness comes from developing altruistic love. How you do that is: study how to eliminate negative emotions and cultivate positive states.
6 Top Insights from this book:
1 - Wisdom brings happiness as a blossoming of the heart, independent of circumstance, into a clear mind, selfless motive, and positive emotion. .
2 - Just like we earn wealth by practice and experiment not by wishing, we practice and experiment with happiness, becoming better each day.
3 - During crisis, thoughts become enemies that persecute us. Excessive self-importance feeds the knot of crisis until whatever does not help the ego's demands is a disturbance, threat, and insult. The essence of managing crisis is to tone down disturbing thoughts: an old man watching children play knows the game doesn’t matter and feels calm and serene.
4 - You can’t punch someone while shaking their hand. Altruistic love heals hate. Inner freedom and calm heals greed. Patience heals anger. Calm heals agitation. Lovingkindness heals hate. Humility heals pride. Joy heals envy. Generosity heals greed.
5 - Diligent motivation heals boredom by wisely using time: cultivate a kind thought, investigate the nature of awareness, be present without comment. Curious, selfless, persistent, inner directed people experience flow more often.
6 - Wisdom is the direct experience of thoughts that lead to happiness, allowing them to progressively permeate being.
Curious blend of philosophy, wisdom, science, psychology, and deeply practical instruction.
Broad and deep, it's unlikely one would need to read another book on the same topic. This is it: the book on what humans know about happiness so far. It's all here.
Uneven tone. It feels like it was written in French and Tibetan and then translated into English. I found myself often wanting to rewrite in half as few words. But he really doesn't want to be misunderstood so whatever.
I'll still need to re-read it and make careful notes. It's excellent. Superb. Best book ever written on happiness out of the dozens on the topic.
EDIT: After a third read it is a lot more clear:
Best book ever written on happiness as a skill. The essence is: happiness comes from developing altruistic love. How you do that is: study how to eliminate negative emotions and cultivate positive states.
6 Top Insights from this book:
1 - Wisdom brings happiness as a blossoming of the heart, independent of circumstance, into a clear mind, selfless motive, and positive emotion. .
2 - Just like we earn wealth by practice and experiment not by wishing, we practice and experiment with happiness, becoming better each day.
3 - During crisis, thoughts become enemies that persecute us. Excessive self-importance feeds the knot of crisis until whatever does not help the ego's demands is a disturbance, threat, and insult. The essence of managing crisis is to tone down disturbing thoughts: an old man watching children play knows the game doesn’t matter and feels calm and serene.
4 - You can’t punch someone while shaking their hand. Altruistic love heals hate. Inner freedom and calm heals greed. Patience heals anger. Calm heals agitation. Lovingkindness heals hate. Humility heals pride. Joy heals envy. Generosity heals greed.
5 - Diligent motivation heals boredom by wisely using time: cultivate a kind thought, investigate the nature of awareness, be present without comment. Curious, selfless, persistent, inner directed people experience flow more often.
6 - Wisdom is the direct experience of thoughts that lead to happiness, allowing them to progressively permeate being.
October 2, 2015
Matthieu Ricard is very wise and clear in his articulation of philosophy--reading this I was inspired to change aspects of my own life, and truly believed in many of the things he shared. This was a book that prompted me towards deep self-reflection. It provided me with clarity on topics I have intuitively been in touch with. I think this book is particularly important because of its incorporation of compassion and empathy. The fact it outlines that personal change is possible is widely encouraging, as anybody can acquire the "skills" discussed here.
November 20, 2022
This book was great. The first half was enjoyable but didn't really seem like it would fundamentally change me. However, getting to the second half of the book, Matthieu really started to speak to me. It seemed like every day I read the book would address or confirm my thoughts or feelings. My meditation practice has been lacking over the last year or so but this book has reminded me of the importance of it. I am determined to continue working on myself so I can be better to others.
December 21, 2009
I have put this book aside for the meantime.
It's good to remind yourself that happiness has very little to do with what society says it does, however, the author keeps patting himself on the back for being so awesome(at least so far).
It's good to remind yourself that happiness has very little to do with what society says it does, however, the author keeps patting himself on the back for being so awesome(at least so far).
July 18, 2016
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It touches on Buddhist themes, without getting too preachy or religious. Well worth the read for those aspiring to live a life at peace.
March 13, 2020
Muy oportuno para estos días de zozobra
August 14, 2021
Wow what a great book! So much wisdom jam packed within these 266 pages!
December 12, 2020
One of the many things I love about Buddhism (and Buddhist practitioners) is that it's a practical religion. Matthieu Ricard's meditation on happiness shows that practicality. When defining happiness, he gets right to it, discussing what it might be and what it isn't in refreshingly simple, practical ways. Happiness, a state we all think we want, can't be dependent on external circumstances. If it's internal, then we all have to recognize what we conditions we need internally to be happy and "bring them together." "Happiness is not given to us, no is misery imposed." Instead, it's a long slow process of "applying appropriate antidotes to negative emotions and . . . nourish(ing) positive ones." It's not just a matter of learning to love ourselves as we are, because that's just "a way of wrapping our habits up in a pretty package." In short, for Ricard, "happiness is a skill" that must be learned. It's not pleasure, because that becomes sated. It's "a state of being." Harmony with ourselves, harmony with the world around us. It's not joy, for similar reasons. It's clarity of mind, loving-kindness, the withering of negative emotions, and "the disappearance of selfish whimsy."
So, let go, cultivate happiness. Find inner peace through introspection. Meditate. Recognize the reality of suffering. Recognize the causes of suffering -- ignorance, craving, malice, pride, and all the rest. "These mental poisons can be eliminated." An end to suffering is possible. Practice the path. Relax the mind to see beyond pain. Visualize sending peace and love out to all fellow beings. Balance the "I" with interconnectedness. Let go of the ego. It's merely an idea. When the ego is hurt, you have one minute of actual pain, say, and then an eternity of mental suffering. So cultivate loving-kindness to counteract jealousy, anger, and envy. Free the emotions, so that they are like clouds in the sky, floating by. And use anger (for example) to spur you to do something good.
So, let go, cultivate happiness. Find inner peace through introspection. Meditate. Recognize the reality of suffering. Recognize the causes of suffering -- ignorance, craving, malice, pride, and all the rest. "These mental poisons can be eliminated." An end to suffering is possible. Practice the path. Relax the mind to see beyond pain. Visualize sending peace and love out to all fellow beings. Balance the "I" with interconnectedness. Let go of the ego. It's merely an idea. When the ego is hurt, you have one minute of actual pain, say, and then an eternity of mental suffering. So cultivate loving-kindness to counteract jealousy, anger, and envy. Free the emotions, so that they are like clouds in the sky, floating by. And use anger (for example) to spur you to do something good.
September 11, 2018
This book is a wonderful read for anyone interested in gaining an understanding of meditation, basic Buddhist thought, and non-western ethical thought. Ricard does a wonderful, thoughtful job at presenting the science behind mediation, or perhaps the justification for why you should bring it into your life. And as someone that already has, it was an enjoyable & informative read about something I already do. The 4 star rating is because I did find some annoyance in reading all of the rhetorical questions! So many! I understand that at points they were needed. But an entire paragraph of questions?
January 6, 2023
هل السعادة مهارة ، بمجرد اكتسابها ، تدوم خلال تقلبات الحياة؟ هناك ألف طريقة للتفكير في السعادة ، وقد قدم عدد لا يحصى من الفلاسفة أساليبهم الخاصة لذلك. بالنسبة للقديس أوغسطينوس ، السعادة هي "بهجة الوصول إلى الحقيقة". بالنسبة لإيمانويل كانط ، يجب أن تكون السعادة عقلانية وخالية من أي مصلحة شخصية ، بينما بالنسبة لماركس فهي تتعلق بالنمو من خلال العمل. كتب أرسطو: "ما يحقق السعادة هو موضع خلاف بين الجميع، والتفسير الشائع لها ليس هو نفسه الذي قدمه الفلاسفة".
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Matthieu Ricard
Happiness
Translated By #Maher_Razouk
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Matthieu Ricard
Happiness
Translated By #Maher_Razouk
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