[Warning: Detour Here :-)]

Perhaps I am easily seduced [wink] but the cover of this book really grabbed my attention.

First of all, it's a one word title and a somewhat intriguing one at that: "Happiness".

But the tagline really connected with me in the sense of - THIS could be interesting: "A guide to developing life's most important skill".

Actually, I bought into the idea that happiness is a skill (to some degree) that can be learned, developed and refined some time ago. There are many mental and physical activities that have been scientifically proven to increase one's level of happiness. Some fall within different spiritual circles while others are entirely outside of any spiritual practice.

One example of the later is physical exercise. It is a proven fact that exercise is an antidote to depression. If you exercise, it becomes more difficult to 'fall to' the level of depression that you were previously at. As someone who sometimes DOES struggle with depression, I can tell you that the hard part is to motivate yourself enough out of your depression to exercise in the first place! But that's a horse of another color.

Another example of the later is a gratitude journal. Again, this is outside of any spiritual practice. If you FORCE yourself to record every day a few different things that you are GRATEFUL for, that by itself, is ALMOST GUARANTEED to increase your 'level' of happiness over the long run. That is not to say that you wont sometimes be sad, but however sad you ARE, it could obviously always be worse.

I find it somewhat strange that there are these scientifically proven methods for becoming happier - and yet they're not taught at all in our public school systems. Talking about not developing practical life skills! But again, that is a horse of another color.

The author of the book is a Tibetan Buddhist and that should give you an idea as to where the book is coming from. However, I would imagine that there are ideas in this book that would be suitable for any spiritual or non-spiritual practice - ideas along the line of a gratitude journal.

I believe that the most powerful and valuable gift that one could possibly give to another person is something that causes them to change in a positive way.

So … this obviously isn't a suitable gift idea for everyone - but for the right person - it has the potential of being a VERY thoughtful and meaningful gift.

I wish I had time to read everything that I would like. Alas I don't …

Here's an interesting and informative review by Sid Wagner.

"Matthieu Ricard was born and raised in France. He had the makings of a stellar career in science, studying in his student days with a Nobel-prize winning scientist. But throughout his 20's, he shifted his interests more and more towards spirituality. For the past 30 years, he has lived and studied as a Tibetan Buddhist, in Nepal. He often serves as the French translator for the Dalai Llama.

Ricard is a man who knows science. And, as a Frenchman, is deeply familiar with pessimism. He says, in France, happiness is considered boring, while pessimism and misery is considered quite interesting. "Happiness is only for the naive" is a common Western mind set. However, Ricard says: "Not true."

Not only is happiness interesting - it is a skill, a challenging skill to be acquired only through intense practice. Pessimism, on the other hand, is boring - for it creates apathy, and a general lack of zest for life.

As a man deeply interested in science, Ricard knows what he's talking about. He explains amazing discoveries made by the Mind & Life Institute. Placed under MRI brain imaging, Tibetan monks have shown to experience far greater happiness and are more emotionally balanced than any 'average' person. Scientists can gauge happiness by the amount of activity in the frontal lobe related to positive emotions. (There's also a section of the brain related to negative emotion, and criticism, which remains relatively dormant.)

In one experiment, testing what's called a "startle" reflex - something that every human has (it's an uncontrolled flinch of one's facial muscles that occurs whenever a loud noise goes off) - a spiritually advanced monk was monitored for this reflex. When the loud noise went off, unlike anyone else ever tested, he did NOT flinch. The heart rate still went up, but the fear and flinch reflex were less apparent than in any experiment to date. Meaning: there is scientific proof that meditation grants a person peace of mind.

This feat is accomplished through a sort of mind jujitsu - a way of keeping one's thoughts in balance. And one can accomplish it through egolessness and unattachment. Not that Ricard promotes sitting on a mat, and meditating all day. He promotes ambition, a strong willingness to help others, and a general enthusiasm in taking up various activities. But acquiring emotional equilibrium can be difficult, but ultimately rewards the person who practices it. This discipline, Ricard explains, is the "secret" to life-long happiness".

Posted by Gregg.

Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill