A few years back, I challenged myself to read 50 books in one year. I was an avid reader as a kid, but—like so many teens—I fell out of the habit when I started to play team sports and pursue more rigorous studies. Setting the 50-books-in-a-year challenge allowed me to rediscover the pleasure of becoming immersed in a good story. Even though the formal challenge has ended, I still read most days. This timely return to the habit of pleasure reading has served as a wholesome and accessible coping skill during the challenges of the past year.
One book that I have found particularly rejuvenating is The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World. In this delightful book, Douglas Abrams chronicles a 2015 visit between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. These two spiritual giants meet in Dharamsala, India to celebrate the Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday. What emerges from their time together is a heartfelt collaborative discussion that explores how to cultivate joy in the midst of life’s inevitable suffering.
Each of these inspiring men have faced unimaginable adversity. The Dalai Lama has been in exile from his home in Tibet for over 50 years; the Archbishop endured racial violence and oppression during apartheid in South Africa. Nevertheless, they both embody a contagious sense of contentment, ease, and kindness. Through their conversations and personal stories, we learn that understanding suffering—both its inevitability and the unskillful ways in which we react to it—is the gateway to accessing joy. When we clearly see the universal nature of suffering, we are able to connect to joy by recognizing our inherent interconnectedness and by being of service to others.
As with any steadfast intention, nurturing joy takes commitment and practice. To help guide and support us along the path, the Dalai Lama and the Archbishop explore “The Eight Pillars of Joy.” Four of these pillars are qualities of the mind (perspective, humility, humor, acceptance) and four pillars are qualities of the heart (forgiveness, gratitude, compassion, and generosity). Nurturing these qualities of the mind and heart offer us the opportunity to realize a joyful state of being, independent of external circumstances. The book concludes with an offering called “Joy Practices,” which supplies the reader with practical steps to foster the Pillars of Joy in daily life, including guided meditations, breathing practices, self-reflection, and spending time in nature.
In the midst of the acute suffering of the past year, I hope this heartfelt conversation can inspire your own practice of cultivating joy.
