The Dalai Lama began his education at age six and completed the Geshe Lharampa Degree (Doctorate of Buddhist Philosophy) when he was 25. He pursues an ongoing schedule of administrative meetings, private audiences, and religious teachings and ceremonies. Following the life of a Buddhist monk, he lives in a small cottage, rises at 4 a.m. to meditate, and ends each day with further prayer.

• In the practice of tolerance, one’s enemy is the best teacher.

• Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.

• Awareness of death is the very bedrock of the entire path. Until you have developed this awareness, all other practices are obstructed.

• Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.

• I believe all suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their happiness or satisfaction. Yet true happiness comes from a sense of peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved through the cultivation of altruism, of love and compassion, and elimination of ignorance, selfishness, and greed.

• If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

• Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them hu-manity cannot survive.

• My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.

• Sleep is the best meditation.

• Old friends pass away, new friends appear. It is just like the days. An old day passes, a new day arrives. The important thing is to make it meaningful: a meaningful friend—or a meaningful day.

• Learn the rules well, so you can break them properly.

• You can transplant a heart, but you cannot transplant a warm heart.

The best place to get started with the Dalai Lama is to read or listen to The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living. Howard C. Cutler, a Western psychia-trist, wanted to find out the secrets of happiness that the Dalai Lama appeared to have inside of him. He was able to set up a series of interviews with the Dalai Lama that became the basis for this book. Dr. Cutler’s goal was to ques-tion the Dalai Lama about a wide variety of topics, gaining insight into how to live a happy life.

Some of the questions that Dr. Cutler poses include:

• Why are so many people unhappy?

• How can I abjure loneliness?

• How can we reduce conflict?

• Is romantic love true love?

• Why do we suffer?

• How should we deal with unfairness and anger?

• How do you handle the death of a loved one?

The Dalai Lama initially provides some simple answers that grow into more involved responses and then evolve into a more complete philosophy for living. He discusses relationships, health, family, work, spirituality, the pursuit of wealth, and how to find inner peace while facing these struggles. He also talks about how to defeat depression, anxiety, anger, and jealousy through medita-tion.

When Dr. Cutler asks the Dalai Lama if he is happy, the answer is yes, and when he asks if he is ever lonely, the answer is no. The Dalai Lama says this is because he always looks at others positively and experiences a “feeling of affinity, a kind of connectedness.” The audio version of this enlightening work is read by Dr. Cutler and Ernest Abuba.

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