The Book of Joy
By: Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu
Narrated by: Douglas Carlton Abrams, Francois Chau, Peter Francis James
Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 17-03-2022
Language: English
Publisher: Penguin Audio
4.8 out of 5 stars4.8 (51 ratings)
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The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World Paperback – Large Print, 20 September 2016
by Dalai Lama (Author), Desmond Tutu (Author), & 1 more
4.8 out of 5 stars 8,428 ratings
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Two spiritual giants. Five days. One timeless question.
Nobel Peace Prize Laureates His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu have survived more than fifty years of exile and the soul-crushing violence of oppression. Despite their hardships--or, as they would say, because of them--they are two of the most joyful people on the planet.
In April 2015, Archbishop Tutu traveled to the Dalai Lama's home in Dharamsala, India, to celebrate His Holiness's eightieth birthday and to create what they hoped would be a gift for others. They looked back on their long lives to answer a single burning question: How do we find joy in the face of life's inevitable suffering?
They traded intimate stories, teased each other continually, and shared their spiritual practices. By the end of a week filled with laughter and punctuated with tears, these two global heroes had stared into the abyss and despair of our time and revealed how to live a life brimming with joy.
This book offers us a rare opportunity to experience their astonishing and unprecendented week together, from the first embrace to the final good-bye.
We get to listen as they explore the Nature of True Joy and confront each of the Obstacles of Joy--from fear, stress, and anger to grief, illness, and death. They then offer us the Eight Pillars of Joy, which provide the foundation for lasting happiness. Throughout, they include stories, wisdom, and science. Finally, they share their daily Joy Practices that anchor their own emotional and spiritual lives.
The Archbishop has never claimed sainthood, and the Dalai Lama considers himself a simple monk. In this unique collaboration, they offer us the reflection of real lives filled with pain and turmoil in the midst of which they have been able to discover a level of peace, of courage, and of joy to which we can all aspire in our own lives.
544 pages
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About the Author
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, describes himself as a simple Buddhist monk. He is the spiritual leader of the Tibetan People and of Tibetan Buddhism. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 and the US Congressional Gold Medal in 2007. Born in 1935 to a poor farming family in northeastern Tibet he was recognized at the age of two as the reincarnation of his predecessor, the 13th Dalai Lama. He has been a passionate advocate for a secular universal approach to cultivating fundamental human values. For over three decades the Dalai Lama has maintained an ongoing conversation and collaboration with scientists from a wide range of disciplines, especially through the Mind and Life Institute, an organization that he co-founded. The Dalai Lama travels extensively, promoting kindness and compassion, interfaith understanding, respect for the environment, and, above all, world peace. He lives in exile in Dharamsala, India. For more information, please visit www.dalailama.com.
Desmond Mpilo Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus of Southern Africa, became a prominent leader in the crusade for justice and racial reconciliation in South Africa. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. In 1994, Tutu was appointed chair of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission by Nelson Mandela, where he pioneered a new way for countries to move forward after experiencing civil conflict and oppression. He was the founding chair of The Elders, a group of global leaders working together for peace and human rights. Archbishop Tutu is regarded as a leading moral voice and an icon of hope. Throughout his life, he has cared deeply about the needs of people around the world, teaching love and compassion for all. For more information please visit tutu.org.za.
Douglas Abrams is an author, editor, and literary agent. He is the founder and president of Idea Architects, a creative book and media agency helping visionaries to create a wiser, healthier, and more just world. Doug has worked with Desmond Tutu as his cowriter and editor for over a decade, and before founding his own literary agency, he was a senior editor at HarperCollins and also served for nine years as the religion editor at the University of California Press. He believes strongly in the power of books and media to catalyze the next stage of global evolutionary culture. He lives in Santa Cruz, California. For more information, please visit ideaarchitects.com and humanjourney.com.
Top reviews
Top reviews from Australia
Lizzie
5.0 out of 5 stars Quite simply - A Joy to readReviewed in Australia 🇦🇺 on 13 January 2023
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What more can I say, such a joy to read of the friendship between these two beautiful human beings. Well done The Joy team.
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Evita Pronk
4.0 out of 5 stars Lovely and easy to readReviewed in Australia 🇦🇺 on 17 June 2018
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I have read it myself and gave it as a gift to a friend. It's a lovely easy to read book. Very accessible. It made me laugh out loud a couple times. What stuck to me the most is to be kind to yourself, kind to others and the story gives a very human / private view on both the Dalai Lama and Desmund Tutu. It describes among other things that they have insecurities, experienced hard times and that they don't take themselves too seriously.
The reason I gave it four stars instead of five is because I don't expect it to be a book I would read over and over again, discovering new insights. Which I do have with the book 'The art of happiness' (read it for the 7th time) from the Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler.
In conclusion I definitely recommend 'The book of joy' even if it is just for the cover and title. ;)
4 people found this helpful
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Krystal
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolute wow! These two human beings are amazingReviewed in Australia 🇦🇺 on 18 August 2020
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Almost half way through with this book and wow! These two men are absolutely amazing, if you are someone who finds it hard to control your emotions this book just isn’t about joy its about how to handle life at your best so that your life is more filled with happiness & joy... must read and I am definitely not regretting getting the hard cover!!
One person found this helpful
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Happyhawk
5.0 out of 5 stars An exceptional gift for all seasons.Reviewed in Australia 🇦🇺 on 10 June 2020
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Always said reading in itself is a mediation. This book is just a delight, so strange to say but leading such busy life’s where we want more and feel isolated, we need guidance to get back to compassionate values and feel an innate sense of happiness. Surprise takeaway from the book, like the stoic meditations, just want to reread the regain the infectious joy of this book.
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ineke
5.0 out of 5 stars A joy and a treasureReviewed in Australia 🇦🇺 on 22 February 2020
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A winner for people of every persuasion, whether Buddhists, Christians, atheists. The book contains a multitude of pearls of wisdom, very often further illustrated by personal experiences. The friendship between the two main authors is clear and moving. In short: this book is truely a joy and a treasure.
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Veronica keatch
5.0 out of 5 stars Great bookReviewed in Australia 🇦🇺 on 29 January 2019
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Love this book read it at the right time helped me so much would say everyone should read this book I learnt so much from it what a lovely book from two best life time friends who know all about joy and what ot means was recommended this great book wished I known about it sooner cant tell everyone how it changes people's out look on life
One person found this helpful
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Helene Eliatamby
5.0 out of 5 stars BrilliantReviewed in Australia 🇦🇺 on 5 September 2020
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A beautiful book full of raw honesty and practical ways to practise the compassion, gratitude and generosity. A must read.
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isabelle
5.0 out of 5 stars Must readReviewed in Australia 🇦🇺 on 27 July 2020
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Happy with the book although received with a few finger marks :|
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J. A. Potter
5.0 out of 5 stars UpliftingReviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 22 April 2018
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Amazing book . Have always been a follower of the Dalai Lama but this book is one of the best as I was reading it whilst in a hospital waiting room whilst my husband was undergoing a cancer screening and the conversation between the Dalai Lama and Archbishop TuTu could still make me laugh would definitely recommend it really can lift your spirits and give you a different perspective on life.
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Mrs M J Edley
5.0 out of 5 stars Joy from possessions and buying new things is short livedReviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 13 March 2018
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A true testament to what matters in life. It matters not what religion, what creed, what background someone comes from. What matters is the ability that exists in us all to see beyond the shell to what's inside. Joy from possessions and buying new things is short lived. Happiness comes from within and from our ability to be compassionate and help others. On some levels this sounds idealistic but in the Western world, we live on the busy treadmill of life - we have such busy lives we forget about the simple things that make the world go round. I wish I could meet these two inspirational leaders. Their respect for civilisation and their love for each other is inspiring. I would thank them for their insights and simple messages... it's not hard. Respect each other and show compassion for each other. Learn to live together without hatred and prejudice. Idealistic - maybe but nevertheless within the realms of our reach.
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myddlewoman
2.0 out of 5 stars Tedious and lacking good editingReviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 1 June 2020
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The rave reviews are a surprise. I was expecting a moving, reflective and thought provoking read. However, it's tedious. The assumption seems to be that just writing up the conversations between these two friends will be enough. It isn't it is repetitive and somewhat underwhelming. You start to read about a situation in which they meet only to read through an uninspiring conversation and are left at the end of each scenario thinking what was the point of that?
The two men are clearly great friends but that isn't enough. I doubt the conversations of any great people if just recounted without editing would actually seem anything other than mundane.
A great disappointment.
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Joan Heath
5.0 out of 5 stars The natural way to a positive life of joy for yourself and others.Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 19 June 2019
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Although this book is written by two of the greatest religious leaders of our day, it is not about religion, it is about being human. They claim that humans naturally need connectedness and to live in harmony with each other; to accept ourselves as we are, but also to accept others. As Martin Luther King Jr said, 'We must learn to live together as sisters and brothers or we perish together as fools' and this book talks about how this can be done without being either political or religious, but by changing attitudes and striving for joy in our lives. An inspirational book
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starling
5.0 out of 5 stars what a joyful exampleReviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 24 December 2020
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No wonder we can't buy the book version, sold out, it is simply a delight. Easy to read, quietly demonstrating by the affection these two great men of very different traditions (religious, cultural, historical, geographical), have for each other and the stories they tell (both have suffered greatly in their lives, with their countrymen) a better way to live than most of us are able to think of for ourselves - or at least, me. They may be great but their example and explanations are good and clear enough for anyone to follow; and these days, when our official leaders tell lies, contradict themselves, break their promises, favour their friends, and so on so often that we begin to expect this, theirs is a wonderful encouragement to show us what can be done by every single human being, no matter what terrible circumstances may have to be endured.
It is not a religious tract or teaching, it is a happy conversation I feel privileged to overhear. Enjoy it.
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