Link to the book is here....However, others say this book is far better....
Maybe this one is the best - the monk is featured in the article linked to below...
An interesting article here...
Extract:
"Whereas Layard believes that there are seven areas of life — family, work, health, mental attitude and so on — that influence fulfilment and happiness, Ricard believes that the mind trumps all. “If you have inner peace,” he says, “then whatever happens, you are going to be fine....Brain scans found that Ricard’s grey matter produces a level of gamma waves — those linked to consciousness, attention, learning and memory — never “reported before in the neuroscience literature”, according to Dr Richard Davidson, a neuroscientist at the University of Wisconsin.
In addition, his brain is dramatically asymmetrical. The left prefrontal cortex is swollen, while its counterpart on the right is shrivelled and prune-like. No prizes for guessing what each cranial bedfellow is responsible for; Ricard has an abnormally large propensity for happiness, and his capacity for negativity has all but withered away."
The Venerable Matthieu Ricard’s philosophy of happiness
- Learn to meditate.
- Cultivate altruism.
- Practise mindfulness.
- Make space in your life for spirituality.
- Find a genuine spiritual teacher.
Lord Layard’s philosophy of happiness
- Be socially connected.
- Be physically active.
- Take notice of your surroundings and savour them.
- Keep learning.
- Give regularly.
