Rating: 
Summary: Uninformative
Review: Although I have a great deal of respect for the Dalai Lama's intentions in participating in this project, I found this book to be a weary exposition on the obvious and commonsensical.For those readers who found that the book changed their lives, I wonder if perhaps they are not giving themselves enough credit.
Rating: 
Summary: How many books has H.H. written?
Review: Is there any other person out there who feels that HH the Dalai Lama has written too many books? Buddhism may be the most difficult of all religions, but in its essence, Buddhism is the simplest. None of these books is necessary to achieve what is already in everyone. So in my humble opinion, I think it would be better to pick anyone one of his books as they are all generally the same: compassion. lose your ego. etc. However, if the books are used for his cause of Tibetan liberation, then by all means support it by buying his books. Otherwise, all you need is one of his books, a difficult life experience, and a lot of meditation. The Dalai Lama is a great being indeed.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling and Thought Provoking
Review: After reading many many books by several empowering authors such as, Deepak Chopra, Dr. Wayne Dyer,Marianne Williamson, and Tiffany Snow, that I am still reading,my life has opened up to me in such a compelling and wonderful way. This new book is well written, and thought provoking. There are great transforming authors, who shift the consciousness of humankind in a way never known before. The "Art of Happiness" is one of those.
Rating:
Summary: Low on Art, Short on Happiness
Review: I really wanted to like this book. I wanted to learn what a wise man could tell me about happiness. Instead, what I got was a psychiatrist of average intelligence and little insight filtering the words of the Dalai Lama through contradictory skepticism and weak science. The author - note: NOT the Dalai Lama - seems neither educated on, nor even particularly interested in, the teachings of the spiritual leader, and seems unable even to grasp what wisdom he is able to elicit through his hard-headed questioning. Repeatedly throughout, the author presents long passages quoted directly from verbal interviews with the Dalai Lama (not the best format for understanding an ancient religion)...and then haughtily dismisses what he has to say. He then relates in odd personal anecdotes how he finally comes around to the Dalai Lama's way of thinking, and supports his conclusions by constructing justifications out of loosely-linked statistics and factoids that take the Dalai Lama's words completely out of context. I assume he does this as a way of breaking it to "us Westerners" that there is a "deeper" way of thinking about things. But in doing this, he gives little credit to his reader, and even less to himself. Not to mention the disjointed perception he gives of the Dalai Lama. It makes one wonder how the author ever got involved with the Dalai Lama in the first place, and whether the Dalai Lama has any idea of the image that has been portrayed of him here. To be fair, there are some good things about the book, and I did get something out of reading it, though mostly because I was trying very hard. If this is your first exposure to Eastern spirituality, or if you're particularly talented at picking out gems through clutter, you'll probably get something out of it too. But if that's the case, don't stop there; read more! The success of this book seems to stem from a cultural desperation for meaning and a willingness to accept it in any form that hints of the "exotic," and not from any true value in the book itself. If you're looking for a peek into a world of thinking beyond current Western paradigms, then this book might be a decent beginning. But if you're looking for an accurate portrayal of the Dalai Lama, or any real spiritual insight, you're better off looking elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Improves the quality of your life!
Review: This is a tremendous book that enables us to understand various states of consciousness and how these states relate to the overall quality of our lives. It is an excellent book that provides us with very useful practical guidelines to be more mindful of our emotions and motivations. If you would like to understand how the process works in addition to knowing the practical things that we can do to improve the overall quality of our lives, I strongly suggest "The Ever-Transcending Spirit" by Toru Sato. It is a book that explains things so well and in such a simple way that it makes you think, "Why didn't I understand that before?" Your life will never be the same and I mean that in the best way possible! Happy Reading!
Rating: 
Summary: It's not as bad as all that
Review: It is true that this book is a little misleading. When I bought it I thought that it was writtem by the Lama and this Cutler person was his translator or something. Indeed not. Cutler can be heavy-handed at times, true, but a great deal of this book is the Dalai Lama's own words. Cutler just spends a lot of time trying to get it to fit into his own weird pop-psychology way of thinking. Thus, the book is interesting, but not as great as it could be. Read the book if you're interested in the concept. But if you want to read the Dalai Lama's own words and nothing else, pick up another of his books. I think he has at least one that's all him. Oh, and if I were you, I would run away from the new book, The Art of Happiness at Work. Cutler is fast turning the Dalai Lama into the chicken soup for the soul of Buddhism. (and to the crazy christian weirdo... get a life, hun)
Rating: 
Summary: Misses the mark
Review: If you want to know about the Dalai Lama, and his message, in my opinion you would be better off to look elsewhere. This book gives you the Dalai Lama through the eyes of the author (Cutler), who unfortunately attempts to make us think drivel is special and profound, with sneaky (intentional or not) tricks. In the following example, Cutler prefaces something lame the Dalai Lama says with this: (P.62) " he sat examining the human mind with the scrutiny of a scientist". Huh? How do you know that Dr. Cutler? At other times a twinkle in the eye or a warm laugh is supposed to substitute for actual information. My take is that the Dalai Lama himself began early on to tire of Cutler (We must stop now, I am tired). I didn't finish this book, as it was unconvincing of anything interesting. I found the book a disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: Not by the Dalai Lama at all
Review: This book is not authored by the Dalai Lama at all! What a surprise and a deception. It has little tidbits from the Dalai Lama, but is 95% psychobabble nonsense by the clueless doctor who is the real author of the book. It is that doctor's musings on human nature, with a few small comments by the Dalai Lama. This book was a complete waste of money
Rating:
Summary: The Art of happiness
Review: I realized by reading this book how out of touch I have been with spiritual practices. Thanks Dalai Lama for reminding me what is important in life and the role these practices play in attaining happiness.
Rating:
Summary: Writings of a wolf in sheep's clothing
Review: The Dalai Lama is going to hell and taking with him others who believe his sham of the truth. Jesus is the only way to heaven, and that's just the way it is. I gave this book 1 star only because i couldn't leave a review without giving it a star. The Dalai Lama may be admired by millions, but he's not right with God, and that's really all that matters in the end.
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