Happiness by Matthieu Ricard is a fascinating, accessible take on what we all seem to be in pursuit of. Matthieu is a former cell biologist turned Buddhist monk and we actually stayed at his monastery in Nepal last year. His wisdom is as palpable as it is applicable.
@eriktorenberg I read the book about 2 years ago but two aspects have really stuck with me.
First, how critical it is to master our own emotions. So much of the pain, strife, and struggle in our lives is actually just in our heads. We always have a choice about how we react to things, the emotions and thoughts that we cultivate, and the people we surround ourselves with. Intelligent, talented, ambitious people are, if anything, the most at risk in getting caught in vicious head trips that impact their lives and those around them. This book provides extremely personal and practical methods for understanding and managing our own minds better.
Second, this isn't a book about Buddhism. Ricard is one of the world's experts on Tibetan Buddhism and neuropsychology but this book isn't about those. It's more actionable than that, oriented towards providing useful, tangible experiments for us to incorporate into our own lives than an intellectual take on philosophy.
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@eliotpeper Thanks Eliot for describing your highlights! Just read 'Free Will' by Sam Harris about the origin of our thoughts (they appear from nothing, but maybe our past), but agree we still have to act upon the thoughts that enter our consciousness :)
Super interesting discussion and concept of managing our mindspace enters my work-in-progress novel. Will check this out for some thoughts from an expert!
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Neon Fever Dream