The Joy of Living

My newest find from the public library is "The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness" by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche.

At its heart, Buddhism is very practical. It's about doing things that foster serenity, happiness, and confidence, and avoiding things that provoke anxiety, hopelessness, and fear. The essence of Buddhist practice is not so much an effort at changing your thoughts or your behavior so that you can become a better person, but in realizing that no matter what you might think about the circumstances that define your life, you're already good, whole, and complete. It's about recognizing the inherent potential of your mind. In other words, Buddhism is not so much concerned about getting well as with recognizing that you are, right here, right now, as whole, as good, as essentially well as you could ever hope to be.(p. 11)

Central to Buddhist teaching is not only wisdom and clarity of mind, but also compassion:

May all sentient beings have happiness and the causes of happiness.
May all sentient beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering.
May all sentient beings have joy and the causes of joy.
May all sentient beings remain in great equanimity, free from attachment and aversion.

(p. 252)