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The Book of Joy cover art

The Book of Joy

Written by: His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, Douglas Carlton Abrams
Narrated by: Douglas Carlton Abrams, full cast, Francois Chau, Peter Francis James
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Publisher's Summary

Two great spiritual masters share their own hard-won wisdom about living with joy even in the face of adversity.

The occasion was a big birthday. And it inspired two close friends to get together in Dharamsala for a talk about something very important to them. The friends were His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The subject was joy. Both winners of the Nobel Prize, both great spiritual masters and moral leaders of our time, they are also known for being among the most infectiously happy people on the planet.

From the beginning the book was envisioned as a three-layer birthday cake: their own stories and teachings about joy, the most recent findings in the science of deep happiness, and the daily practices that anchor their own emotional and spiritual lives. Both the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Tutu have been tested by great personal and national adversity, and here they share their personal stories of struggle and renewal. Now that they are both in their 80s, they especially want to spread the core message that to have joy yourself, you must bring joy to others.

Most of all, during that landmark week in Dharamsala, they demonstrated by their own exuberance, compassion, and humor how joy can be transformed from a fleeting emotion into an enduring way of life.

Narration credits:

Douglas Carlton Abrams, read by the author

Dalai Lama, read by Francois Chau

Desmond Tutu, read by Peter Francis James

©2016 Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu (P)2016 Penguin Audio

What the critics say

"The question may be timeless, but their answer has urgent significance.” (Time Magazine)

"[An] exquisite book...An intimate glimpse into the minds of two of the world's spiritual guides, and their foundation for an attainable and practical approach to experiencing a more enriching and sustainable life of abundant joy." (Shelf Awareness)

"This sparkling, wise, and immediately useful gift to readers from two remarkable spiritual masters offers hope that joy is possible for everyone even in the most difficult circumstances, and describes a clear path for attaining it." (Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about The Book of Joy

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Life enhancing!

Wonderful show of humanity through humour. Let the joy fill your heart. Loved the suggestions at the end.

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Cried so many happy tears.

This book was deeply nourishing and a fantastic way to spend my day while cooking! Such incredible people and so down to earth, I’m uplifted and inspired!!

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Uplifting

It was a very easy book to listen to. I enjoyed hearing the different voices for the narrator, Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu. It was much easier to distinguish who was talking in comparison to reading a novel.

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A must read! two loving souls teaching compassion

Compassion and humanity, seeing others as the same as us and learning to forgive in order to move forward and release ourselves of pain and heartache were great leassons in this book. I appreciate the insight and down to earth mentality of these great men. I truly enjoyed this book from cover to cover, and believe I will retun to it often to further my practice and understanding. Thank you!

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Most enJOYed book of the decade!

Most enJOYed book of the decade! By them reading their own words, the book came alive. Two beautiful souls, sharing joy.

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What a wonderful textbook for happiness

Will listen to it again, to re-learn or just to hear the soothing, meaningful messages

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loved this book

what a wonderful book absolutely enjoyed the narrator he brought the friends and story together in a way that left lasting thoughts about friendship and the subject of Joy

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Revealing

This book has a beautiful story to tell about the encounter of Archbishop Tutu and the Dalai Lama. It is a book containing two great philosophies of living told from an insider, and outsider point of view. Recommended for everybody going through a hard time, or just looking for further enlightenment along the way. This book will make you rethink about the way you live, despite you thinking you have already figured everything out. But, that's up to you to find out, I was just giving my perspective.

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Great book!

I love that it makes your relfect on yourself. Great book and great performance! Nicely done!

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Sheer Joy

This book is well-written, interesting and inspiring. The message is full of compassion, and I would definitely recommend it!

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