Book Review

Zen and the Art of Happiness

By: Chris Prentiss

October 22, 2022

Is This Book Right for me?

Summary: “Zen and the Art of Happiness” is a guide to finding inner peace and happiness in the modern world. Written by Chris Prentiss, it
explores the principles of Zen Buddhism and how they can be applied to everyday life. The book delves into the idea that true happiness comes from within and that by understanding and accepting the present moment, we can free ourselves from negative thoughts and emotions. It encourages readers to let go of their attachments to material possessions and societal expectations and instead focus on finding contentment in the present moment. Through practical exercises and real-life examples, “Zen and the Art of Happiness” teaches readers how to cultivate inner peace and live a fulfilling life.

The book can be found here: Link

Recommendation: High – very simple concepts on happiness that be easily used in everyday life  

4/5

Level: Beginner – no concepts or background is needed to read this book which makes it a good and short read (~130 small pages).

Beginner
Storyline

Since this book has no direct storyline and each part is about a different theme the below shows only a brief summary of each part.

The author starts with a simple yet powerful statement: “There is only one way to achieve lasting happiness. That way is simply: Be happy.” This phrase could not be more true – we are always in pursuit of happiness, yet when we reach our goals (e.g. get the promotion, the car, the house…) we seem to be happy for only a short amount of time. Or in short: we spend most of the time longing for happiness and only a small part in really being happy.

The concepts presented may be contrary to what you believe or your experience in life. However, the author cautions us to be open to the statements and tools and suggests to ask ourselves to ask whether we want the statement presented to be true before rejecting it, thus giving us the chance to see it as true.

  • Part 1 – The way: The author introduces us to how we should engage with this book and explains what “Zen” means (the state of centeredness which is here and now) and how this goes hand in hand with happiness and enlightenment.
  • Part 2 – We are the authors of every next moment: This part is mainly about the fact that we are human beings creating our life both with our thoughts, actions and how we respond to external events. It also talks about our personal “operating system” (=our personal philosophy, beliefs) and how this determines how we go through life without many of us never really sitting down and defining what that system is. If we tend to see the bad things, unfairness in the world and that happiness is only hard to come by, we will act accordingly to that and hence it will manifest in our reality. 
  • Part 3 – The new experience: Here the author connects to the previous part in talking about how to change what you believe in despite your experience telling you otherwise: By creating new experiences. The reasoning here is that you need a new way of responding (positive) to your environment which then will create new (positive) experiences. Example: You want to open a coffee shop. You have 100,000$ in the bank. You go out and start hiring people, design the strategy, search for place etc. Imagine you do not have 100,000$ but only 5,000$. You will just worry how to get 95,000$ more to open the coffee shop. If you then instead act as if you would have the 100,000$ already and start the process usually pieces may fall together and you will (if being persistent) move towards your goal and create conditions for the money to come (e.g. someone you interview want to also put up some money, the landlord want to be a partner etc.). The same goes for happiness – if you act as if the event is good for you and you will draw positive outcome towards you.
  • Part 4 – The inner road: This part is all about that happiness can only come from within ourselves and not from the outside world. Besides, the concept of cause and effect is introduced which impacts our belief system and therefore the outcomes in our world. The law of cause and effect: Every action produces a reaction that is in exact accord with the action. This law applies to our beliefs in the following way. Every belief that we hold causes us to either take some form of action or prevent you from taking action at all. If you do not believe something is possible you do not attempt to do it therefore it can never happen. Example: It was said in the early part of the twentieth century that it is not physiological possible to run the mile under 4 minutes. In 1954, Roger Bannister did it therefore breaking the belief. By 1957 16 more runners ran the mile under 4 minutes. Today many athletes run the mile under 4 minutes. It is all about the beliefs that we hold to be true.
  • Part 5 – Mindful happiness: Your state of mind is the most important factor in the outcome of your life (not talking about the physical brain but rather about the part of you that thinks and observes). A lot of research nowadays shows that the mind, body and emotions are so closely connected that positive emotions have a strong effect on recovery and the immune system. In fact, thinking influences the moment-by-moment reproduction of cells in the body. Why is that so important? Because negative as well positive emotions seem to multiply within our body (for detailed explanation read p. 49-51). In short: If a cell receives peptides with negative emotions it causes it to split the new cells to have more receptors for the same negative emotion, hence you are more likely to feel this way in the next moment. If you feel depressed for an hour you will produce approx. 18 billion new cells that are calling out for more negative peptides than for positive ones (you see where the exponential nature of cell replication is going). In just a few days the body screams: “Send us more depression, please!” The more you engage in any type of emotion the greater the desire for it will become. You see why trying to live in a state of happiness is so important. Once started can have a huge impact on your life! There is another important fact that I want to recall here: You brain cannot tell the difference between an imagined experience and and a real experience since the the emotions felt during both events is the same chemical reaction in the body therefore manifesting in the same way. // Therefore it is also important to surround yourself with people who lift you up (you potentially have heard the phrase you are the average of your 5 closest friends before). The concepts discussed here shed a new light on this. If you surround yourself with people who tear you down and do not believe in you it will become extremely challenging to hold firmly in your mind that you will succeed and that you can be happy (that is also why we say “happiness is contagious”).
  • Part 6 – What is true in the universe: The author is reinforcing the key concept of that “everything in our lives that happens is the absolute best possible outcome” introduced in previous chapters (see key insights below). He emphasizes that we as we live in the universe are an integral part of it (sounds very obvious but I believe most of us have never thought about what that actually means). Since we are a part of it and the universe consists of all the same energy we are literally one with the universe and everything in it, hence separation as we experience it is just an “illusion”. The second part deals with the the universal laws (especially cause and effect again) and the implications for us. This chapter is one of the most insightful chapters given the conclusions the author draws here based on what he previously established.
  • Part 7 – Adapting to change: This chapter mainly deals with ways/ examples to adapt to changing events and look at them more positively. 
  • Part 8 – Stress and your imagination: Here the author identifies stress as the one of the greatest obstacles to happiness and gives examples on how stress is not attributable to any outside event but a mere effect of our own imagination and thinking, hence avoidable. He makes an important point about imagination: It is impossible to feel stress or anxiety if your imagination does not allow for it – the great thing here is that you are in control if your imagination
  • Part 9 – Healing your past: While most of us often dwell in the past which ultimately spoils the “now” we have not yet learned to roll time backwards: It is important to let go by either see past events in light of a new understanding (e.g. that something turned out better than expected or was of benefit to you) or with an new attitude (e.g. that this will be of benefit)
  • Part 10 – The language of the universe: This chapter is has more a philosophical twist to it. It covers how you interact with the universe and that you need to learn how to “communicate with it”. Once you you become aware of what the universe wants to tell you (via events) you listen more and the universe will send more cues.
Key Insights & Concepts
  • Your personal philosophy (beliefs, views) determines what happens to you and is responsible for your state of happiness. So if you have a negative philosophy and outlook this will always draw negative events to your life.
    • “There is nothing either bad or good – but thinking makes it so” – William Shakespeare
    • “The true man sees what eye sees, nd does not add something that is not there. He hears what the ears hear, and does not add imaginary undertones or overtones. He is not busy with hidden meanings.” Chaung Tzu
 
  • To change your personal philosophy you need to create new experiences. To get new experiences you need to change your response to what happens. Then, by the natural law of cause and effect, this reaction will lead to new results which in turn will lead to the experience of a new reality.
    • The best possible response (key learning for me in the book):

Every event that happens in our lives is the absolute best possible event that could occur

    • Acting on the basis that everything only benefits you makes you experience happiness which then reinforces you that this is they way how things really work and this in turn makes you believe that indeed everything happens for your benefit (like a self-fulfilling prophecy)
 
  • Rationale to believe that the universe only has good intentions:
    • “The universe does not make mistakes”: We know from modern science how “perfect” the universe is organized and how the conditions on our planet are so perfectly balanced that we can exist (e.g. if the sun would be in a different location it would be too warm/cold for us to survive etc.; if some of the natural laws would differ just a bit – change in the 100th decimal place or so – life on earth would not be possible). Knowing that the universe is perfect directly connects to the fact that everything within the universe has to be perfect as well (the universe does not make mistakes). This concept seems quite far fetched the first moment you hear but when contemplating more on it you may see a lot of truth! (believe me)
    • Separation is an illusion: We are a part of the universe as we live in it and all existence is based on the same energy therefore we are “ONE” (in the sense that the smallest particle everything is made out of, is the same for all existence but just in a different order/ condition e.g., water and ice as a practical example – different shape but made out of the same “material”).
      • “Everything is that One…Who can find any real difference between the wave and the sea?” Vivekananda
      • The feeling of separation between you and me, here and there, this country and that country, the earth and the moon, the milky way and….is just an illusion created by name and form
 
  • The universal laws:
    • Our own philosophy needs to be in line with the universal laws. If not, our attempts to be happy will never succeed. 
    • Example: If you believe to get rid of an headache you need to smash your head against the wall you will find that is not only not true, but will actually cause even more injury (it is an ridiculous example, but so is eating unhealthy and expect to feel well, or to believe the new car will bring you everlasting happiness).
    • All the laws of the universe are in favor of the continuation of the universe: The universe exists for now more than eighteen billion years; if there were to be something imperfect, the universe would be in danger of its own destruction, given that one imperfect event would lead to another and so on. Since the universe wants to benefit itself to the maximum, this applies to us as an inseparable part of it as well.
    • An event is an event. We can either label them “good” or “bad”, but in its very existence it is the same. It is how we treat the event, that determines what it becomes. That´s what we decide, not the event itself.
    • Happiness (and stress) come from our response to the conditions of our lives. You yourself decide what your world is like. By envisioning a rather good outcome we can increase happiness and reduce stress.
    • “When you can be happy in the midst of hardship, then you see the potential of the mind” Huachu Daoren
    • The universe always strikes at your weakest point because that is what most needs strengthening – the universe is “hand delivering” you an opportunity to make you stronger for the future.
    • See that every event has a purpose and is meant to benefit you – if you truly internalize this, problems will change to “workout situations” or “options to test your abilities”; e.g., when some foreigner is unkind to kind stay calm and see this as an opportunity to practice compassion or patience (I often do this and then it feels like a challenge and if I can stay calm I feel good about it).

  •  Effect of living your life according to a positive philosophy like “everything that happens is to benefit me”:
    •  Increase of happiness:
      • Happiness is a product from our mind. There might be external objects and circumstances that can cause us to feel happy, but it is our mind and thoughts about the object that creates the happiness. If the essence of an event would be happiness/unhappiness, everyone would feel the same about the event. Yet, we know that this does not hold true. Thus what determines each person´s state of happiness is not the event, but what the event means to person which in turn is based on the person´s philosophy (beliefs, thoughts etc.). When explaining this to family/ friends I usually tend to use a “weather” example here. There are people who love when it rains (e.g. children) – they go out and enjoy the life force on their skin. There are also people who hate rain and would never go out (I was one of them some years ago). In the end, the external event is the same yet one person feels happy about it while the other does not.
      •  “Neither happiness nor unhappiness is contained in the event itself” – Chris Prentiss
      • Great example from the author: Two monks look at a flag. One says: The flag is moving. The other says: The wind is moving. The the head of the monastery passes by and says: Not the flag, not the wind – the mind is moving.
      •  “Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your thoughts, unguarded. But once mastered, no one can help you as much.” The Dhammapada
    •  Decrease of stress:
      •  Stress is a product manufactured by our own imagination; if we take control of our mind by applying a positive outlook we can reduce times where we are “stressed out”
    •  Heal your past:
      •  You can and never will be able to change the past (as of now OCT 2022; maybe that changes at some point but I find this very unlikely); hence, the only way you can heal from it, move on and live fully in the present moment is to believe that what happened is ultimately for your benefit (and by reflecting on your life you will see events where this held true which will give you more confidence in believing it)
 
  • Automatic reactions (side topic not related to personal philosophy above but touched in the book – found it important to specifically highlight since it is a powerful concept as well):
    • Most of the time we just react without ever noticing or questioning how we react towards a situation. This level of awareness is hard work. A lot of mental effort and training is needed to pause, reflect, remember the goal to be happy and live with the view of “the universe is working for you”.
    • Example (I really like this one since I find myself in the situation many times): When you stubbed your toe, instead of swearing or being angry at whatever object might have cause it, reflect and say “thanks universe for reminding me that I have to be in the present and pay attention”. 
    • Personal note: Everything that comes to you in your future, what you wish for, what you care about etc. is all based on the present and will ever be determined by the present moment – by changing your reactions towards present outcomes you therefore determine your future!
 
Hope you enjoyed this summary and learned something from the concepts outlined above.

In case of any questions or feedback please use the form below – happy to hear from you!

Best, Nick