ENG 111: The Pursuit of Happiness - Cambridge

Discover the Secrets to Happiness and Well-Being The excitement you feel after hearing good news or achieving a goal is fleeting, but true happiness-that is, the warm feeling of deep contentment and joy-is lasting, and it can be yours in every moment. The Buddha's Way of Happiness is a guide to putting aside your anxieties about the future, regrets about the past, and constant longing to change your life for the better, and awakening to the joy of living.

If you change your brain, you can change your life. Great teachers like the BUDDHA, JESUS, MOSES,MOHAMMED, and GANDHI were all born with brains built essentially like anyone else's--and then they changed their brains in ways that changed the world. Science is now revealing how the flow of thoughts actually sculpts the brain, and more and more, we are learning that it's possible to strengthen positive brain states.

The Analects of Confucius gathers the teachings or aphorisms of the Chinese philosopher Confucius (551-479 BC). He discusses the morality of government and the individual, social relationships, justice and sincerity. The philosophical movement of confucianism sprang from the study of these writings.

What does it mean to be truly happy? In Philosophies of Happiness, Diana Lobel provides a rich spectrum of arguments for a theory of happiness as flourishing or well-being, offering a global, cross-cultural, and interdisciplinary perspective on how to create a vital, fulfilling, and significant life. Drawing upon perspectives from a broad range of philosophical traditions--Eastern and Western, ancient and contemporary--the book suggests that just as physical health is the well-being of the body, happiness is the healthy and flourishing condition of the whole human being, and we experience the most complete happiness when we realize our potential through creative engagement. These themes emerge from careful study of philosophical and religious texts and traditions:
* the Greek philosophers ARISTOTLE (b. 384 BCE – d. 322 BCE), EPICURUS (b. 341 BCE –d. 270 BCE);
* the Chinese traditions of CONFUCIUS (551–479 B.C.E.), LAOZI (fl. sixth century BCE), and ZHUANGZI (fl. ca. 350 BCE);
* the Hindu Bhagavad Gita (between 400 BCE and 200 CE);
* the Japanese Buddhist tradition of Soto Zen master Dōgen (1200–1253) and his modern expositor Shunryū Suzuki (1904-1971);
* the Western religious traditions of AUGISTINE OF HIPPO (354–430 ce) and MOSES MAIMONIDES (1138–1204 ce);
* the Persian Sufi tale Conference of the Birds (1177);
and contemporary research on mindfulness and creativity. Written in a clear, accessible style, Philosophies of Happiness invites readers of all backgrounds to explore and engage with religious and philosophical conceptions of what makes life meaningful. Visit https://cup.columbia.edu/extras/supplement/philosophies-of-happiness for additional appendixes and supplemental notes.

Aristotle's moral philosophy is a pillar of Western ethical thought. It bequeathed to the world an emphasis on virtues and vices, happiness as well-being or a life well lived, and rationally motivated action as a mean between extremes. Its influence was felt well beyond antiquity into the Middle Ages, particularly through the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas. In the past century, with the rise of virtue theory in moral philosophy, Aristotle's ethics has been revived as a source of insight and interest. While most attention has traditionally focused on Aristotle's famous Nicomachean Ethics, there are several other works written by or attributed to Aristotle that illuminate his ethics: the Eudemian Ethics, the Magna Moralia, and Virtues and Vices.

In the early draft of his Autobiography (London, 1873), John Stuart Mill described himself as "a pupil of Plato, and cast in the mould of his dialectics." However, how Plato's influence came about, to what extent, and with regard to which aspects of Mill's thought, form questions that do not usually preoccupy Mill scholarship. To fill this gap in critical attention, this book draws upon a variety of primary sources to pay particular attention to Mill's concern with reform, method, character, virtue, and happiness through his reading of the ancient Greeks--particularly Plato.

An argument for putting sentiment aside and maximizing the practical impact of our donated dollars: "Powerful, provocative" (Nicholas Kristof, The New York Times).   Peter Singer's books and ideas have been disturbing our complacency ever since the appearance of Animal Liberation. Now he directs our attention to a challenging new movement in which his own ideas have played a crucial role: effective altruism. Effective altruism is built upon the simple but profoundly unsettling idea that living a fully ethical life involves doing the "most good you can do."   Such a life requires a rigorously unsentimental view of charitable giving: to be a worthy recipient of our support, an organization must be able to demonstrate that it will do more good with our money or our time than other options open to us.

50 short and simple mindfulness practices for cultivating happiness-anytime, anywhere-from world-renowned spiritual teacher Thich Nhat Hanh. You don't need to "formally" meditate in order to bring mindfulness into your daily life! Whether you're new to Buddhist teaching or you're a more experienced practitioner, this quintessential resource of Thich Nhat Hanh's most essential teachings will show you how to walk, sit, work, eat, and even drive with full awareness.

In Worlds in Harmony, the Dalai Lama explores the nature of suffering and its release through compassionate action. The book focuses on the understanding that a deep awareness of our shared desire to avoid pain leads to an awareness of our responsibility to relieve others of suffering. Worlds in Harmony offers the reader insight into the relation between awareness and right action, and bridges personal consciousness and global concerns. With the knowledge that insight is of no use unless it results in action, the Dalai Lama teaches ways of being, thinking, and acting in the world that are based on equanimity and understanding.