You hold in your hands a book that can change your life—filled with inspiration and practical wisdom on how to live with more joy and well-being. James Baraz, my longtime colleague and dear friend, has always delighted in sharing teachings that inspire the mind and open the heart. This book is James at his finest. It draws on his wonderfully successful Awakening Joy course, which has shepherded thousands of students, even die-hard “unbelievers” and cynics, into a more joyful and happier life.
Without understanding the importance of happiness, spiritual life can feel like a grim duty or be confused with an endless self-improvement project. James, and Shoshana Alexander, who was one of my students in my early years of teaching, skillfully build on principles and practices from the Buddhist tradition to offer a pathway to true happiness.
As human beings, we all participate in the eternal dance of pleasure and pain, gain and loss, praise and blame, and birth and death that make up our lives, what Oscar Wilde called the “tainted glory” of worldly incarnation. In Awakening Joy, you will learn how to find and live with joy in the midst of all life’s changes. To be joyful does not mean ignoring the great measure of suffering in the world, nor avoiding responsibility for alleviating as much suffering as we can. James and Shoshana show us how joy enables us to be a part of the solution to suffering, as it enables us to uplift all those we touch.
Joy is our birthright. All young children (if they are not traumatized) have it; it is innate to our consciousness. Joy is a reflection of our true nature—a pure, timeless, inviolable spirit found in each of us. In these pages, which include modern neuroscientific research as well as inspiration from exemplars like the Dalai Lama, you will discover how the transformative practices of Awakening Joy can lead each of us to live with dignity, compassion, and gracious freedom.
Read these words slowly. Savor them and practice the exercises in this book. Use them to open your heart and transform your life. Your days on Earth will be full of blessings. May it be so.
JACK KORNFIELD
Spirit Rock Meditation Center
Woodacre, CA
May 9, 2009