The Book of Joy

Two spiritual giants

Seven days.

One timeless question.

Nobel Peace Prize Laureates His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu have survived more than fifty years of exile and the soul-crushing violence of oppression. Despite their hardships — or, as they would say, because of them — they are two of the most joyful people on the planet.

In April 2015. Archbishop Tutu travelled to the Dalai Lama’s home in Dharamsala, India, to celebrate His Holiness’s eightieth birthday and to create this book as a gift for others. They looked back on their long lives to answer a single burning question: how do we find joy in the face of life’s inevitable suffering?

They traded intimate stories, teased each other continually, and shared their spiritual practices. By the end of a week filled with laughter and punctuated with tears, these two global heroes had stared into the abyss and despair of our times, and revealed how to live a life  brimming with joy.

This book offers us a rare opportunity to experience their astonishing and unprecedented week together, from the first embrace to the final goodbye.

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama,

Tenzin Gyatso is the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people and of Tibetan Buddhism. He travels extensively, promoting the message of kindness and compassion, interfaith understanding, respect for the environment, and, above all, world peace. The Dalai Lama has been a passionate advocate for a secular universal approach to cultivating fundamental human values. He lives in exile in Dharamsala, India,

Desmond Mpilo Tutu, 

Archbishop Emeritus of Southern Africa, became a prominent leader in the crusade for justice and racial reconciliation in South Africa. In 1994.

Tutu was appointed Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, where he pioneered a new way for countries to move forward after experiencing civil conflict and oppression. He was the founding chair of The Elders, a group of global leaders working together for peace and human rights. He lives in Cape Town, South Africa.

Douglas Abrams is an author, editor and literary agent dedicated to working with visionaries who are creating a wiser. healthier and more just world. He has collaborated with Desmond Tutu as his co writer and eclitor for more than a decade. He lives in Santa Cruz, California

•  The Book of Joy
•  Dalai lama and Desmond tutu