October 2003

September was a magnificent month in every way. The highlight was being in the presence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. His Holiness was in New York to teach ancient Buddhist philosophy. Peter and I attended two days of his teachings in a distinctive atmosphere of luminous radiation. His Holiness has an aura of positive energy that is powerful.

Because His Holiness the Dalai Lama believes that the purpose of life is happiness and sharing and spreading happiness with others, he radiates this positive attitude, believing love and compassion can transform our consciousness. He is a brilliant teacher of philosophy. I feel transformed by his spirit. He has a twinkle; he’s playful and loves to smile. His Holiness laughs easily. He gave definite signals with eye contact and a warm smile. We’d heard about his warmth, his magnetism, but in his presence, we were in awe.

I wanted to bottle his energy. I’ve always believed that happiness is contagious. Thousands of admirers were transported into a loftier realm. Everyone smiled as we listened to his every word in Tibetan. When he laughed, we laughed. His body movements were gracious and expressive. His interpreter was crystal clear. I took notes that I will treasure throughout my life. My mind is awakening to more joy and more happiness because of his teachings.

I will never be the same. I now have raised the bar. I truly want to share and spread happiness wherever I can. His Holiness wants to help people. His example lives in my heart.

I left to go give a talk in Hamilton, Massachusetts, fresh and inspired from his teachings. I feel especially blessed to have such a deep, personal belief in our personal happiness being the first principle of life. We can’t give away what we don’t have. We can’t teach something we don’t put into practice in our daily lives.

Peter and I returned to New York City to experience a magical Sunday at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. The internationally acclaimed poet, educator and artist, Maya Angelou, was the guest speaker at Unity, where Eric Butterworth’s teachings continue. Dr. Angelou gave a eulogy at Dr. Butterworth’s memorial service, telling a packed audience of four to five thousand devotees, “Eric is my teacher and what a tough teacher he is.”

This is the first time that Dr. Angelou has returned to Unity since Dr. Butterworth’s death. She told us she’d prayed over what to speak to us about. “We’ve all experienced loss these past few months. I decided to come make you laugh for 3 or 4 hours … I’ve never trusted anyone who doesn’t laugh.”

A cheerful spirit is indeed good medicine. When we laugh, the endorphins go around the body healing us. Dr. Angelou told us to “cease whining.” Laughing, she said, “It makes you ugly.” I loved laughing with her and the audience as she taught us her wisdom.

That evening, His Holiness the Dalai Lama sponsored a concert at the same Avery Fisher Hall, “Healing the Divide,” music to inspire peace and reconciliation. This was a thrilling experience, a great crescendo of his message of peace, love and compassion.

Oklahoma City last week was beautiful. I spoke at a women’s huge health forum, “A Sense of Place,” sponsored by Integris Baptist Medical Center. I was also invited back to The Oklahoma City School of Science and Mathematics to speak with the junior and senior girls at a lovely tea in their new library. To be with the brightest minds imaginable for lively discussions was a great treat.

I went to a lecture by R. Murali Krishna, a doctor who is president of the James L. Hall, Jr., Center for Mind, Body and Spirit. He taught how to de-stress in order to transform our lives into happier and healthier states. He and I had a fascinating discussion about happiness. He gave me a series of tapes, “The Art of Happy Living.” I feel the ever-expanding circle of people who are trying to raise our consciousness to discover the healing power of the mind, body, spirit connection.

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We’re off to Paris to go to the Exposition of our favorite artist and friend, Roger Muhl, to look about, to be happy. We’re going to celebrate Choosing Happiness going into a tenth printing. Know how grateful I am to you, your family and friends for helping me spread the good news about happiness.

Have a beautiful, productive, happy October. I hope to see many of you as I travel these next few months.

Love and Live Happy,

The Art of Happiness at Work by Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler. Piverhead Books, a memeber of Penguin Group. $24.95

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Many of you have expressed an interest in this great artist’s work. I’ve been collecting Muhl paintings for 42 years. If you are interested in becoming a proud owner, please let me know. The prices range from lithographs to oils. Fax me at (212) 996-4625. Tell me your price range (lithographs are $1,400 and oils are $6,000 to $36,000). This one artist has brought great joy to the lives of hundred of collectors.