39 Joyous Quotes from Zen and the Art of Happiness by Chris Prentiss

The hardest thing in this world is to control our thoughts and think in a positive,hopeful way.Zen and the Art of Happiness by Cris Prentiss offers valuable advice to help us do this difficult and most important task.
If you are suffering from depression I would recommend reading The Happiness Trap.After you have mastered the information in that book,read Zen and the Art of Happiness and The Four Agreements.These three books helped bring so much improvement in my emotional states.

Zen and the Art of Happiness is one of my favorite books.Everyone should read this book.It's beautiful and very interesting.

Here are the quotes I Love:


''THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY TO ACHIEVE LASTING happiness. That way is simply: Be

happy.''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''It has taken you as long as you’ve been alive to become the way you are. It has also taken you that long to achieve what you’ve achieved,to possess what you now possess, and to arrive at your current condition. Your life today is the result of a series of decisions you made that have caused you to arrive where you are.''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''Some of what you … read may seem impossible or foolish, even ridiculous, it may at first offend your sensibilities, causing you to scoff at it,ridicule it, and reject it. Each time you come upon a statement that has that effect upon you, I suggest that before rejecting it, you ask yourself whether or not you would want that statement to be true—and then give yourself the chance to see it as true.''
 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''Every event that befalls you is absolutely the best possible event that could occur.''
 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''If you … actually believe that everything that happens to you is the best thing that can possibly happen to you, you will start to act in accord with that belief and, as a result of natural law,bring about that end. It takes some getting used to and it takes presence of mind,which is the more difficult part, but the price is small considering the reward: a lifetime spent in the sunshine of happiness.''
 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''In their efforts to experience enlightenment, yogis spend years and decades in meditation. Students of Zen concentrate for years on koans, or Zen riddles.The enlightened ones who attained their goal have attested that often the experience came in a flash and lasted only an instant, but it was so powerful that it changed them forever.What did they experience that was so powerful? Their oneness with the Universe. That is what enlightenment is: knowing that everything in the Universe is created from and is part of the same energy, and knowing in what way we relate to it all. Once that awareness is obtained, all else falls into place,everything makes sense, and everything can be understood. As the Zen master Dogen taught, ‘To be enlightened is to be intimate with all things.’ ''
 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''Happiness that is achieved through an essential understanding of Universal laws and of our relationship to the Universe is true happiness. That kind of happiness endures and does not decrease with the changing conditions of time. It sees us through every difficulty, every loss, every hardship, and it brightens even our best days.''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''We are the authors of every next moment.We are powerful beings, creating our futures with our thoughts and actions.We are the mechanism by which life is controlled, and we control the events in our life by our personal philosophy, which determines how we respond to those events.''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''Many people say that bad accidents happen, that unfairness is not only possible but likely. They say that real happiness is hard to come by and usually short-lived, that we come into the world, live, and die and what we experience in between is mostly a struggle and a continual compromise between what we want and what we get.Because that is what people have generally believed, their actions have been based on that belief and, as a result of natural law, they have brought about that end. Then they have said, ‘I told you so.’ They have not only 'told you so,' but they have also told everyone and everything else so, and thus it is so.''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''If you believe that something that happens to you is bad, you will react to the events in a way that will cause you more unpleasantness, and the unpleasantness you experience then appears to confirm that what happened was truly unfortunate.''
 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''The answers are never 'out there.' All the answers are 'in there,' inside you, waiting to be discovered.''
 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''You are like a railroad switch. Each time an event occurs, you channel the activity onto the positive or the negative track. Even though the event hurt you or took something away from you, you are still in charge of channeling it onto a positive or a negative track. You determine its future outcome.Have you ever had anything happen to you that seemed really bad at the time but later turned out to be beneficial—experiences where days, weeks, or even years later, you said, “That was the best thing that could have happened to me!” Everyone I’ve ever posed that question to has been able to remember several events like that.It’s time to look at all events in the light of that information. Learn to see that perfect truth now, in every situation. Condition yourself to see it at the moment each event occurs, and happiness will become your constant companion. You will save countless hours, days, and weeks of useless lamenting over situations that will always turn out to be for your benefit.''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''Acting as though what happens to you is the best possible thing that can happen to you + the new results = happiness.

When you are convinced of the truth that everything that happens is the best thing that can happen, life begins to be much more fun. It is like opening a direct channel to happiness.Happiness is there, waiting for you. All you need to do is follow the formula that creates it. Unhappiness is also there, waiting for you. Your response determines which one you will experience.''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''Everything comes at the appointed time. It’s not necessary to have all the ingredients of a project in hand at the outset.They will come at the appointed time. It’s only important that you move forward with the project until that appointed time arrives. With the energy you create by moving forward as if you had the money to start, you actually put into motion a stream of events that lead to your success. Your actions create an ‘energy vortex’ that draws in the necessary ingredients for your venture.''
 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''The most difficult part in creating new results in our life is maintaining our awareness that whatever happens to us is for our greatest benefit. We tend to get caught up in whatever is going on and forget that we’re supposed to be responding as though whatever is happening is the best possible thing that can happen to us. It takes work to remember, but it is the most rewarding work possible. One of the best ways to remember is to write on many pieces of paper that magical sentence:Everything that happens to me is the best possible thing that can happen to me.''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''The Universe doesn’t make mistakes.Everything is happening just as it should. It’s only our perception of difficulties that causes us the distress and the difficulty we experience. Not only that, but when we label events as ' bad,' we fail to perceive the benefit that is waiting for us.''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''If you and I were living in a Universe that was not alive, conscious, and fully aware of us, it might be the case that “things just happen.” However, we are an integral part of a Universe that is fully alive, fully conscious, and totally aware of us—a Universe that provides exactly what we need to achieve our full potential.You are the Universe…a part of it.''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''The objects or circumstances themselves are not the cause of our happiness. The way we feel about those objects or circumstances—what our minds think about them—is the cause of our happiness.''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''Neither happiness nor unhappiness is contained in the event itself.''
 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

 “Not the wind, not the flag; mind is moving.”

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''Every action produces a reaction, and that reaction is in exact accord with the action.The metaphysical law of cause and effect applies to your beliefs in the following way. Every belief that you hold manifests itself in some manner by either causing you to take some form of action or by preventing you from taking action. If you don’t believe something is possible, you won’t even attempt it. ''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''Negative emotions cause disease and that positive emotions are a crucial factor in recovery.''
 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''The more you engage in any type of emotion or behavior, the greater your desire for it will become.That is true for anything, from depression and addictions of all kinds to emotions like anger or happiness. We become addicted to anger, for instance, because of the psychological and physiological effect it has upon us. It produces adrenaline, a powerful stimulant. We actually become dependent on the emotion of anger for the stimulation it gives us, so we fight with our spouses, our friends,our fellow workers, and anyone else we can engage in a conflict.It doesn’t matter whether your craving is for emotions like excitement, anger,depression, or joy, or whether it is for the feelings you get from using addictive drugs or alcohol; the bottom line is that whatever you crave is a result of your bodybrain wanting and demanding it.''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''The way to create a body that’s more susceptible to happiness and less susceptible to sadness is to be happy.''
 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''If you believe that a goal is possible, you will set out to accomplish it. If you believe that a goal is impossible, you will fail even to begin. In this state of mind, even if help is offered, you’ll usually reject it because you still believe that the goal is unattainable.''
 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''Whatever you are trying to achieve in life, it is essential that you surround yourself with people who believe that what you seek and what you believe in are not only possible but also very probable. ''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''If you are surrounded by people who not only don’t believe in your goals and your positive outlook on life but who also continually try to tear you down, it will be extremely challenging for you to hold firmly in mind that you will succeed and that you can be happy.''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''Just as our hands are part of us, we are part of the Universe—and just as we are aware of a touch on our hands, the Universe is aware of everything we experience, because we are part of it.Everything is created from the same pool of energy, and except for the difference in the way everything appears, it is actually the same. You could compare it to water that is frozen into billions of different shapes; while the shapes appear to be different, they are all made from water.Separation is an illusion.''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''Universal laws, unlike man-made laws, cannot be broken. That’s fortunate for us because we can rely upon them and not be disappointed. One of these laws, as discussed earlier, is the law of cause and effect: “Every action produces a reaction, and the reaction is always in exact accord with the action.” Throw a rock into a pond and it makes ripples—every time. The bigger the rock, the bigger the ripples. If you plant an acorn, you’ll get an oak tree, not a willow. If you overeat, you’ll get fat. If you’re a mean person, you’ll lack friends. If you fail to nourish yourself, you’ll become ill. Ultimately, by the consequences you experience, the truth will make itself known to you.''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''If you’re not now happy most of the time, it’s because you are relying on something that you learned should make you happy but isn’t, or there is a condition in your life that is causing you to feel unhappy. That condition could simply be the habit of being unhappy. It’s true. Some of us have been unhappy for so long, with only rare moments of happiness, that unhappiness has become a habit, a natural condition.''
 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''If you can discover the cause of your unhappiness, you can learn ways to avoid bringing about that condition.''
 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''Just as you will fail to achieve a goal if you set out to accomplish it in the wrong way,so you will fail to achieve happiness if you go about it in the wrong way.A personal philosophy that’s based on what’s true in the Universe will sustain you through every occurrence that life brings to you.''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''Each incident in life, even a painful experience, basically provides you with only two choices: you can either curse it and call it an “accident” or you can call it 'good fortune.' I’ve learned that there’s only one of those two choices that can bring us happiness—and help us bring happiness to others. I’ve learned that bad events simply do not happen. ''
 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''My first resolve was that I would always speak the truth. My second resolve was that I would never again take advantage of anyone. This wasn’t easy for me in the beginning since I had lived my whole life up to that point lying and without a moral code, and I had to make one up as I went along.As the years passed, I made some progress. If I lied to someone, I would force myself to go to that person and tell him or her the truth. I made a trip back to New Jersey to make whatever amends I could to the people I had wronged and cheated. That part was very difficult, but I forced myself to carry on until I had seen everyone I could remember having hurt in some way.''
 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''For the Universe to continue to exist, it can only permit the best possible events, perfect events, to occur at any moment in time. If it were otherwise, the Universe would be in danger of its own destruction because one imperfect event could lead to two imperfect events, to three, and so on unto destruction.Imperfect events are not tolerated, not even once. ''
 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''Everything that happens to us is for our complete benefit.Even if an incident hurt us or took something from us, that event will always work to our benefit since the Universe will not let anything bad happen to itself,and we are part of 'itself.' ''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''Life presents us with two basic ways to treat events. We can either label them 'good for us' or 'bad for us.' The event is only an event. It’s how we treat the event that determines what it becomes in our lives. The event doesn’t make that determination—we do.''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''Unfulfilled desires—such as unrequited love, not being able to take a vacation, not having a good car, not having other  possessions we desire, not having enough money to pay bills, not being able to do the things we want, or not having the time to do them—are major causes of unhappiness.Having those desired things may make you happy, but there is no certainty that they will. Many people who have those things are quite unhappy. If you think of people you have known, you are likely to recall some who got the very things they wanted but found no lasting happiness as a result. So where is the true source of happiness? The answer is probably clear by now:The true source of happiness is within each of us.Happiness comes from our response to the conditions of our lives.''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''How you conduct yourself along the path that is your life determines how your life unfolds.... You, and you alone, determine what your world is like. You are the doorway through which your life unfolds.Imagine if you were angry most of the time. Your anger would affect everything and everyone around you. People wouldn’t want to be near you. The anger would also produce an acid reaction in your body that would slowly destroy you. It would influence your thinking so that you wouldn’t have the state of calmness necessary to produce clear, rational thinking. You would have few friends, if any. You wouldn’t enjoy eating or recreational activities. Harmony would be absent from your life. You wouldn’t be able to feel happy, and it would probably be difficult to get a good night’s sleep. In business, success would be hard to come by or it might not come at all. If you worked for others, it would be hard to keep a job. As the Samurai maxim goes, 'The angry man will defeat himself in battle as well as in life.' ''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''Each of us has suffered in our lifetime. We’ve been lied to, we’ve been betrayed and cheated, and we’ve been taken advantage of. Many of us, perhaps you, have been beaten, raped, mistreated, forced to do things against our will, or sexually molested by  parents, siblings, or strangers. We’ve had our hearts broken and we’ve suffered great financial, spiritual, and physical losses. We’ve grieved over the loss of loved ones and we’ve been born with physical or mental deformities.How we deal with those traumas and conditions and others like them will determine our state of happiness today or, for that matter, any day.''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''A strong philosophy based on what’s true in the Universe will save you from playing the role of the victim—a person who’s been ill-used, a person who’s suffered bad luck, or a person whose life is one of despondency and unhappiness. A strong philosophy will sustain you through adversity because you know that the mystery will unravel itself and reveal a happy and perfect ending.''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

 ''It was the worst of times; it led to the best of times.''

― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''ONE OF THE GREATEST OBSTACLES BETWEEN YOU and happiness is  stress. By stress I mean a feeling in your mind of fear, anxiety, distress, worry, unease, or foreboding caused by using your mind to imagine a bad outcome to a past,present, or future event or situation. Nothing else causes stress. The events or the situations do not contain stress, although they seem to.Stress comes from the way you relate to events or situations.Sound familiar? It should, because it’s the same formula as the one for happiness. Neither stress nor happiness is contained in things, events, or situations. Things are just things, events are merely events, situations are only situations. It’s up to you to supply your reaction to them. You get to choose.''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''How do you come to believe that the stressful situation will ultimately turn out to be to your advantage? The short answer,...is that because we are the Universe, a part of it, and because the Universe wants to benefit itself to the maximum amount possible at all times,the positive outcome is the only outcome it will permit.I realize that may still be a big leap for you to take, especially considering what’s gone before in your life, but that’s the leap you need to take if you are to be stress-free and happy most of the time. Only when you put that belief into practice are you able to perceive it as reality. ''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''Another part of a strong and healthy philosophy that allows us to create happiness in our lives has to do with how we look at obstacles. One of the reasons any obstacle is in your life is so that you can grow from it and become strong. You know the old saying that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.Well, you’re only as strong as your area of greatest weakness.You can see those principles at work in nature all the time.You can see those principles at work in nature all the time. A mother bird pushes her young out of the nest so that they will learn to fly. She stops feeding them so that they will have to venture forth.''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''Life in the animal kingdom is hard, and that’s what makes animals so strong and so capable. In fact, everyone and everything that is alive today is only alive because its ancestors were survivors. Thus, one of the reasons that the circumstances of your life are sometimes so painful, so devastating, and so difficult is this:The Universe always strikes at your weakest point because that’s what most needs strengthening.Your challenges are, in effect, hand delivered by a loving Universe to make you stronger. In order to get the benefit from the obstacles, face and overcome them rather than turning away from them and giving up.''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''Here’s an example. One of the most common causes of anxiety is speaking in front of groups of people or meeting other people we don’t know....some people, including actors, become addicted to tranquilizers, which they say they need in order to perform, speak in front of groups, or even attend big meetings.They do not need a tranquilizer, even if that’s what a doctor told them. What they need is to work on strengthening the inner weakness that is causing them to imagine a bad outcome. Perhaps they simply need to overcome their fear by practicing public speaking in order to become better at it and more confident. Yet instead of dealing with the real reasons for the anxiety, they are turning to a drug to take the anxiety away. By using drugs, they are depriving themselves of the opportunity to grow into strong public speakers.''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''How should you deal with the challenges in your life? First, recognize that the situation or event has a purpose and that it is meant to benefit you. The circumstances may look like problems, feel like problems, and seem to be problems, but that’s just one possible point of view. Once you learn to look at your problems as 'workout situations,' they take on a whole new aspect. I call them 'workout situations' because they are just that: situations you can 'work out' with so that you can gain strength and understanding. After you have done that, the circumstance is of no further use to you and it passes out of your life.Of course, the relief and the answers won’t be handed to you without efforton your part since it is by working your way through the problems that you will gain strength, wisdom, and knowledge.''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''Realize...that the goals you seek aren’t the be-all and end-all of life, even though you may think they are.It’s the path itself that’s the be-all and end-all. Reaching for your goals and searching for answers is what is leading you along the path you’ve chosen for this lifetime. The path itself is where the truth is to be found, where your destiny manifests itself, and where your happiness lies.''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''Enlightenment is like an ocean, and our paths to enlightenment are like rivers.Each river is different, but they all eventually lead to the ocean. No matter what we’re doing or when, or whether it brings us happiness or remorse, gain or loss, we’re all on our individual paths to enlightenment. Even when we’ve done something we consider wrong, we’re still on our path to enlightenment.The progress you make on your path will either be quick or slow, according to your awareness. If you’re lying drunk in the gutter, chances are that your progress will be slow. If you’re intentionally seeking enlightenment, which manifests as a desire to discover your relationship with the Universe, you’ll use your so-called problems as opportunities to learn and you’ll progress quickly. As a result, you’ll enjoy the rewards of peace, success, abundance, great good fortune, and well-being.''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''It is essential for your abundant happiness that you use your memory to go back into your past to the time when you were a child. Then, slowly coming forward, remember all those key experiences and relive them—except that at the conclusion of each event, you must make it right in your heart and mind.That means you forgive yourself for the things you regret having done to others, you forgive others for the things they did to you, you acknowledge the rightness of the events that you thought did not benefit you, and, more than that,you acknowledge that each event was for your benefit or will turn out to be for your benefit—even if it was to strengthen a weakness or teach you a needed lesson, one that you can now share with those who are hopeless and hurting.Shining the light of your new understanding on those events is the magic wand that can change the hurt or regret you feel into feelings of acceptance, peace, and happiness.''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''You can be happy if you are willing to let go of your past and leave yourself unencumbered so you can fly freely. It is so good to leave all that 'stuff' behind.It’s like walking away from a mountain of problems that will never again bother you. Can you see yourself doing that? Walking away from a mountain of problems that will never again bother you? When the weight of all that excess baggage has been thrown overboard, you can soar, light as a feather in a soft breeze, happy in your eternal now.''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''Once the Universe becomes aware that you are aware of it and of its language (events), the communications increase,both in quality and quantity. You receive enormous help and input, and even the smallest bit of assistance from the Universe is of great significance in your life.''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

 ''whatever happens to you will benefit you—and benefit you greatly.Most of the time, we respond to life without taking a moment to choose the way we want to think and feel about a particular event or situation.''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness 

''Of course, you are here to learn. Of course, there are lessons. Of course,there are hurts and heartaches. Of course, the inevitable mishaps will occur. But you will see them with new eyes. That stubbed toe or lost wallet or lost job will no longer be a case for anger or pain because you know that you are being attended to by a benevolent and caring Universe. You will see through the disguise of misfortune to the heart of the truth, which is that these events have occurred only so you could be benefited—and benefited greatly. That is when the real happiness comes, the kick-up-your-heels, laughing, joyful kind of happiness that does not dissipate with time but grows ever more satisfying.That’s the way it is once you have come to realize the great Universal truth:everything that happens to me only happens so that I can be benefited to the maximum amount possible.''

 ― Chris Prentiss, Zen And the Art of Happiness