The Art of Serenity: The Path to a Joyful Life in the Best and Worst of Times - Hardcover

Paul LeClerc, Ph.D., president, The New York Public Library An eloquent, learned, and wise argument for approaching the complexity of life in a new way. Many readers will find solace and hope in the guidance [Dr. Karasu] offers in these beautifully written pages. Howard C. Cutler, M.D., coauthor with His Holiness the Dalai Lama of The Art of Happiness How can we find a life of genuine happiness and fulfillment, a life of joyful serenity? How can we incorporate a spiritual dimension in our everyday lives? In this brilliantly written work, Dr. T. Byram Karasu addresses these questions, guiding us on a remarkable journey exploring the deepest yearnings of the human heart....The Art of Serenity is profound, absorbing, and insightful, written for those seeking a more soulful and spiritual existence. Larry King Dr. Byram Karasu's latest work is his best work yet. This is a wonderful primer toward the answers to many psychological, social, and spiritual needs and issues. Highly recommended for anyone interested in being better tomorrow than...today. Leon Botstein president, Bard College T. Byram Karasu brings an acute understanding of contemporary life in America and a rare sensitivity to the complex issues of theology to bear on the individual search for meaning and contentment. This book will edify, challenge, and perhaps infuriate its readers, precisely because it is a courageous foray into the central question that each of us faces. Deepak Chopra author of Grow Younger, Live Longer A bold and brilliant new book that seeks -- and finds! Dr. Karasu's illuminating journey begins in the search for the lost paradise we all yearn for. And he helps us to ultimately discover it in love and belief beyond ourselves. What a brave odyssey toward enlighten- ment -- a must for everyone who yearns for happiness! Thomas Moore author of Care of the Soul and Original Self A solid, insightful book that should help anyone who reads it sort through the ordinary trials of a life. But it is especially valuable for offering rich ideas, so often lacking, on the role of spirituality. I recommend this book for its clarity and good insights.

We all face adversity, both man-made and natural. How do we survive the loss of a loved one, a betrayal, illness, even impending death, and still find meaning in our lives? Even a "normal" life can seem empty, in spite of material possessions, success, power, and pleasure. In our search for fulfillment and meaning, we work through our past and present conflicts, cuddle our inner child, and redesign our outer adult. We attend workshops on life and secular spirituality and explore the comforts of traditional religion. We get married and divorced, experiment with drugs and alcohol, change jobs. And while our restlessness and unease may abate temporarily, the hollow feeling that there is something missing always returns. In his profound and accessible work, The Art of Serenity: The Path to a Joyful Life in the Best and Worst of Times, Dr. T. Byram Karasu offers us the key to an extraordinary state of mind -- authentic, soulful happiness -- in the face of everything our life has to offer and take away. The door to this state of mind is opened by a combination of soul and spirit. It involves the soul through the love of others, love of work, and the love of community. It involves the spirit through belief in the sacred and belief in transformation. It culminates in the love of and belief in God. Brilliantly synthesizing psychology and spirituality, Dr. Karasu will guide you to explore the deepest yearnings of your heart. There is no end to the journey to real happiness; there is no best place to start or best time to begin. So where and when to start? Start here, where you are, and start now.