Many books have been published in recent years on happiness. Ezra Bayda, a remarkably down-to-earth Zen teacher, believes that the happiness "boom" has been largely a bust for readers. Why? Because it's precisely the pursuit of happiness that keeps us trapped in cycles of dissatisfaction and suffering.
In "Beyond Happiness," Bayda draws on Zen teachings to question our conventional notions about what happiness is and where we can find it. Most of us seek happiness in things that are external to us. We imagine that getting more money, a better relationship, or going on a nice vacation will finally make us happy. But Bayda shows us that the deepest and most lasting form of happiness does not rely on external circumstance at all. Bayda offers Zen insights and practices that point readers toward the true sources of lasting happiness: mindfulness, compassion, gratitude, and generosity.

Reviews

"Bayda writes with exceptional clarity and simplicity about the awakened life. His style is as plainspoken as Pema Chodron's."--"Publishers Weekly"
"With compassion and humor, Ezra Bayda has graced us with ways to accept what is and to reside in it fearlessly, giving us a roadmap to enduring happiness and equanimity."--David Richo, PhD, author of "The Five Things We Cannot Change"
"This book offers an extremely sane, practical, and grounded approach to the larger happiness that lies beyond conventional notions of happiness. Ezra Bayda details simple yet powerful methods both to work with mental and emotional obstacles and to cultivate well-being, and it's clear that his hard-won insights grow out of his own dedicated inquiry and practice. Highly recommended."--John Welwood, author of "Toward a Psychology of Awakening"
"Bayda's writing is straightforward and his wisdom hard-earned. When he tells us that he himself was 'born with a fairly low set point for happiness,