--- description: How do we find joy in a world filled with suffering? That timeless question drives The Book of Joy title: The Secret to Joy, According to the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt478a4191d8119c61/6988a65e656a3f0cb9bcd201/book-of-joy.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Ideas](/section/ideas/) ## Ideas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Books](/tag/books/) ## Books Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The Secret to Joy, According to the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu  by [Kirsten Salyer](/author/kirsten-salyer/)  ## Kirsten Salyer Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 22, 2016 12:44 PM CUT  Spiritual leader Dalai Lama to blow out candles on his birthday cake as retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu looks on at the Tibetan Childrens Village School in Dharmsala, India, on April 23, 2015. Spiritual leader Dalai Lama to blow out candles on his birthday cake as retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu looks on at the Tibetan Childrens Village School in Dharmsala, India, on April 23, 2015.Hindustan Times via Getty Images  by [Kirsten Salyer](/author/kirsten-salyer/)  ## Kirsten Salyer Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 22, 2016 12:44 PM CUT How do we find joy in a world filled with suffering? That timeless question drives [_The Book of Joy_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0399185046/?tag=timecom-20 "undefined"), a weeklong conversation between the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu woven into a narrative by Douglas Abrams. As the two men reflect on their personal experiences, they impart advice for finding inner joy. The secret? Not thinking too much about yourself. Over the week in Dharamsala, India, they go deep on feelings and philosophy, to the point that Abrams suggests speeding things up. The Dalai Lama remarks that they have time aplenty, and the Archbishop jokes, “You must shorten your answers. I am brief.” Together, they celebrate the Lama’s 80th birthday at the Tibetan Children’s Village with cake and trick candles. And they outline eight pillars of joy, divided by And they outline eight pillars of joy, divided by mind (perspective, humility, humor, acceptance) and heart (forgiveness, gratitude, compassion, generosity). The question may be timeless, but their answer has urgent significance. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4504000/book-of-joy/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4504000/book-of-joy/"},"headline":"The Secret to Joy, According to the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu","datePublished":"2016-09-22T12:44:44.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T00:45:27.564Z","description":"Focus on others","url":"https://time.com/4504000/book-of-joy/","keywords":["Books"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt478a4191d8119c61/6988a65e656a3f0cb9bcd201/book-of-joy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Kirsten Salyer","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/kirsten-salyer/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt478a4191d8119c61/6988a65e656a3f0cb9bcd201/book-of-joy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Spiritual leader Dalai Lama to blow out candles on his birthday cake as retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu looks on at the Tibetan Childrens Village School in Dharmsala, India, on April 23, 2015.","caption":"Spiritual leader Dalai Lama to blow out candles on his birthday cake as retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu looks on at the Tibetan Childrens Village School in Dharmsala, India, on April 23, 2015.","creditText":"Hindustan Times via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/books/","name":"Books"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4504000/book-of-joy/","name":"The Secret to Joy, According to the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu"}}]}] ```