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Zen and the Art of Happiness Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Chris Prentiss (Author, Narrator), ABP Publishing (Publisher)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,836 ratings
See all formats and editions

Zen and the Art of Happiness is a popular book by Chris Prentiss that has been translated and published in more than 20 countries around the world. According to Chris Prentiss, by training oneself to think and feel in a certain manner, changes can happen in the body, which can go a long way in improving the overall well-being of the person. In this audiobook, he gives valuable insights on how to create a vibrant life for oneself. You will learn:

  • How to control the way you think, act, and feel;
  • How to adapt to life's inevitable changes;
  • How to deal with stress in a healthy way;
  • How to nurture a mindful happiness in your daily life.

What is happiness? This question can be answered in different ways. Zen and the Art of Happiness will show you how to think and feel so that what you think and feel creates happiness and vibrancy in your life. Enjoy listening to this audiobook and create a personal philosophy that will sustain you through anything!

Chris Prentiss is the cofounder and codirector of the world-renowned Passages Addiction Cure Centers and the author of several works on personal growth and Chinese philosophy, including The Alcoholism and Addiction Cure, Be Who You Want, Have What You Want, The I Ching: The Book of Answers, and others.

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  1. Listening Length
    2 hours and 17 minutes
  2. Author
    Chris Prentiss
  3. Narrator
    Chris Prentiss
  4. Audible release date
    July 23, 2020
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    ABP Publishing
  7. ASIN
    B08DG7VKN1
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 2 hours and 17 minutes
Author Chris Prentiss
Narrator Chris Prentiss
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date July 23, 2020
Publisher ABP Publishing
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B08DG7VKN1
Best Sellers Rank #43,999 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#551 in Mental Health (Audible Books & Originals)
#971 in Spirituality (Audible Books & Originals)
#2,010 in Happiness Self-Help

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
1,836 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book's message inspiring and encouraging a positive outlook. They describe the prose as clear, straightforward, and simple. The chapters are broken down into short, relatable sections that make it easy to read and digest. Many customers consider it a worthwhile purchase and a good gift. However, opinions differ on the pacing - some find it clear and simple, while others consider it too cliched or insane.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
Uplifting messageEase of readReadabilityValue for moneyGift valuePacing
193 customers mention "Uplifting message"179 positive14 negative

Customers appreciate the book's uplifting message. They find it inspiring and encouraging, helping them to achieve overall happiness. The book helps them put things in perspective and provides valuable lessons. Readers describe it as a powerful book that can change their lives.

"...in this specific genre I like to define as: a short read, very valuable lessons, and most importantly, awe inspiring to live a better life by not..." Read more

"Down to earth teaching on practical, lasting happiness from the lens of healing addictions." Read more

"...Very uplifting and thought engaging." Read more

"...book is that the author references numerous ancient and contemporary thinkers and scientists and their works - from Dogen to a fascinating research..." Read more

82 customers mention "Ease of read"79 positive3 negative

Customers find the book easy to understand and digest. They appreciate its straightforward message and simple, well-written style. The book is a must-read for anyone looking to learn about positive thinking and contentment.

"...It is such a good, easy read for someone who hasn’t gotten on that bicycle in quite some time. I love it and recommend it to everyone going forward." Read more

"...However, the book proved to be well written and valuable...." Read more

"...At only 142 pages, it can easily be read over a long weekend and the only reason you'll stop reading is when you stop and reflect on what's inside...." Read more

"...here that I somewhat agree with, namely that positive thinking, simplicity and contentment with what we have generally make us "happier," I couldn't..." Read more

44 customers mention "Readability"41 positive3 negative

Customers appreciate the book's readability. They find it a quick, easy read with short chapters that are relatable to everyone.

"...look for more books in this specific genre I like to define as: a short read, very valuable lessons, and most importantly, awe inspiring to live a..." Read more

"...care for this book much overall, although the good news is that it is very short so it wasn't a big time investment, and there were a few ideas I..." Read more

"Since finishing this book, I have recommended it many times. It is a fast read, and very profound...." Read more

"...It was a quick read with some very insightful lessons...." Read more

16 customers mention "Value for money"16 positive0 negative

Customers find the book a good value for money. They say it's well-written and valuable.

"...author found a nice balance of keeping the commercial, sales-generating nature of the book, on one hand, and enduing it with some practically and..." Read more

"...although the good news is that it is very short so it wasn't a big time investment, and there were a few ideas I liked...." Read more

"...And for the price it was WELL worth it to me." Read more

"This is a very short read and well worth it. I have literally read this book 4-5 times, have lent it to family and friends...." Read more

8 customers mention "Gift value"8 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's gift value. They find it a nice package with good font, marketing, and packaging.

"Not a great book. Very nice little package, font, marketing, etc. But I've read lots of different books on zen and buddhism...." Read more

"...Would recommend it to friends, good Christmas present or birthday present / gift." Read more

"Hard back and small. Nice gift." Read more

"Great book to give as a gift, too. A local judge was recommending this book to those who appeared before her (saw it on t.v.)...." Read more

23 customers mention "Pacing"12 positive11 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's pacing. Some find it straightforward and true, saying there are no mistakes from the Universe and that every moment is perfect. Others feel the book contains too many cliches and boring renditions of things they've already read. Overall, opinions vary on whether the book is engaging or poorly written.

"...This is based on a sub-premise that the universe is perfect, and watching out for you, and will never allow anything that is not in your best..." Read more

"...* He speaks very literally and in absolutes. Every event benefits us. Some events seem to not have any benefit...." Read more

"...The author justifies this by saying how every moment in the Universe is perfect, and he believes this because if there were even one imperfect moment..." Read more

"...My main gripe is how much this sounded like a bible study class instead of a supposed book that incorporates Zen into its teachings...." Read more

Loved this book!
5 out of 5 stars
Loved this book!
Despite some of the negative reviews I still ordered this book and gave it a shot. I truly feel like this booked helped me stay calm and focus on patience and being content.Some of the reviews stated there were parts where he spoke about his business in HELPING people but I didn’t feel like anything was wrong with that. To me, If your heart is right and you truly want to help others, there’s nothing wrong with mentioning to help people in numerous ways by going to a healing program. What’s wrong with that? And other books he referred to I am sure I will enjoy reading like I did this one.Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but respectfully I am going to disagree with some of the negative reviews below.This book had some great stories and references that have changed me since reading. I definitely recommend checking this book out if you are searching for some inner peace and change :)
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Jim Martin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Z-E-N: Maybe there is still hope for us all ...
    Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    Hats off to the author! It's so wonderful to discover that there are still people in the world who have a positive outlook on life and a friendly heart towards others. Where can you start with this book? For such a small volume, there are so many valuable lessons entailed. NOTE: Many of the principles listed here are common sense; however we as human beings choose not to listen. What a refreshing take on life itself and how we are supposed to behave.

    This is a precious read, and it has stimulated me to look for more books in this specific genre I like to define as: a short read, very valuable lessons, and most importantly, awe inspiring to live a better life by not only helping ourselves, but to be compassionate and thoughtful to others as well. Bravo...

    As I normally do, I will list a few highlights:

    Everything that happens to you is the best thing that can occur. Sometimes a bad event can turn out to be the best thing that ever happened. Furthermore, there is no use lamenting over anything. If all things that transpire are good in some way, then simply allow the good to flow from these particular events. If you change your thoughts, you can ultimately alter your outcome, because your attitude is of the utmost importance. Be sure not to surround yourself with people who can & will poison your mind.

    Everything comes at the appointed time. Events are simply events, nothing more. However your response to the situation will determine whether you will be happy or unhappy. In the end, we make the decision of how we will react to an individual event. This is what shapes our life... The Universe doesn't make mistakes, so appreciate all things.

    Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own thoughts, unguarded. But once mastered, none can help you as much. What you think, and how you feel will directly affect your body in some way, whether positive or negative. How you think and what you say to yourself and others are extremely vital, for this triggers your entire being to respond in that fashion. Be very careful...

    Unhappiness can become a habit as it does with most people whether they know it or not. Each incident in life offers only 2 choices: you can curse it, OR call it good fortune. Of those 2, only 1 will bring happiness. Easy enough?
    13 people found this helpful
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  • Bella
    5.0 out of 5 stars I enjoy this tiny book as often as I can
    Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Down to earth teaching on practical, lasting happiness from the lens of healing addictions.
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  • gol.dengoddess
    5.0 out of 5 stars Reinvigorating
    Reviewed in the United States on February 29, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I found this book through a recommendation from my favorite tattoo artist at a hard time in my life.
    It is such a good, easy read for someone who hasn’t gotten on that bicycle in quite some time. I love it and recommend it to everyone going forward.
    Helpful
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  • RO Carver
    5.0 out of 5 stars This book is definately a keeper
    Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I've returned to this book more than once since I bought it years ago. Very uplifting and thought engaging.
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  • Elena Fomina
    4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book, a Few Arguable Points
    Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2010
    Verified Purchase
    Upon the appearance of this book in my mailbox and my opening the package, I almost regretted purchasing it: the book was very small, the font was large and "non serious book"-like, and generally it looked like one of those cheap newsstand reads.

    However, the book proved to be well written and valuable. It is saturated with great ideas on how to handle one's life, and, most importantly, how to approach the challenges and all the misfortunes of various degrees of importance that inevitably pepper the life of every person. The main idea of the book, derived by the author from various sources of Chinese and Buddhist philosophy and his own life experience, is that there is no such thing as misfortune, that everything that happens to us actually happens to our outmost benefit, even if we don't see how that could be possible when we find ourselves in pain - whether it's moral/emotional or physical, or both. It sounds clichéd, but the way the author presents the idea and the contexts he employs to buttress it, it actually makes a lot of sense.

    Generally I felt that the author found a nice balance of keeping the commercial, sales-generating nature of the book, on one hand, and enduing it with some practically and philosophically valuable content, on the other. Another great aspect of the book is that the author references numerous ancient and contemporary thinkers and scientists and their works - from Dogen to a fascinating research of a 20th century scientist titled the Molecules of Emotion - something that can prove useful if a reader becomes interested in going further in the pursuit of the ideas presented or outlined by the author.

    I personally am not convinced that everything happens for the better as there are simply too many horrible things that happen in the world at any second. While giving several examples of how the most "seemingly" utterly unfortunate occurrences actually benefited those who had suffered them (such as the author's head injury, which resulted in subsequent revelation-like understanding of the secrets of I Ching). The author, however, blissfully chooses to ignore such occurrences as natural disasters, wars, diseases, murders, etc.; he completely forsakes making an attempt to explain how any of them could be beneficial. He only "gets to them" toward the very end of the book, brushing upon them extremely briefly, more out of the sense of obligation and not wanting to be accused of selective approach to choosing his examples. I feel that there are way too many things that are simply too disturbing and unjust for us to even get the nerve to label them as "beneficial". If only in a cosmic scheme of things, but one would have to be really detached and "philosophical" about everything in this life to consider that scheme when observing an instance of an extreme human or natural injustice. Of course, the is an eternal question of if there is even such a thing as good or bad, and many philosophical schools refuse to label an event as good or bad outside of our perception of it, no matter how disturbing and unjust the event might be, maintaining the "cognitive" approach whose essense is that initially any event lacks any kind of connotation and characteristic (as good or bad), and that it's our perception that makes it such. If you think about this approach objectively and "philosophically", it makes perfect sense. To illustrate the idea, the author of the book being reviewed gives an example of a sports event: whichever team wins/loses makes their fans/"haters" very happy/very sad respectively, so it's not the event itself that is "happy" or "unhappy" in itself, but how a human mind perceives it. But really, how do you go about wars and diseases? It's probably comprehendible that even those events are neither good nor bad as they are, but who on earth would want to interpret them as lacking any type of characteristic if in our emotional/spiritual and physical perception they are pure evil and tragedy?
    However, it is a very good point that to a great extent, happiness, just like beauty, is "in the eye and the hands of the beholder" and it comes from within. This definition of happiness is the pillar around which many philosophical schools are built. Again and again I find this to be true. One can't depend his happiness largely upon the external, simply because most things external (wealth, fame, passions, etc.) are fickle in nature and are "subject to change" (often "without notice"); thus, if one has entrusted the external with their emotional consortium, he automatically becomes its dependant and subscribes to risking his happiness when the external changes. I do believe, however, that there is a great extent to which the external influences our happiness, and stating otherwise would border on demagoguery, devoid of any empirical and emotional content, and a lot of things (the well-being of those we love, for one) naturally are a part of our happiness; but the idea that we should have a good grip on our emotions and thoughts is invaluable. Our thoughts and emotions - our inner life - is the smallest kingdom, if set against the backdrop of the government, social groups, or any other molecule that involves the participation of the human element; yet nothing can empower a person as much and give a person as much freedom and balance as obtaining the dominion over this seemingly smallest of kingdoms. To a great extent, this is the summum bonum of human existence.

    Another fascinating thing about this book as well as other books on philosophy (such as the ones that deal with Stoic philosophy, for instance) is how the connection between philosophy and psychology becomes apparent. The author of the book, Chris Prentiss, sites the passage from The Dhammapada in the beginning of one of the chapters of the book, which (from what limited knowledge of the subject I possess) presents the essence of the commonly used in the field of psychology Cognitive Behavioral Therapy:

    Your worst enemy cannot harm you
    As much as your own thoughts, unguarded,
    But once mastered,
    No one can help you as much.

    This book is a great read. A lot of the ideas laid out in it make perfect sense. However, as the author points out, it's not enough to just read this book to actually benefit from it: one should make a conscious effort to actually employ the ideas in his life to see the benefits.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Devon Leeee
    5.0 out of 5 stars Second time buying
    Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    This book changed my life the first time I read it in 2018, and I bought a second copy this month. I’ve also gifted it to so many people. I can’t wait to read it again!
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Top reviews from other countries

  • karthik sagar
    5.0 out of 5 stars A gold for your mind
    Reviewed in India on May 28, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    It's an excellent book for your mind and heart .Just believe in the words and follow .full hearted applications can make a world of good .if you have a dent in your past this book can set you free
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  • Cheryl
    5.0 out of 5 stars Found
    Reviewed in Australia on June 8, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Always searching for a true and simple explanation. This book has it. I would like to give everyone in my life this amazing book to read. You cannot go wrong with this one.
    Report
  • Meghan
    5.0 out of 5 stars awesome book
    Reviewed in Canada on December 29, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    quick read and full of great info
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  • Julie
    5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful read.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 28, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I loved every chapter. Perfect read for anyone who has been through hard times and is on a new journey in life. Enlightenment and positive thinking have helped me so much and I am now a really happy person. Regret nothing that happens to you, it builds character and makes you stronger. It may seem like all is lost at the time but what happens to us in life is meant to happen. I went through a tough time 2 years ago, I don't get upset about it at all, I see now it was meant to happen and I saw those that hurt me for who they were. It led to me being the happy person I am today. It opened my eyes to the life I was living, and it was no good for me. This book talks about all of these things and it was a huge comfort to me.
    Report
  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful teachings on happiness
    Reviewed in India on May 23, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Excellent read with all the wonderful teachings of how to be happy through knowing the true essence of happiness.. amazing
    Report