We spend so much time in pursuit of happiness--trying to purchase it, experience it, meditate our way toward it--but happiness is elusive and doesn't last. According to the teachings of the Buddha, Cuong Lu writes, "Suffering is not a problem to be solved. It is a truth to be recognized." Happiness Is Overrated invites us to look deeply at the truths in our lives--not glossing over or denying our suffering--and to focus on the meaning and value already within us.

Each chapter of Happiness Is Overrated shares a lesson drawn from Buddhist psychology, accessible for all readers. Short practices at the end of each of the 30 short chapters help readers apply the teachings on their own.

Happiness Is Overrated helps us get in touch with our true selves and our true minds, through meditation and mindfulness practices that include paying attention to the breath, observing our minds, connecting with our hearts, practicing "interbeing" with others and the Earth, and more.

Happiness Is Overrated: Simple Lessons on Finding Meaning in Each Moment, Cuong Lu, Shambhala Publications, Paperback, 136 pages, $17.95

Cuong Lu is a Buddhist teacher ordained by Thich Nhat Hanh at Plum Village. He dedicated his life to service after witnessing a shooting while fleeing Vietnam in 1975. He served as a monk for sixteen years and now teaches in the Netherlands, where he lives with his wife and three children. A former prison chaplain, he is the author of The Buddha in Jail.