The Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu meet in Dharamsala, India. They are described as “mischievous spiritual brothers” (1) who have a strong bond despite having met only a few times. Abrams notes that this meeting is especially significant since, for both health and political reasons, it is likely to be their last.

During their time together, they discuss various aspects of joy, ultimately identifying eight pillars of joy, divided evenly between those of the mind and of the heart. These discussions aim to understand joy as a state independent of external circumstances. The Dalai Lama and the Archbishop, while agreeing on key principles, also present their unique perspectives on these topics.

The authors explain the book’s structure as analogous to that of “a three-layer birthday cake” (5), with one layer consisting of the Archbishop and the Dalai Lama’s teachings on joy, another of the latest science on joy, and a third of personal stories from the two leaders’ time together in Dharamsala. The book concludes with practices and traditions recommended by both leaders, intended to help individuals incorporate these teachings into their lives.