Are you truly happy?  Have you sought happiness in your career, relationships, material possessions or wealth only to realize that once attained happiness still eluded you?  Are you frustrated and unsure where to turn or where to go to find happiness?  If so, The Jewels of Happiness by Sri Chinmoy (Watkins Publishing 2010) is for you.

Sri Chinmoy gives the reader a map and a key to open the elusive treasure of happiness. This book cannot be read like others.  One must savor each word like a delicious fruit or candy letting it slowly melt in your mouth in order to get the full concentration.

It must be read carefully with reflection on each word, each concept, paragraph by paragraph.  Read at most one chapter a day and reflect on the words, meanings, messages and previously hidden clues to happiness provided.

Sri Chinmoy not only explains where and how to find happiness, but describes to the reader how it will feel and look like, so the reader will be sure that he or she is on the right path–the path to finding the infinite treasure.

Sri Chinmoy reveals the basic component of the treasure chest, which is happiness.  He names the “jewels” one will find in this treasure chest as follows: peace; love; joy; hope; wisdom; patience; enthusiasm; power; simplicity: sincerity; humility; gratitude; and self-transcendence.

However, it is not simply enough to know the jewels that comprise the treasure of happiness. To attain the treasure one must be able to identify the qualities of each jewel, collect them one by one, before the entire treasure of happiness can be attained.

Unlike others, this book takes time to assimilate and fully comprehend.  The words and messages seem simple, but ‘jewels’ can be overlooked upon the first reading, particularly if read too quickly or if one is distracted.

The journey, however, is worth the effort. Once the path is discovered, you can take it again and again– as the treasure box full of the sparkling ‘jewels’ become yours to keep forever.

by Michelangelo Croce