The Laws of Happiness: Love, Wisdom, Self-Reflection and Progress is the eighth volume of Ryuho Okawa’s celebrated Laws Series, commencing with 1994’s The Laws of the Sun, and endeavors to answer the question, “What is true happiness?” This milestone text introduces four distinct principles, based on the “Laws of Mind” and sourced from Okawa’s real-world experience, to guide readers towards sustainable happiness. Okawa’s four “Principles of Happiness” present an easy, yet profound framework to ground this rapidly advanced and highly competitive society. In practice, Okawa outlines pragmatic steps to revitalize our ambition to lead a happier and meaningful life.
In Chapter One, to counter states of unhappiness, Okawa reveals the two important purposes of life and encourages readers to nurture a mindset that pledges to turn weakness (negative tendencies) into strength (positive tendencies). Once we accept life’s two purposes, we can change the course of life and overcome bouts of unfavorable destiny through our own diligent effort, regardless of circumstance.
Chapter Two elucidates the importance of nurturing happiness in the workplace, while kindling professional aspirations. Okawa introduces practical steps to improve work- life balance and navigate stressful activity without sacrificing peace of mind. Okawa underscores the importance of finding a mission at work, and outlines steps to improve our skills, with tips to boost self-planning and time management efficacy.
Chapters Three and Four offer an in-depth exploration of Okawa’s Principles of Happiness - Love, Wisdom, Self-Reflection, and Progress, with recommendations on how to apply them in daily personal relations.
Chapter Five introduces the ideal world that Okawa aspires to create, based on concepts introduced in his landmark text, The Laws of the Sun. According to Okawa, through individual effort to progress in concert with the “Four Principles of Happiness” introduced in this text, we can collectively harmonize to bring forth a new age – coined by Okawa as The Age of the Sun – where humanity thrives in peace and prosperity.
