A Culture of Happiness

“I greatly admired and closely followed the initiatives developed by Tho Ha Vinh based on the teachings of mindfulness that we all learned from ‘Thay,’ Thich Nhat Hanh.… This book is a guide to practicing generosity in one’s thoughts, words, and deeds and to understanding that the happiness and suffering of others is closely linked to one’s own happiness and suffering. It is based on the conviction that transformation begins within each and every one, but must also contribute to creating a fairer society and a better world.“—Sister Chan Khong, cofounder of Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism and author of Learning True Love“No one could fail to recognize ‘the real Dr. Tho.’ Unique among happiness experts, he speaks from an incomparable wealth of experience. If you want to read just one book on the subject, this is it.”—Brother David Steindl-Rast, Benedictine monk and cofounder of “A close student of the great Zen Buddhist master Thich Nhat Hanh who brought mindfulness to the West, there cannot be a better person to explore mindfulness as a source of wellness and happiness than Tho Ha Vinh.… In accessible language, he shows how individuals and organizations can become mindful and thus obtain higher accomplishments not only for themselves and their organization, but also for humanity as a whole. This book will enable everyone to transform themselves for a saner and happier world.“—Saamdu Chetri, PhD, former executive director of the GNH Centre, Bhutan, and Head of Good Governance, PMO, Bhutan“This remarkable book unfolds Bhutan’s brave and powerful vision and explores what true and compassionate national and personal development could mean for our world today and in the future.… A powerful call to humankind to wake up to its full potential before it is too late and to commit to an ethos of cooperation and care. This book is a must-read at this moment in our history.”—Roshi Joan Halifax, author of Standing at the Edge: Finding Freedom Where Fear and Courage Meet“Nourishing and uplifting, Dr. Tho Ha Vinh’s personal stories and experiences illuminate the philosophy and framework of Gross National Happiness as a foundation for well being at all levels of society. Dr. Tho correlates inner transformation and small acts of kindness with pragmatic societal development. With this book, you are not only learning a framework of mindful governance, you are perhaps including yourself in a new level of reverence for humanity and all of life.”—Nipun Mehta, founder of ServiceSpace

Tho Ha Vinh, PhD, was born in 1951, the son of a Vietnamese father and a French mother. He was the program director of the Gross National Happiness Center (GNH) of the country of Bhutan from 2012 to 2018. Serving as the Head of Training, Learning, and Development at the International Committee of the Red Cross, he trained humanitarian professionals working in war zones and emergency response in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Palestine, and Darfur. He holds a PhD in psychology and education from Geneva University, Switzerland.

Thakur S. Powdyel served as Bhutan’s first democratically elected government’s Minister of Education from 2008 through 2013 and is the recipient of the Global Education Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education.

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