Opening remarks by Dr. G. A. Somaratne, Centre of Buddhist Studies at HKU

Everyone wants to be happy, yet even in prosperous countries, happiness proves elusive. In the United States, for example, the youth suicide rate is highest in the two most prosperous areas; worldwide, Paris and Stockholm head the list. Buddhism and Christianity have a similar understanding of happiness, one that differs remarkably from that found in a modern consumer/celebrity culture. Journalist Philip Yancey, who has authored some twenty-five books, will explore the nature of true happiness, drawing on what he has learned from visits to eighty countries. He will also reflect on the paradoxical description of happiness in the famous Beatitudes by Jesus.