I’ve been reading a book “Yes to Life” by Viktor Frankl and would like to share some of his thoughts with you as they seem pertinent to Buddhist practice. Paragraphs below taken from the book are in quotation marks.

Viktor Frankl was Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry at the University of Vienna Medical School until his death in 1997. He is best known for his book “Man’s Search for Meaning” which became a worldwide best seller. Frankl wrote 38 other books, some translated into 50 languages.

Viktor Frankl was imprisoned for three years during the Second World War in Auschwitz, Dachau and other concentration camps. The book, “Yes to Life” is an amazing achievement as it is based on a series of lectures that Frankl delivered in 1946 just nine months after he was liberated from a labour camp where he had been on the brink of death.

In the Introduction by Daniel Goleman, he writes:

“Frankl’s main contribution to the world of psychotherapy was what he called ‘Logotherapy’ which treats psychological problems by helping people find meaning in their lives. Rather than just seeking happiness, Frankl proposed, we can seek a sense of purpose that life has to offer us.”

“Happiness in itself does not qualify as a purpose, pleasures do not give our life meaning. In contrast, Frankl points out that even the dark and joyless episodes of our lives can be times when we mature and find meaning.”

“If we can’t change our fate, at least we can accept it, adapt, and possibly undergo inner growth even in the midst of troubles.”

“In Frankl’s view, there are three main ways people find fulfillment of their life meaning:

First, there is action, such as creating a work, whether art or a labour of love – something that outlasts us and continues to have an impact.

Second, meaning can be found in appreciating nature, works of art, or simply loving people. The door to happiness always opens outward.

The third lies in how a person adapts and reacts to unavoidable limits on their life possibilities, such as facing their own death or enduring a dreadful fate like the concentration camps.

In short, our lives take on meaning through our actions, through loving, and through suffering.”

Also in the Introduction by Daniel Goleman, there is life advice given by the Dalai Lama on the occasion of his 80^th birthday:

“First, gain some internal control over your own mind and how you react to life’s difficulties. Then, adopt an ethic of compassion and altruism, the urge to help others. Finally, act on that outlook in whatever ways your life offers.”

Goleman goes on to state:

“Frankl’s intuitive sense of how purpose matters has been borne out by a large body of research. For instance, having a sense of purpose in life offers a buffer against poor health. People with a life purpose, data shows, tend to live longer. And researchers found that having a purpose numbers among the pillars of well-being.”

This reminds me of another book I have read, “Ikigai – the Japanese secret to a long and happy life”, based on extensive research and well referenced, which I shall also quote from. It includes the following quotation of Frankl’s answer to the question:

What is Logotherapy? Frankl replied:

“Well, in Logotherapy the patient sits up straight and has to listen to things that are, on occasion, hard to hear. In psychoanalysis, the patient lies down on a couch and tells you things that are, on occasion, hard to say.”

Frankl went on to explain that one of the first questions he would ask his patients was:

“ ‘Why do you not commit suicide?’ Usually, the patient found

good reasons not to, and was able to carry on.”

In the book Ikigai it poses the question: “What, then, does Logotherapy do?” And states: “The answer is pretty clear.”

“Logotherapy pushes patients to consciously discover their life’s purpose in order to confront their neurosis. Their quest to fulfill their destiny that motivates them to press forward, breaking the mental chains of the past and overcoming whatever obstacles they encounter along the way.”

Ikigai is a mysterious word that, in the book, is translated as “the happiness of always being busy” and is explained as being “like Logotherapy but it goes a step beyond”. My Japanese friends, however, say the meaning of ikigai is: “your reason to want to get up in the morning.” It also seems to be one factor contributing to the extraordinary longevity of the Japanese, especially on the island of Okinawa where there are 24.55 people over the age of 100 for every 100,000 inhabitants – far more than the global average of 7.91.

Finally, from the book Ikigai, I have selected the following quotation:

“If you want to stay busy even when there’s no need to work, there has to be an ikigai on your horizon, a purpose that guides you throughout your life and pushes you to make things of beauty and utility for the community and yourself.”

————————————————————————————-

Bibliography

Viktor E. Frankl, Yes to Life – in spite of everything, Penguin Random House, London, 2020, ISBN 9781846046360

Victor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning, Vintage Publishing, London, 2004, ISBN 9781844132393

Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles, Ikigai – The Japanese secret to a long and happy life, Hutchinson, London, 2017,

ISBN 9781786330895