Finding Dharma in Everyday Life

The How Life Works series of books had humble beginnings, sparked by a serendipitous conversation between two students at a Tibetan Buddhist center. At the time, Janet Kathleen Ettele and publisher John Cerullo discussed presenting Buddhist teachings in a format accessible and beneficial to non-Buddhists. Twenty-five years later, the fourth book in the series, How Joyous Effort Works: The Energy to Benefit Others, was released, featuring a foreword by the Dalai Lama. Like its predecessors, it has garnered praise from respected Buddhist and broader spiritual community figures.

The series aims to explore the six paramitas, or perfections, with each book focusing on a specific paramita. Every chapter opens with a passage from The Bodhisattva’s Path—a Mahayana Buddhist text written by the Indian monk Shantideva, circa 700 CE—while a fictional plot drives the narrative. In How Patience Works, the first of the series, we meet protagonist Troy, who follows Buddhist teachings at an especially low point in his life. As he embarks on the path, the author seamlessly weaves the perfections and key Buddhist concepts like the four noble truths and dependent arising into the story. While each book builds on the last, the plot is simple enough that each can be read as a stand-alone.

The fourth installment in this six-part series carries a particularly optimistic tone. Author Ettele chooses to translate the fourth paramita, virya, as “joyful effort,” a refreshing departure from the more common translations of “ethical discipline” or “diligent effort.” This choice underscores an important idea: While the bodhisattva path is undoubtedly a journey of effort, it is, at its heart, a joyful practice. Ettele excels at addressing real-life struggles with a lightness of touch—suffering serves as the protagonist’s teacher, with themes like addiction, divorce, and death offering rich soil for growth. Yet, despite these heavy topics, the Buddhist teachings consistently warm the reader’s heart.

How Joyous Effort Works: The Energy to Benefit Others
By Janet Kathleen Ettele
Karuna Publications, 2025, 240 pp., $16.00, hardcover

The book tackles essential questions that resonate deeply with most dharma practitioners: What makes a relationship meaningful? How do we find a teacher to guide us on our path? In what ways does dharma shape our work? Is monastic life necessary for a dharma-centered life? How do we balance study with practice? And, crucially, how do we navigate the judgments and challenges of those close to us as we seek answers to these questions? In exploring these dilemmas, the book invites readers to see that the path itself—full of uncertainty, struggle, and growth—is as much a teacher as any doctrine or teacher could be.

When she first embarked on this project, Ettele had no prior experience as an author. A pianist who studied composition at Berklee College of Music, she compares writing to music, aiming to evoke sensory experiences through her descriptive prose. Her vivid scenes in How Joyous Effort Works—like the sound of gravel under tires or the scent of antique wood—engage the reader’s senses. She also has a talent for breathing life into inanimate objects (stairs moan under footsteps) and arousing curiosity about animals’ inner lives (squirrels leap and chatter, pursuing something only they understand). These details create an atmosphere that enhances the narrative, drawing attention to the beauty and interconnectedness of all things.

In contrast to these detailed descriptions, the plot and character development can sometimes feel basic. Characters often seem overly self-aware, analyzing their needs and articulating them clearly, which may make sense for the protagonist, Troy, who is on a path of self-discovery. But for other characters, such as Troy’s mother or Uncle Jonathan, these moments of clear, almost textbook-like insight feel forced. This directness goes against the storytelling principle of “show, don’t tell,” and as a result, the characters come across as less fully realized. Additionally, the repeated focus on mundane details—such as asking if someone is hungry or giving instructions about where to place an object—initially struck me as repetitive and uninspiring.

That said, I was surprised to find myself lingering on these small details long after putting How Joyous Effort Works down, noticing how the Buddhist teachings had subtly woven their way into my daily life. I gradually realized that Ettele might have intentionally embedded these everyday moments into the narrative. By focusing on the mundane, she quietly invites readers to cultivate mindfulness in even the simplest experiences—turning a routine cup of coffee or an ordinary conversation into opportunities for awareness and meaning. While the story may lack dramatic plot twists or complex character arcs, its true strength lies in how it illuminates Buddhist teachings. As a practical guide, the book offers a powerful lesson: that the joy of applying dharma—with effort and intention—can transform both the significant and the seemingly trivial aspects of our lives. This is where Ettele’s work truly excels.

The book serves as a living example of how joyous effort can sustain and guide us on our spiritual path.

The central theme of the fourth book revolves around joyful effort and how adopting this mindset can sustain our practice, benefiting both ourselves and others. This is reflected in Troy’s journey, which coincides with a pivotal moment in his life: the end of his schooling and his growing contemplation about his future, particularly his career. Whereas his previous encounters with Buddhism were coincidental, he actively seeks a Buddhist teacher this time. As he ponders what path to pursue, he realizes that his practice will shape his chosen career.

Does this mean he must join a monastery or become a dharma teacher? Ettele is clear that it does not. Troy’s new teacher, Julian, points out that the Buddha often used parables to convey his teachings, and he follows suit. Sharing a love of music with Troy, Julian, a luthier—a craftsman who builds and repairs string instruments—uses his craft as a metaphor to demonstrate that dharma can be integrated into any endeavor. In one scene, Julian has Troy work on instruments, encouraging him to reflect on the concept of dependent arising and all the factors that contributed to the creation of the guitar in his hands. In doing so, he imparts a lesson he learned from his teacher: “Joyous effort is like the wind that pushes you toward your goal.”

Through Troy’s journey, we understand that what matters is not the profession we choose but how we incorporate the dharma into our lives. As Julian puts it, “The dharma comes to life little by little through study, reflection, and, most importantly, by putting what we learn into practice in our daily lives.” Thus, the book serves as a living example of how joyous effort can sustain and guide us on our spiritual path, infusing our actions with purpose and motivation.

As the series continues to evolve, How Joyous Effort Works demonstrates the enduring relevance of the six perfections and the transformative power of mindfulness in everyday life. Through Troy’s story, Ettele skillfully illustrates that the bodhisattva path is not one of grand gestures or dramatic changes but one of subtle, steady effort woven into the fabric of daily existence. By infusing ordinary moments with intention and awareness, the book encourages readers to see the potential for growth in the most mundane aspects of life. Ultimately, it reminds us that the path is not just about the destination but also about the joy and effort we bring to each step.