Wisdom Is Bliss - by Robert Thurman (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Now in paperback! A joyful, provocative guide to Buddhist wisdom that shows seekers and skeptics alike how understanding reality can lead to greater freedom and lasting happiness.

What if the path to lasting happiness begins not with escaping reality, but with seeing it more clearly?

In this joyful and provocative guide to Buddhist wisdom, renowned Tibetan Buddhist scholar Robert Thurman invites readers to discover the Buddha's teachings not as religious doctrine, but as a practical education in understanding ourselves, our minds, and the world around us.

At the heart of Wisdom Is Bliss are the Buddha's Four Noble Truths--which Thurman playfully reframes as 4 "friendly facts"--and the Noble Eightfold Path. Through his distinctive approach to "realistic" worldview, motivation, speech, action, livelihood, creative effort, mindfulness, and meditation, he shows how greater wisdom can help us meet suffering, loosen our habitual ways of thinking, deepen our compassion, and discover more freedom and joy in everyday life.

Scholarly yet exuberant, irreverent, and deeply encouraging, Wisdom Is Bliss brings ancient Tibetan Buddhist philosophy into conversation with modern life. Get ready to get real--and discover why wisdom and lasting happiness may be far more closely connected than you ever imagined.

About the Author

Robert A.F. Thurman, PhD, was one of the world's foremost scholars of Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and a pioneering voice for bringing Buddhist philosophy into everyday life. He was Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University and the co-founder and president of Tibet House US and its Menla Retreat & Spa, as well as a prolific translator and author of widely read books on Buddhism, philosophy, and the Dalai Lama. Named one of Time magazine's 25 most influential Americans and honored with India's Padma Shri award for his contribution to education and literature, Thurman was known for making complex ideas vivid and accessible, combining rigorous scholarship with humor, moral clarity, and a lifelong commitment to reason, peace, and compassion.