Customer Reviews

Genuine Happiness: Meditation as the Path to Fulfillment

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This is one of the most concise books I've ever read on meditation and Buddhism's method for leading a virtuous and happy life. This is the one book that brought together everything that I had previously read in other books on Buddhism and meditation. With so many approaches to meditation, it's a relief to find an experienced practitioner who eloquently maps out the elements of Buddhist meditation in relationship to the balanced development of both wisdom and compassion. In particular, I found it very helpful the way the author divides the practice of 'samatha' or tranquility meditation and 'vipassana' techniques or insight meditation. The explanation of the Four Immeasurables (kindness, compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity) and how they balance our practice that's useful to others as well as ourselves was also invaluable. The writing is condensed and to the point with many jewels of wisdom. I found myself underlining almost every other sentence. If you're looking for a clear outline for meditation practice and how to apply it to your daily practice on an off the meditation cushion, this is a great book to read, study, and put into practice.

I own several of Alan Wallace's books. I like them all. He presents information from a Western perspective, which I find easier to understand. Here there are specific meditation techniques presented in detail. You are encouraged to practice for a while at each stage using the suggested exercises before continuing on in the book. This book serves as a nice checklist for a complete Buddhist meditation practice, including meditative quiescence (Shamatha), (Buddhist) wisdom meditation, dream yoga and more.
Alan Wallace's other book, "The Attention Revolution: Unlocking the Power of the Focused Mind" would be more appropriate if your interest is specifically in meditative quiescence (mind training).

I read the first three chapters of "Genuine Happiness" as the textbook for a class in Tibetan meditation at a Buddhist monastery in Atlanta: a valuable supplement to techniques to quiet the `monkey mind' of frenzied western consumers.

But the book, like Tibetan Buddhist meditation itself, is not about a technique for relaxation, nor merely an escape from frantic behavior. It is a path to an awareness of the necessity for ethical behavior: a prerequisite for true happiness. And, ethical conduct is based not only on clarity of thought but also an awareness of what service to other sentient beings entails.

As an entry to guided mediation, the book is helpful. (Although, mastering new concepts without the aid of an experienced teacher is worse than learning new software without at least a User's Guide.) Life is rarely "intuitive"... No meditation book can function as a self-contained manual.

The profound value of this book is its gentle synthesis of the rational views of western science with eastern visions of esoteric reality that surpass a biological understanding of consciousness. The last few chapters define levels of enlightenment that exceed what most of us can attain - levels of mastery that transcend western explanations of conscious control of our physical reality. These forms of enlightenment redefine the "Happiness" of the book's title.

If you are interested in a genuine path to happiness through service to others (with more self-awareness than one gets from the Boy Scout's oath), this book will be a wonderful companion for your journey.

I'm a Christian who is new to studying Buddhism. I find that the teachings and meditations enhance
my religion, as well as my life. I have to admit that this book was on my shelf for a while before
I began reading it. I was a bit scared that it might be too difficult to follow for a beginner.
Once I picked it up, I could not put it down. I'm a mother of a toddler and I only have 2 hours a day free to do what I want, and I chose to use up all my free time to read this book. It was really easy to read but not at all dumbed down. The meditations were also very clear and easy to follow. After reading this book I truly believe that loving everyone even your enemies is attainable in this life time. For a book to give me such inspiration and hope is absolutely amazing. This book is excellent not just for enhancing my life but for really wanting to strive for enlightenment and perfection. It's only been a week since I've read this book and just the teachings alone have already improved my life, and have caused a shift in my perspective. I think this book would be excellent for anyone in any walk of life, and any level of Buddhist knowledge. I can't believe I had a gold mine sitting in my book shelf this whole time waiting to be read. This is one of those books that you will want to share with everyone after reading it. I am in no way interested in new age books, and this does not even come close. This is the real thing, completely authentic. Alan has so much knowledge and experience on this subject, and the fact that he's a Westerner gives him an even better perspective on how to relay all his information to the modern society.

There are books that you read, you enjoy, & you gradually forget; there are books that you read, you think, & you apply the underlying wisdom to your life. Allan Wallace's 'Genuine Happiness' is certainly the second type; it's actually one of the rare & precious books that I would treasure for the rest of my life.
Wallace's writing is highly concise; he presents the wisdom of Buddhist meditation practice in a coherent, humane & pragmatic manner that anyone with any cultural or spirtual background can appreciate, value & apply.

One of my meditation leaders recommends this book and uses similar meditations in small groups. The book goes into more detail than the small group has time to do. But, I found the meditations easy to read and comprehend. This book has extended my meditation practice with both breadth and depth.

I found this book extremely useful. I had been meditating already but needed more understanding and more direction regarding meditation. I read all the way through, doing the meditations described, and then re-read most of it and re-did the meditations. This book explains things in a way that a Westerner can understand and yet it's genuine in helping one to attain various meditative states. I read through or skimmed through a number of other books on meditation. This is the one that I could sink my teeth into and really use.

I have gone for 2 Vipassana Meditation retreats. While I have learnt a lot about the practice, I always felt a lacking in the theoretical background. This book gives clear instructions on the practice as well as teaching on the Dharma. From Shamada to Vipassana then to the four immeasurables, and from ethical discipline to quiescence and then to insight, Dr. Wallace's approach will be very useful to practitioners of all levels. I have picked up mind-mapping so that I can map his teachings and won't forget them. I still have 3 chapters to read and the last 2 are on Dream Yoga, I can't wait!