The Meaning of Happiness

The Meaning of Happiness: The Quest for Freedom of the Spirit in Modern Psychology and the Wisdom of the East by Alan Watts:

Genuinely Mind-Blowing & Enlightening!

As you may know, Alan Watts is one of my greatest muses and heroes of all time.

I believe his work is absolutely pertinent to today's society; with wit, charm, humor, common/profound sense, and one of the most brilliant minds I know of, I simply cannot recommend reading his work enough.

(Here are tons of his lectures and speeches to check out when you get the chance.)

His books and talks have been so consistently motivational to me for many years.

I find him to be incredibly wise, playful, and truly monumental as a teacher.

This book in particular jolted me to the immediacy of the present moment—a great place to begin on the quest for happiness.

Anyone remotely interested in meditation, nonduality, or iRest Yoga Nidra® in particular would likely get giddy for this book—delving into Jungian psychology, consciousness, and holding space for opposites, the concepts addressed in this volume of his work are nothing short of amazing.

As a yoga and meditation teacher trained philosophically via institutions rooted in practices of nonduality, I was thrilled to discover this book offers many straightforward analogies to explore the heart of these teachings and also those of the Vedas, the Upanishads, and Taoist perspectives blended with the work of Carl Jung and modern Western psychology too.

Somehow Watts persistently manages to approach the deepest and most serious subject matter in the most lighthearted and joyous of ways.

His use of juxtaposition—of investigating the commonalities between a wide slew of Western religions, Eastern religions, worldwide philosophies, modern scientific and psychological ideologies... I know of no one offering greater or broader perspectives encouraging peace, understanding, and unity on a more macroscopic scale.

As a huge Alan Watts fan, what I found the most fascinating about this genuinely amazing book is that it was first published in 1940—when he was just twenty-four years old!

Having read and loved so much of his work, I adored being blown away by this book again and again, baffled by how he had such rich wisdom at such a young age.

I highly recommend checking out The Meaning of Happiness: The Quest for Freedom of the Spirit in Modern Psychology and the Wisdom of the East!