This is a simple guide from an actual Monk on how you can be happier in your life. Gelong tells us about meditation and mindfulness, and how these simple things can help us look not outward, but inward to find our happiness.

I've read a lot of self-help kinds of books and I usually have some great take-aways from each one. A Monk's Guide to Happiness is full of great take-aways. This will be a book I will keep close to refer back to when I seem to get off track with my mindfulness. This is a great book for anybody seeking a little piece of joy and contentment in there lives. Who's not looking for that?

The author laid out a path of feeling fulfilled and therefore happy. I admit that I worry way too much about things that do not matter in the long run. This book has me hopeful I can break these destructive patterns.

The book A Monk’s Guide to Happiness by Gelong Thubten is a good resource for those wanting to learn about how meditation and happiness are intertwined. If you’re wondering how it might impact your life, try reading this book, you’ll be better for doing so. The book is a good place for beginners because it offers multiple exercises that might be appealing. Accessible & interesting, it’s a good exploration of the connection between meditation and happiness. I appreciate that the book starts off with the basics and then expands into more layered understanding, examples, & suggestions. If you’re interested in meditation, this book will be a good addition to your collection. Thank you to NetGalley for the complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved everything about this book! Gelong Thubten starts off with a bit of information about his history and adds further details about what led this 21 year-old, hard-partying, well educated, actor to become a monk.

As we delve deeper into the book, he shares a good bit of dharma about how many of us fill up our days with so much activity that we never really focus on how we feel or allow those thoughts we might have to come to the surface, because we are running from the difficult things. He also adds scientifically provable details that tied everything up in a neat package.

If all that isn’t enough, he gives the reader instruction on Mindfulness and meditation. This book is a solid 5 stars.

This was a educational and calming text.

Full of thought provoking ideas, Thubten truly gives insight on the meaning of happiness.

Highly recommended.

Sometimes I find books on Buddhism and meditation from Eastern authors difficult to read. I think this is just a cultural divide and translation difficulty. I have read and studied many books on these topics. What I love about this book is that it is written by a Westerner so there is greater accessibility to the Western mind. Wonderful techniques for meditation are included as well as tapping in to the motivation that will help one sustain a practice. Thanks to NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

I expected the book to focus more on how to meditate, and the main message was to choose to be happy, which is good. The book covers a lot of background info on how the author became a monk and started his meditation practice. The meditation exercises were short and just sprinkled in. I think I expected more of "how" to meditate and instead felt like this title was more about "why."
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very practical, straightforward guide to mindfulness and meditation. Through personal stories, instruction, and exercises, Gelong Thubten gently helps the reader discover how to live with more compassion and contentment.

I’ve read many books on mindfulness, meditation, and happiness, so few of these ideas were new to me. However, I liked the presentation, and even experienced meditators are likely to find something of value here. I especially appreciated the emphasis on setting an intention of kindness and compassion at the start of a meditation, and coming back to that intention at the end of your practice.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who doesn’t yet have a personal meditation practice. If you’ve been hesitant to try meditation, you’ve had trouble maintaining a meditation practice, or you’re concerned that you’re somehow not doing it right, this book may be just what you need.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an unproofed ARC through NetGalley that I volunteered to review.

As a Buddhist monk for twenty-five years who admits he is still learning and growing in the practice, Gelong Thubten is well-qualified to instruct others on Meditation. His writing is calming, peaceful, at
times humorous, practical and inspirational. This is a man/monk who wants to share the happiness he has found and he does so in a gentle voice that acknowledges all the hardships and challenges of living in our current world.

I'm really glad that I read this book; it is one that I will periodically read again when I feel the need to reset myself.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Essentials for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

"A Monk's Guide to Happiness" is a pretty good introduction to Buddhism and the practice of monks. I'll look into this one.

Overall I enjoyed this book and will buy it to use as a reference to go back to a few points he makes in it. It was nice to see this from a non perfect person point of view at first so I think it made it a bit more real and attainable for me. The author has a nice flowing writing style that is easy to read. So many points he makes are applicable to this world we live in today, it really resonated with me

A Monks Guide to Happiness by Gelong Thubten
Book Review by Dawn Thomas

256 Pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Release Date: August 11, 2020

Self-Help, Health, Mind & Body, Religion & Spirituality

During these difficult times, I am always in search of books on meditation and mindfulness. The book is organized into the following chapters.

Chapter 1: What is Happiness?
Chapter 2: Hard-wired to be Happy
Chapter 3: Stress in the 21st Century
Chapter 4: Meditation and Mindfulness
Chapter 5: Getting Started
Chapter 6: Building the Habit
Chapter 7: Going Deeper
Chapter 8: Happiness is a Group Effort
Chapter 9: Compassion
Chapter 10: Forgiveness
Chapter 11: Energizing Your Practice

I love his statement about instant gratification as a means of feeling happy. I agree with him on so many levels. Why can’t we be happy with what we have instead of always wanting the next best thing? I am moving away from needing physical things to be happy and instead finding it within myself. This book helped me with that. The author showed me the importance of living in the moment and not to judge myself.

The book is easy to read, and I finished it in one sitting. His point about mindfulness and meditation is spot on. It took me a long time to learn that lesson. I wish this book had been around when I started meditation so I would have gained the knowledge sooner. If you are looking for a book to help you find true happiness, you need look no further than this one. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

This book begins with a biography of the author.  He is quite impressive, highly educated and very dedicated.  He has made it from Oxbridge to the life of a monk in Scotland.  He once was on a meditation retreat of four years duration.  For so many reasons Gelong Thubten seems most qualified to be an engaging companion in learning more about happiness. 


This book offers a text that raises many things to think (and meditate) upon.  There are chapters on What is Happiness?; Stress in the 21st Century; Meditation and Mindfulness; Getting Started; Forgiveness; and more. 


The author of this book feels very genuine as he talks about his own experiences and offers thoughts and insights.  Take some time to read this one.  It may help you and those with whom you interact to indeed understand and find more happiness.


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve been working on developing a meditation practice for about 2.5 years and finding it challenging to maintain. I like how this book makes several arguments for meditating beyond just lowering your own stress or increasing your own happiness. The author talks about how it can affect the broader world as well. There are lots of different exercises in the book and I appreciate the balance between theory and practice. I would definitely recommend this book to beginning and mid-level meditators. Even experts might find something new.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a little hard to follow at times. Definitely was interested to know the life of a monk and how one made it into this life. Meditation to me can be such a drag sometimes, like it is a chore. This book had many tips and tricks to really help me see that there is no defined set time that is ok or not ok to physically meditate. On the other hand though, there were a lot of approaches the author made that made me feel that I was doing meditation incorrectly and or couldn't do it correctly unless I followed their strict rules. It also seemed like there were so many repetitions, the book probably could have been a lot shorter to be more impactful. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

As I struggle with meditation, I found some great information in this book. The author shares his own struggles and discoveries, I think the most important thing he emphasized was that happiness ultimately comes from within, not from things, which are impermanent, He seems to stress Samanta meditation, tranquility of the mind, more than Vipassana, which is what my teacher practices, but she feels that both can work well together. I especially loved his writing about the importance of compassion, and how it plays a part in every meditation session, and in life. Easy to read, not preachy, and just repetitive enough to tie information from previous chapters in to the later ones.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed reading A Monk's Guide to Happiness. Every sentence contains so much enlightenment that I will be re-reading many times to come. Thank you Gelong Thubten for your wisdom.

I was pleasantly surprised by how relatable this book was. Thubten has such a warm, casual voice and life experiences you don't have to live in a monastery to relate to. For mindfulness content it's quite easily digestible and enjoyable to read.

Beautifully written and honestly does wonders for your soul. Once you read it you do feel content and at peace. In this day and age this book is truly comforting.