The Way of the Monk: How to Find Purpose, Balance, and Lasting Happiness

by Gaur Gopal Das

What can a member of a Mumbai ashram offer the modern world? Gaur Gopal Das shows that a monk still has much to teach about living a happy and balanced life.

In contemporary culture, the popular conception of a “monk” is often of a dour ascetic who lives apart from society and never engages with the day-to-day problems of humanity. Gaur Gopal Das, a monk from an ashram in Mumbai, shows that this image couldn’t be further from the truth.

In The Way of the Monk, Gopal Das presents a guide to navigating some of the contemporary world’s most fundamental questions. How can we achieve peace when the world is so full of noise and conflict? How do we learn to let go of attachment when consumer culture constantly tells us that we are unfulfilled? How can we embody love when our interactions with others are so fraught with old wounds and misunderstanding?

According to Gopal Das, the keys to unraveling these dilemmas have existed for thousands of years throughout the world's great wisdom traditions. Structured around the four “wheels” of behavior that support a healthy, balanced life, The Way of the Monk teaches fundamental skills of mindfulness, self-inquiry, positive communication, and more. Gopal Das writes from the perspective of a trusted friend, weaving tales he's encountered over the years into a single, overarching teaching story.

Already a bestseller in India, The Way of the Monk is an ideal entry point for those who are just stepping onto the spiritual path. Here you will find a humorous and profound journey into truths that exist beyond the boundaries of geography, tradition, and nationality.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Spirituality, Personal Development, Philosophy, Religion, Psychology

224 pages, Paperback

Published August 4, 2020

About the author

Gaur Gopal Das (IAST: Gaura-Gopāla dāsa) is an Indian lifestyle coach, motivational speaker and former HP engineer. He is a member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).

He was born in Pune, Maharashtra, India. He has a diploma in electrical engineering from Cusrow Wadia Institute of Technology, Pune and a degree from College of Engineering, Pune. He worked as an electrical engineer at Hewlett Packard for a brief period, before leaving the company in 1996 to become a lifestyle coach.

In 2018, he published the book Life's Amazing Secrets, and received an honorary doctorate by Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT). He was reported as having over 3.9 million YouTube followers with more than 177 million views.

Reviews

[Amit · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 ⭐

GENRE - SELF HELP / SPIRITUALITY

PAGES - 207.

Before I give you my thoughts about the book I would like to give you a heads up that" THE WAY OF THE MONK" is for UK / USA readers and "LIFE'S AMAZING SECRETS" is for subcontinent readers specially INDIA however both the books are exactly the same even though they come with different titles.

ABOUT THE BOOK :- The Author GAUR GOPAL DAS is an influential speaker on YouTube as all of us know and the book shares his thoughts about life and relationships.

The book speaks about the four foundations of human life i.e. PERSONAL LIFE, RELATIONSHIPS, WORK LIFE & SOCIAL CONTRIBUTION comparison the 4 with the Tires of a Vehicle which provides the vehicle balance helping it move.

Like his speeches his book is amazing too very intriguing and interesting full of the authors life experiences in his journey so far as a human being and a monk.

I highly recommend people to read the book as most of us are busy searching for inner peace else where, reading this book shall help you find your peace.

Thank you 🙏 🕊️ ✌️

[Haritosh Srivastav · Rating 5 out of 5]

What are the four wheels of life. How can you find purpose, peace & happiness.
जीवन के चार पहिये क्या हैं| आप उद्देश्य, शांति और खुशी कैसे पा सकते हैं।
Presenting to you Book Summary of #The Way of the Monk by #Gaur Gopal Das
#HindiBookSummary

https://youtu.be/Fw2yt2JTyho

In this book summary, I give a summary of 4 aspect covered by Gaur Gopal Das in his latest book 'The Way of the Monk'. This is an amazing book and ever since I posted on social media that I was able to get a copy of the book, I have been flooded to create a summary of this book so I was finally able to create this in Hinglish format.

[Andy · Rating 2 out of 5]

felt over simplified and strangely corporate in tone much of the time
for me, not sure it went beyond the fairly common-place trite observations and predictable anecdote

[Karma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reminded me of two books - "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari" and "Square One: A Simple Guide to a Balanced Life". The style of telling the story was similar to Sharma and the content was similar to Square One.

The book is divided into 4 sections with the premise that these are the four wheels of life and if any one of them is not right, the car of life doesn't move properly.

The four wheels are:
1) Personal life
2) Relationships
3) Work life
4) Social contribution

There were many things that I agree with but a few things that I didn't. The best section was the one on relationships. The section on money seemed forced to me.

The book is very easy to read. It is full of stories. Each chapter has 2-3 stories in addition to the main storyline. The author has a summary at the end of each chapter. There is also a bit of suspense, in the sense, that the author hints at something in the last few pages of a chapter and that info is available in the next chapter. It keeps you reading.

Overall, recommended.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley.

[Paige Docking · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging book that brings across its main points in simple and practical terms. An enjoyable read. I wouldn't give it 5 stars though as by the end of the book there were a few too many 'mythical stories' in there to relate to.

[aston · Rating 5 out of 5]

simple and insightful

[Talita Moura Keller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve always been fascinated by the powerful control the monks have over their minds and bodies and this book caught my attention. The Way of the Monk is a reflective guide to living a more meaningful, peaceful, and purpose-driven life.

One of the most powerful metaphors in the book is the concept of the “Four Wheels of Life.” 🛞✨
It explains that our life is like a car, and to reach our destination — happiness, fulfillment, and inner peace — all four wheels must be properly aligned and balanced.

These four wheels are:
🧘🏻‍♀️Personal Life
💖 Relationships
⏰ Work Life
🤝🏼Social Contribution

If any of those wheels are unbalanced, the car of life can’t move properly and possibly won’t make its destination. This is a simple reminder of how interconnected these areas of life are. Focusing too heavily on career while neglecting personal health or relationships can lead to burnout and emptiness. Likewise, ignoring our potential to give back to the world limits our growth and sense of purpose…

However, while I appreciated the message, some of the principles felt a bit “obvious” like sayings and truths that many of us have heard before or read in other self-help books... Still, the book serves as a gentle, thoughtful reminder of what truly matters in a simple way, and sometimes, that’s exactly what we need.

[Irmakafsar · Rating 1 out of 5]

One star because it made me think, like, once. It got me thinking how it took this guy years spent as a monk, stripped of all earthly desire, spending most of the day sitting idly and meditating, to come to these absolutely elementary and reductionist conclusions. The way these were delivered in such a “wow, you never would have thought!” way really annoyed me and left me baffled once again about how the most privileged of people will act like repeating a mantra or thinking that their “feelings should not be” because “they don’t make sense” will fix every problem in their life. If this works for you, good for you. But claiming all problems arise from people not thinking positively enough or not doing this or that is the most surface level conclusion you can come to, without even a bit of critical thinking.
What does “We should not let our anger consume us.” or “We should focus on the positive instead of the negative.” even mean? Any person who is not an infant has most certainly come to these conclusions on their own.
Elementary, boring, didn’t help, next!

[aroace · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first impression based on the cover: It’s minimalistic and so peaceful with the monk’s way to find the meaning of the ‘highest degree’ inside a human.

Description: It’s described a haul of dilemmas in a person’s life, where the author himself exchanging conversation between Hariprasad (a.k.a Harry) Iyer and those dilemmas were merged with the four wheels of life, mainly ‘Personal Life’, ‘Relationships’, ‘Work Life’ and ‘Social Contribution’. The explanations in each of those wheels were easy to follow towards the path of spiritual awakening, following with the author’s life and the others’. Moreover, the sayings that being provided was short and meaningful too. In every end of those chapters was being reflected on the ‘Monk Mindset’ (summary).

Conclusion: I recommended reading any books that based on ‘Ikigai’ (a reason of being), as many meditation books that I’ve been discovered were based on it somehow.

[Zee Monodee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read whereby lessons about life and how to live are conferred in a simply yet engaging parable, with the author flitting in and out of some of his recollections. The message itself is beautiful, urging people to really work on themselves, and this is the work one has to do before looking to make the rest of the world right. It does get a bit slow and dragging at times, and for a monk, the author sounds a little bit inflated and full of himself at times, but this can be disregarded in the face of the bigger message

[Pooja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlike other self-help books, the way main points are brought across makes this book interesting to read. It’s an easy one time sitting read, but i would suggest to break it down to process it fully. I would read it over in future just to remind myself of some things stated in a book. This book has helped me to reflect on things that i might have ignored it or never thought in depth about it. Now after analyzing on those things, I feel to have gained better perspective. Definitely worth to give time for this book.

[Susie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book wasn’t quite how I thought it would be, but that’s no bad thing. It gives you real life problems and real life solutions in the way it is narrated. It’s a story, more than a self-help type book, with constant reminders of how to deal with life’s issues. It’s a very positive and uplifting book.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

[Annanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you net galley and publishers for the book

The book is about how to be happy! Written with simple words in conversational way the book guides us to a spiritual way of living (The actual meaning and not converting us to be a monk!)

With each point there is also short story as example to clarify the readers the concept making the book applicable for all age groups.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book but I loved it. The author takes you on a journey, telling you a story of one of his trips and at the end of each chapter breaks down what he had learn't and how we can apply this to our lives. Its a good book to dip in and out of.

[Swaley Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Gaur Gopal Das novel and it didn’t disappoint! The prose flowed nicely and I enjoyed all the small stories that intwined within his teachings. If I could award half stars would of been a solid 4.5 from me. Worth the read

[Niku · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing insight into how we can change ourselves our relationships for the better. I couldn't put the book down. It has amazing true stories that the author has shared about his own life events.

I loved the book and recommend it to anyone who wants to take a peak into what we can potentially be.

[Lauren Ghosn · Rating 3 out of 5]

there was a lot of profound beauty in the book. the way that Das illustrates how settings are transformed based on our perception, and the emotional lens of which we view them through. it was a collection of good spiritual stories, in all. and a good reminder of my purpose. x

[Randal White · Rating 4 out of 5]

A practical, engaging book. Gives you a series of life's problems and solutions explained in a practical way. Easy to read. Flows along very well. Lots of tips and ideas. Very positive.

[Randal White · Rating 4 out of 5]

A practical, engaging book. Gives you a series of life's problems and solutions explained in a practical way. Easy to read. Flows along very well. Lots of tips and ideas. Very positive.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, review to come ....

[Jadzia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think we could all take something from this. Hold on and never let go of the steering wheel- your spirituality, your beliefs.

[Prathiba Shanthakumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very insightful spiritual instructions

[Donna S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought provoking

I am going to Reread this book in a year
Love the story
Much to absorb!!
Making a poster of monkisms!!!

[Naren Bakshi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is like an experience of having an afternoon tea with Gaur Gopal Das Ji and listening to his stories and wisdom in person!

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved the lessons through storytelling

[Ho Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple enjoyable read, but the message is clear.

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

[Anjalica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read full of insight. Thanks for sharing. 🙏❤️

[Fra Me · Rating 3 out of 5]

I truly love listening to Gaur Gopal Das. In parts this book was a delight to read, as he writes as lovely and charming as he speaks. Gopal Das tells lots of stories, some true, some mystic fictious, to make people better understand the basics of life and the importance of their balance, that he is talking about. That I really liked. Then I recognised that that many of the things that he writes about are based on spirituality. Something that I personally can't relate on. But it is defenitely a book worth to read.

[Prashasth Baliga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read book. Loved the journey described.

Incredibly meaningful statement:
“Love is when we have every reason to breakup, but we do not”