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Daniel M. Stuart, associate professor of religious studies at the University of South Carolina, is a scholar of South Asian religions, literary cultures, and meditation traditions specializing in the texts and practices of the Buddhist tradition. He is the author of The Stream of Deathless Nectar, A Less Traveled Path, and Thinking About Cessation.
Stuart's thoughtful and nuanced biography enriches and complicates the received narrative of one of the architects of modern meditation. It provides a more complex view into Goenka's various layered identities and situates him in his historical contexts. This is a valuable contribution to the conversations on modern Buddhism and meditative practices. --David L. McMahan, author of The Making of Buddhist Modernism By taking the story S. N. Goenka tells in his own writings and considering it alongside the accounts of others, this book presents a number of different perspectives on key events in Goenka's life. Stuart's commentary highlights various details and tensions in Goenka's story that shed light on his relationship with his teacher, U Ba Khin; his particular approach to insight meditation; and his eventual break with others in the U Ba Khin tradition. The whole adds up to a fascinating narrative that should be read by all who wish to gain a better understanding of the development of insight meditation in Europe and the U.S., as well as the emergence of modern secular mindfulness. --Rupert Gethin, author of The Foundations of Buddhism and The Buddhist Path to Awakening An excellent study of U Goenka and his movement. Stuart manages to achieve the difficult balancing act of maintaining critical intellectual distance while showing a heartfelt appreciation of Goenkaji's extraordinary life and work. It is a most timely book that sheds valuable light on the origins of the now widespread practice of Buddhist meditation in general and mindfulness meditation in particular. --Stephen Batchelor, author of The Art of Solitude and After Buddhism
