What Is Wisdom?: Living the Teachings of Sayadaw U Tejaniya

A lively, down-to-earth account of how mindful awareness can uncover the wisdom that naturally lies within each of us.

Reflecting on a life well lived, Robert French confronts a question he has circled throughout decades of Buddhist meditation: What exactly is wisdom? Avoiding abstract concepts and spiritual platitudes, he offers a humble account of how the ancient teachings of Theravada Buddhism meet the messy realities of aging, relationships, and daily life in the twenty-first century. 

French draws on the teachings of his longtime teacher, the beloved Sayadaw U Tejaniya, to explore the Buddhist idea that wisdom, or paññā, lies latent within each of us. Wisdom is not something added from the outside. Rather, it’s the natural clarity of awareness within us that knows the difference between true or false, kind or harmful, whole or fragmented. French explores the concept of paññā from his ordinary perspective as a textile craftsman, a lifelong surfer, and a family man from New Zealand who has not exactly lived with the purity of a monk. His story shows how wisdom manifests subtly, unexpectedly, and often during mundane tasks like making tea, tending a garden, or connecting with old friends. 

Though there are detours through the fascinating experiences that can arise from meditation—kundalini awakenings, the thrill of sudden meditative insights—French emphasizes how true understanding arises when we stop trying to fix ourselves and simply learn to be present with whatever shows up in our beautifully flawed lives.