The Four-Way Path

An inspiring guide to achieving happiness through purushartha (pronounced poo-roo-shar-tuh), or the four ultimate goals of human life, by the bestselling authors of Ikigai and The Book of Ichigo Ichie

Modern life presents us with such a dizzying array of options that it can be easy to doubt we’re living the life we’re meant to be living. But the authors of the global bestseller Ikigai, about the Japanese concept that has helped millions of people discover their reason for being, are now on a mission to show how the ancient Hindu concept of purushartha, meaning the ultimate goal of life, provides a powerful framework for charting a path toward a life of purpose and fulfillment in our complex modern world.

The authors have made many trips to India, where Ikigai has sold more copies than anywhere else in the world, and were inspired to write a book honoring the balanced ways of life they attribute to fostering happiness and achievement. In The Four Purusharthas, they draw on practices from India’s numerous spiritual traditions to show you how to cultivate the four components of purushartha:

• your dharma, or what the world needs from you
• your kama, or what you love doing
• your artha, or what you need to sustain your life
• your moksha, or your truest, most actualized self

If you already know what your purpose in life is, then this book provides a blueprint for living in accordance with your purushartha. If you don’t yet know, then it will give you the tools to start the adventure of knowing yourself better, and to bring inspiration, beauty, peace, and purpose to your daily life.