2 comments about This Moment Is the Perfect Teacher: Ten Buddhist Teachings on Cultivating Inner Strength and Compassion.

1. This short (almost 4 hours in 35 tracks--CD#1: 42:46 in 8 tracks, CD#2: 76:49 in 10 tracks, CD#3: 58:45 in 8 tracks, CD#4: 55:33 in 9 tracks) set builds on Pema's book Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living (Shambhala Classics) addressing some of the 49 Lojong mind training slogans. These implement the general approach of Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana) of turning poison into elixir--esp. transforming the 3 Poisons of aggression, craving, & ignorance into Relative Bodhichitta=Maitri ("unconditional friendliness" or lovingkindness) & compassion. Pema notes the parallels to homeopathy in her practical method of "using difficult circumstances as a path of awakening" based on the teachings of her master Trungpa Rinpoche.
   
   But, she also addresses Absolute Bodhichitta ("openness"), familiar to students of Mahamudra and Dzogchen, in a more concrete way--rather than only in theory or even in exercises. Further, she points out the dreamlike nature of reality (using shopping malls, airports, & lucid dreaming=waking up inside a dream to demonstrate this). There's heavy emphasis on Tonglen (see Tonglen, the Path of Transformation) including a guided sitting Tonglen session, description of "traffic Tonglen"--a type of on-the-spot Tonglen in which one connects to other folks in the same "boat" as one is experiencing at the moment, and using Tonglen to deal with difficult people & circumstances. As usual she includes both her own and others' actual experiences to explicate her teachings.
   
   These sessions are similar to much of her other work, but she notes the value of repetition--per the student who heard the same thing over & over but finally "got it" on the 25th time! But this set has even more humor than her prior works--I actually laughed out loud! Her gently compassionate, spiritual warrior approach is esp. evident in the Q&A sessions, her depiction of the 3 Courages (king, ferryman, shepherd), & her mindfulness of pain approach. Overall, implementation of these techniques dissolves one's dichotomizing, denial, & dissociation. As she states: "You're getting somewhere with your students when they begin to get terrified." But, that's what it may take when facing one's addictions & ignorance so that one can "Live so you can die without regrets." You won't regret listening to her IMHO.



2. PEMA CHODRON WAS THE DOOR I TRAVELED THROUGH TO GET INTO BUDDHISM. I BELIEVE I NOW OWN ALL THAT SHE HAS RECORDED ON CD'S AND AUDIOBOOKS. I WILL CONTINUE TO WATCH FOR EVERYTHING NEW SHE WRITES.

5 comments about In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon (Teachings of the Buddha).

1. According to one survey, it was said that America produces many
   millionaires each year.
   
   Supposing that you are one of the lucky one, you earn the wealth righteously and you are also a Buddhist. What is the right view that you should hold in dealing with the wealth acquired?
   
   This is the million dollars question and of course many enthusiastic people would shower you lots of unsolicited advice.
   
   Beware! Beware!
   
   Their intentions are good but the advices may not necessarily correct and accurate if you examine them closely.
   
   So, what did the Buddha say about the million dollars question?
   
   It is fortunate that now we can refer to the wonderful book entitled "In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Cannon", compiled by highly respected America born Bhikkhu Bodhi. This book collects many important teachings by the Buddha. In essence, this book is for anyone who wishes to gain benefits by practicing Dhamma that leads to happy present life, happy future life and the ultimate good.
   
   From time to time, the past and living masters always caution the believers not to get trapped in the big palace of Buddhist suttas or sutras in Sanskrit. This book provides an invaluable map to those who wish to find the way out in this majestic palace. Whatever level of spiritual goal you have in mind, you can rely on this map to reach your destination.
   
   Surprisingly, many other advices of similar nature can be found. For example, how to be united in future lives for husband and wife who are deeply in love, how to repay one's parent etc. In my opinion, this book has convincingly dispelled the common wrongly held belief that Buddha only teaches the Dhamma for the people who renounce. As shown in this book, many of Buddha's teachings are for those who still stuck in the routine of worldly life!
   
   For those who do not have to worry about the million dollars question and wonder why this book is special, perhaps you can listen to what H.H. the Fourteenth Dalai Lama has said in the forward:
   
   "What I find especially encouraging about this book is that it shows so clearly how much fundamentally all schools of Buddhism have in common. I congratulate Bikkhu Bodhi for the careful work of compilation and translation"
   
   What about the answer to the million dollars question mentioned earlier?
   
   The answer can be found in Pg 126-127 under the heading "The Proper use of Wealth". Let's preview the details of the first out of the four sound advices given:
   
   "With the wealth thus gained he makes himself happy and pleased and properly maintains himself in happiness; he makes his parents happy and pleased and properly maintains them in happiness; he makes his wife and children, his slaves, workers and servants happy and pleased and properly maintains them in happiness; he makes friends and colleagues happy and pleased and properly maintains them in happiness. This is the first case of wealth gone to good use, fruitfully applied and used for a worthy cause"
   
   How amazing! Not only the servants, even the slaves are supposed to be included for sharing. Remember, these words were spoken twenty five hundreds years ago.
   
   Of course, after earning a million, you might want more. The answer can be found in the fourth advice.
   
   I strongly encourage you to find out straight from the mouth of the Buddha!
   
   
   About the reviewer:
   
   Benjamin F C TENG PhD, was born in Singapore. Currently, he is working as associate professor in engineering in a university at San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA. He is a sangha member of two Tibetan Buddhist centers (Email: tengfc@yahoo.com).



2. Buddhism encourages seekers to validate the path towards the cessation of all sorrows and lamentations by their own experience. Reading the translations of the surviving Buddhist texts is helpful in understanding the "messages" for our own selves.



3. I had been attracted to the pali canon for some time, but where do you start? This book will give you a very good impression of what 'the word of the buddha' is. It contains translations of a broad selection of the original texts, while the introduction and commentary are truly helpful for putting it all in perspective. For me, this anthology proved to be the entrance gate to a wealth of texts that I would probably not have started to read without this wonderful book.



4. VERY GOOD BOOK.
   BUDDHAS WORDS FOR TRUE
   TO END SUFFERING AND ATTAIN PEACE
   
   GOOD TRANSLATION A FEW MISTAKES COULD BE BETTER
   STILL WORTH IT
   BECAUSE OF THE KNOWLEDGE IT GIVES.
   
   
   GOOD PRINTING I KNOW THE PUBLICATION PERSONALLY
   RIGHT NEAR MY WORK PLACE IN DAVIS SQ.
   
   PRICE LITTLE HIGH.
   
   EXCELLENCE OVERALL



5. The actual book itself is beautifully bound and very usable as a daily spiritual reading. Of course the content has historical and spiritual significance for scholars, practitioners, and anyone interested in expanding their spiritual quest. Bhikku Bodhi's immense work gives Buddha to English-speaking readers. The themes form an organizational structure that enhances the experience. Readers unfamiliar with the foundations of Buddhism would still benefit from the spirit of the teachings and may be inspired to learn more. H.H. the Dalai Lama's introduction helps readers understand the basis for the work. Even after 2500 years, the words still apply.

5 comments about How Would Love Respond?: Imagine If You Were Given a Gift So Powerful That You Knew You Had to Share It with the World.

1. With your book, "How Would Love Respond?" you had me at 'hello' Kurek!
   
   This book is really something, and my jaw was dropped for the entire reading session, in one sitting. I pretty well experienced a full range of emotions whilst reading your book.
   
   If anyone needs yet more evidence for, "...you always get what you ask for and that it rarely comes in the package you think it is supposed to", then this book is a MUST read.
   
   Thank you, for sharing your heart and soul. Thank you for this, most precious of gifts. I know that everything you have written here is true. "How Would Love Respond?" will take so many readers to a place where they make their life altering decision. And Kimo ...that is a fantastic photo!
   
   Thea Westra - Senior Thought Leader and Author - [...]



2. "This book is an outstanding achievement by a gifted individual who reveals his heartfelt and illuminating journey to a higher state of self-realization and consciousness. It is a fast and exciting read, packed with the energy of an action-thriller and kissed with the embrace of love."
   --- Dr. Ron Dalrymple, Best-selling author, The Inner Manager. Founder of Quantum Field Psychology. [...]



3. I thoroughly enjoyed Kurek's book. It is inspiring and easy to read. Are you in the doldrums? Have an empty space that just won't be filled? Hungry but don't know for what? A slow and thoughtful reading of "How would love respond" can get your spirit moving and give you great info on how to get back on track to the good life. I highly recommend "How would love respond" for everyone who questions why life goes the way it goes and how one can get moving in a positive direction and reap the rewards of knowing what to do and how to use the insights. Peggy Touchtone Sholly Down Home Delicious



4. "How would love respond" I read in a weekend. once I picked it up I couldn't put it down. All I can say is buy it and read it.
   
   I loved it so much I bought 17 of them, had Kurek sign them for me and gave them as gifts to my friends.
   
   Do yourself a favour and get it.



5. Kurek Ashley is a new discovery of mine and I am so pleased to have found his latest book, "How Would Love Respond? a work of art. You will get caught up in the writing and be enveloped in the consummation of love. Let go, let love in your life.

2 comments about Guided Meditation: Six Essential Practices to Cultivate Love, Awareness, and Wisdom.

1. I really enjoyed this CD. Being new to meditation, I didnt know what to expect. The author is very helpful in guiding you through the practice in a calm manner. Very worth it!



2. The meditations a easy to follow. I've tried other guided meditation CDs and they sometimes have distracting anecdotes in the middle of the meditation. This one doesn't. There is a brief introduction to each meditation that can be skipped once you get the hang of it.

5 comments about Big Mind - Big Heart: Finding Your Way.

1. There are many Zen and Spirtual books out there and this one used with the "Big Mind/Big Heart Revealed" video is one of the most dramatic processe to have an actual Transcendent experience that I have had. There are many Life Changing books out there that do not give you a method to have the actual experience of going beyond your dualistic look on life.
   
   My wife and I are very "skeptical" on the promises that other books have made and we where given a way to have the experince that we have had briefly while Meditating for over 10 years.
   
   For those who are looking for another no subtance "Life of the Budda" book this is not it... If you are lookinf for a absolutely dramatic feeling of your soul then read the book and use the video.



2. I have practiced the Big Mind approach and the Four Directions by Sensei Anthony Stultz-both of them helped me to penetrate beneath the deep layers of negative conditioning that have plagued me for most of my life. Deep bows to both of them. I would also recommend Cheri Huber and Ezra Bayda.



3. A truth-seeker myself and meditator for most of my adult life, I found this book very interesting in the way that it gives me, as a western reader, the opportunity to reap the benefits of both Eastern Religion/Philosophy and Western Psychology, blended skillfully into the so-called Big Mind/Big heart Process, showing me "easy" access to non-dual concepts, like "Buddha", or "God", for this matter, that are given voice, in other words are owned that way, much faster than with traditional methods like meditation or devotional practice.
   
   In my opinion, the "West", with all it's "High-wire" is craving for this kind of innovation, this kind of exciting, interactive and straightforward method, described here as a way of choosing to become a decent "Human Being", with all its flaws and shadows ,yet in touch with its boundless Nature..
   
   Genpo Roshi is clearly a courageous Zen-master, I think, to write a book like this, presenting a revolutionary process for finding "One's Way" in life, in both Capital and in "Kitchen-sink" -sense, in a way that is appealing and suitable for "Westerners", like myself..
   
   The book found its way to Holland ,where I live,(so please pardon my English..)and is already translated into Dutch and thus helps to raise the consciousness (and happiness,why not..) of the ever so stubborn Low-landers..Thank you, Genpo Roshi !



4. Above all this book presents a process. A process for becoming more aware of aspects of oneself. The process is one of callling forth and giving voice to aspects of oneself (An approach going back at least to Fritz Perls and developed by Hal and Idra Stone with whom Genpo Roshi worked directly). By callling forth different aspects, in the sequence in which he does, he suceeds in calling forth aspects which transcend our normal view of ourselves: Aspects such as Big Mind and Big Heart, among others. These are aspects of ourselves which view existance in a non-dual way, beyond the duality of consciousness and the objects of consciousness. And finally he calls forth the voices of the individual human being who integrates all these aspects.
   
   The method is obviously not traditional zen, but the realizations it facilitates purport to be the same as those to which one comes through more traditional methods.
   
   The value of the book is in this: Just in the reading (or listening to) the process and doing it, by giving voice to these aspects in onself as they are called forth, one can indeed get a glimpse of these different viewpoints as aspects of oneself that are already there. By itself that is an important realization and provides a very usefull tool for further exploration. But as Gempo himself says, this glimpse needs to be deepened and stabilized by more work with the Big Mind process and also by more traditional work.



5. I've been looking, ever since a teenager, when I (like many others) had spontaneous spiritual experiences. How to have such states of consciousness on purpose -- has been a driving question for me.
   
   As a result, I've accumulated many processes.
   
   The Big Mind, Big Heart process taught in this book & CD is among the easiest I've seen...it's so simple and easy - by hindsight. The CD talks us through the process - I found this very helpful.
   
   If you're looking for a modern, easier way to experience enlightenment...this is probably the easiest and best you'll find. Try it out; be reasonably receptive -- have the experience for yourself...few books are this good!

5 comments about If the Buddha Dated: A Handbook for Finding Love on a Spiritual Path.

1. Someone recommended this book to me nearly 10 years ago when I was at a cross-roads, in between relationships and grasping desperately for a lasting love that proved elusive given my circumstances. Pre-Amazon, it took me a long time to find a volume, finally locating one in a Boulder, CO area bookstore during a cross-country road trip.
   
   At that time in my life, this book helped me immensely, first in accepting and finding joy in my solitude and my friendships, by no longer grasping for or chasing after immediate and elusive romantic love but instead cultivating self-acceptance and self-knowledge and a satisfaction with living in the present moment.
   
   It was years before I met the man who would become my husband, but in those years, I was able to become the grown-up person I needed to be and was a better person for it, and when I met my husband, my relationship with him evolved naturally and undramatically toward a lasting real love.
   
   I can't even count the times I have purchased and given away this book. I even gave a copy to a friend who was having problems with his business partnership (not even a dating situation-- but certainly good for resolving problems in that particular relationship).
   
   It is not strictly a Buddhist book. People who are looking to read about the Buddhist philosophy or practice rather than finding dating advice should probably avoid this as they will be disappointed. Read books by Thich Nach Hahn or the Dalai Lama for a more pure Buddhist understanding.
   
   This is really a dating/relationship book, but it borrows from the Buddhist teaching of detachment NOT by asking you to detach from those you love, but rather teaching how to detach yourself from an unhealthy habit of grasping desperately for those who are not really available to you romantically or emotionally.



2. There isn't enough rating stars available for me to rate this book in my opinion. I first read this book on a recommendation from a young male co-worker. I bought my own copy and reread it at a staggered pace. I read until something hit home and then I would dwell on it's contents as it pertained to my life until I had disected it to pieces. When I came to the full realization I continued on until I was hit again. This one book has affected me more than any book I have read in my entire life. When I read it I didn't associate it with a partner but with life itself. I can't begin to use enough adjectives to describe this book. Excellent material!!!



3. The last review before this one completely missed the wisdom of this book, which I find sad. This book is quite simply the best book I've EVER read on the topic of dating and relationships. Charlotte Kasl starts with the 4 noble truths of buddhism as her premise. From there, she explains in a very in-depth manner how to apply these concepts to your life to find wholeness within yourself, see the ways that you have deceived yourself, and understand the ways that you have allowed yourself to be guided by fear instead of love.
   
   Additionally, the book defines the 9 fundamental ways in which people bond, from most superficial to most substantial. The book has specific exercises which help you to deduce precisely what is most important to you in a partner on each of these levels, and the results may surprise you. Overall, this is one of the best 4 books I've ever read - and it is a must-read.



4. More than just a handbook for finding love, this book provides wisdom for finding life on a spiritual path. Each bite-sized chapter provides Buddhist-centered but universally-applicable guidance for discovering how to fully love--and live. General Buddhist concepts such as non-attachment, impermanence, acceptance, and living in the moment are gracefully woven into specific guidelines for finding and nurturing relationships. This book helps illuminate how the compass found within each of us can be our best guide for navigating the journey on our spiritual paths.



5. Arrived on time, in the condition promised. I have not read it yet so no review on that but it was reccomended by someone who read it and loved it.

5 comments about Buddhism For Dummies (For Dummies (Religion & Spirituality)).

1. Being new to Buddhism, I found this book to be a very easy-to-understand source of information. It touches on many aspects of Buddhism, inviting the reader to turn to other resources, listed in Appendix B, for more in-depth information.
   
   This book covers the main themes of Buddhism without becoming too overwhelming with technical terms.
   
   While some people may not like the 'For Dummies' books, I appreciate the blend of serious information and touches of humor found in them. This was true in Buddhism for Dummies.



2. Honestly, I was expecting more. These "dummies" books give the authors almost unlimited opportunity to explain something in detail, yet make it interesting and enlightening. What I would have wanted to see was more history on the story of Siddhartha and how he became Buddha. I also thought the book was biased toward the Tibet way of Buddhism and those looking for more about Zen are going to be disappointed. The book almost reads like a college textbook and that is just dry dry dry. Yuck.



3. Buddhism is a rich, organic topic with a huge number of books offering interpretation, explanation and guidance. It is easy for a beginner (like me) to become lost.
   
   For those interested in learning about Buddhism, I found this book very helpful. It covers the main schools of Buddhism and their historic and geographic context with sufficient detail to inform the reader without distraction. It covers the main tenants of Buddhism, such as The Eightfold Path, The Five Precepts, and The Four Heavenly Abodes. I've been steadily reading a number of books on Buddhism over the past two years and I find myself referring back to this book now and again to remind myself of the larger context.
   
   Those seeking a conceptual understanding to serve as a foundation for further study will be satisfied.



4. I really didn't know anything about Buddhism before buying this book. It was very informative and explained everything I wanted to know. If you are like me and you're wondering what it's all about, I recommend this book. Buddhsm is not what you think, and you'll probably be finding yourself impressed. An excellent read.



5. If you are not looking for a deep spiritual experience and are looking for facts and history, then this is the book for you. I use it as a reference guide, and when I am confused about an idea. I will always have a purpose for it, and would recommend this book to anyone new to buddhism.

5 comments about Zen in the Art of Archery.

1. This book had a real influence on my early spiritual development. I read it when I was a teenager; the impression I was left with was one of discipline, self-mastery, and the difficulty of the art of archery. I loved the author's earnestness and sincerity. For some time, I shot my own bow with what I took to be the spirit of the Zen approach. I wished I could travel to Japan and learn from a master.
   
   From where I sit now, I'd have to acknowledge that this book is more a description or a memoir, rather than an actual guide. That is, for one determined to walk the spiritual path, this book will be more an inspiration than a manual. For some, that may lead to frustration.



2. there's an old adage in the acting world..'don't give a performance, let the performance give you'..so what does that have to do with this book? well, I read this wonderful book a few years back when I was studying acting in NYC and I really worked hard at incorporating some Zen technique into my acting process..it wasn't easy..but I stuck with it and I feel as if I reached a different level consciousness and ability with my craft. This book is a wonderful teacher for the ways of Zen and incorporating those lessons into real life events not just archery.



3. For me this book is first and foremost about Zen. Students of Japanese archery can come to it to take their craft to another level but for me the archery is just a mantle for the teachings to sit on. I've been studying Zen for ten years or so, and have read many great works on the subject. This book was a gentle reminder, ushering me back onto the path. It's wisdom can be applied to almost anything. For a more in depth look at some of the discussions in this book, see Suzuki's Zen and Japanese Culture.
   
   One reviewer, with whom I disagree, says that this book is not a valid source of Zen because the master archer in the book had never "studied" Zen. I think he came in touch with the Zen Mind through his art. The Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng had never "studied" Zen either and came by his enlightenment through living life and carrying fire wood. "Studying" Zen, in terms of following the rituals of an institution, can be formative but is not necessary. Zenmind existed long before the Zen religion.
   
   So whether you're studying Japanese Archery or looking to deepen your awareness of your own art (I study painting, music and Tai Chi), this book can help if you're ready for it.



4. This is not a book on kyudo. As Earl Hartman says in another review, Herrigel did have little contact with kyudo in Japan (3-4 years). This book could be about many interesting things (zen, misticism, ...), but I don't know of them. But it's not a book on Kyudo. It seems more a book on Herrigel himself.
   I don't says this is the worst book someone can read if is interested on kyudo. Last years saw apearing one or two terrible book's with kyudo in title.
   Should be read with precaution and specially doesn't substitute pratice and guidance from a teacher or a master. Many persons come to kyudo allready knowing this book but after a few sessions they give up. and many of them continue to claim that they know about kyudo only by reading this book.



5. This is the famous little book that Minor White advised his pupils to read. It's an account by German professor Eugen Herrigel of several years of archery lessons with a Japanese archer in the 1950s. My review is written with photography in mind, though the principles discussed in the book can be applied to many arts.
   
   If you have an interest in photography, should you read it?
   
   Here are a few quotes from this little book in which I have taken the liberty of replacing archery lingo with photography lingo:
   
   1. "...fundamentally the [photographer] aims at himself and may even succeed in hitting himself."
   
   2. "Do you know why you cannot wait for the shot and why you get out of breath before it has come? The right shot at the right moment does not come because you do not let go of yourself. You do no wait for fulfilment, but brace yourself for failure."
   
   3. "If [the photographer] is to fit himself self-effacingly into the creative process, the practice of the art must have the way smoothed for it. For if, in his self-immersion, he saw himself faced with a situation into which he could not leap instinctively, he would first have to bring it into consciousness."
   
   If these ideas interest you, then this book is for you. It is a pleasing and thought-provoking little book, written in a conversational manner lacking the overcomplicated lingo and "isms" of most philosophical and spiritual texts.

5 comments about True Love: A Practice for Awakening the Heart.

1. Thich Nhat Hanh is so incredibly insightful, and really conveys his wisdom here with few words.
   
   A short, uplifting book that changes my attitude and helps me to understand true love whenever I pick it up... which is often.



2. We all 'look for love in all the wrong places'. This book brings us home to the real thing.



3. The copyright of this book is 1997. Eckart Tolle's book "A New Earth" came out in 2005... 8 years later. This book is like the pocket book for "A New Earth". Eckart Tolle goes into greater dept in his book on the same topics that are mentioned in Thick Nhat Hanh's book. "True Love" gets right to the heart of awakening the heart. I especially enjoyed the chapters on The Energy of Mindfulness, Caring our Pain (the pain-body Tolle talks about), Telephone Meditation and Getting Rid of Our Concepts (egos). A small but powerful little book. Highly recommended.



4. This is the heart and soul of Thich Nhat Hahn. Every family ought to have one of these in the bookshelf next to the Bible, I Ching..., whatever is there. Great gift for anyone you love or want to help.



5. I just finished reading Thich Nhat Hanh's "True Love: A Practice for Awakening the Heart." This little 100 page meditation simply changed my perspective on many things.
   
   Talking about a powerful read on how to show and demonstrate love in your life. It all comes back to mindful presence, being there, not just in body, but in full absolute awareness. A true demonstration of love is not monetary or even a gesture but the action of being truly present.
   
   The book really helped me see things differently. If my soul was a gorgeous red onion, and the sweet, yet spicy heart was my true essence, then True Love peeled away a couple of layers to help me see things better. And it put the way I care for others into a perspective, some of which I really didn't want to see. I think the book made me a better person.
   
   There many fantastic meditations, which get your mind to calm itself and focus on true love. It focuses on making oneself loving in your actions towards wife/husband, etc., rather than other-centric love. Though Buddhist at its heart, one of the things that makes Hanh so accessible is his ability to tie his meditation and theory back to Christian theology. In essence, he knows his reader is Western and caters to us.
   
   The book begins with the four aspects of love, which Hanh describes as:
   1) Maitri: Loving kindness
   2) Karuna: Sympathy, or the ability to ease others pain
   3) Mudita: Joyful loving
   4) Upeksha: Freedom through love
   
   Really, quite a good book if spirituality and/or matters of the heart are important to you.

5 comments about Dancing with Life: Buddhist Insights for Finding Meaning and Joy in the Face of Suffering.

1. This book is a practical guide for using the principles of Buddhism in dealing with the issues in everyday life. Being a recent follower of Buddhism, I found it the first book that presented to me easily understandable and concrete steps to use in my life.



2. Why do you suffer? Is there a purpose to your pain? These questions come up for all of us at some time, as they did for the Buddha 2,500 years ago. In his wisdom, he developed a way through suffering, which he called the Four Noble Truths, and he left us the Twelve Insights to guide us through them.
   
   Using examples from his own life and those of his students, and the step-by-step process of the Twelve Insights, Phillip Moffitt shows us how we can walk through our suffering to a path of joy. First we learn to embrace suffering through the First Noble Truth. In the Second Noble Truth, we learn there is a way to stop clinging. The Third Noble Truth shows us cessation of suffering is possible. And the Fourth Noble Truth offers us the Noble Eightfold Path to happiness.
   
   Pain and suffering come to all of us, and at times can feel overwhelming. But Moffitt gives us clear and compelling reasons to believe that these Twelve Insights are the way to handle suffering and create a life filled with joy. Though at times the path won't be easy, there is hope that we can learn to live with our pain and still enjoy our dance with life.
   
   A profoundly spiritual book, Dancing With Life is a must-read for all those who want to find deeper meaning in life.
   
   Reviewer: Alice Berger, Bergers Book Reviews



3. Most of the Dharma books that I've read fall into two categories: lightweight new-age fluff or heavily-footnoted scholarship. This book avoids both extremes. It's very compactly written, with no apparent filler. (If anything, I think he is too brief in touching on some important points.) I find the title of the book to be a bit unfortunate, but it's actually appropriate to the subject matter.
   
   The book is structured around the Four Noble Truths, and as a long-time Buddhist (with a strong predilection for scholarly detail) I thought that it couldn't teach me anything new. It did, though, and on a number of levels. You might think you know all about the 4NT, but this version from the Samyutta Nikaya really adds a new dimension, and is directly applicable to one's practice.
   
   In short, I give this book a pretty-much unqualified rave. A few stylistic weaknesses and an overuse of italics, but in content it's deeply inspiring and immediately useful.



4. Moffitt's book is a gem: it is a handbook to help us develop and hone our skills so that we respond to our suffering in a way whereby we are not defined by it. The book--an explication of the Four Noble Truths, which is the Buddha's primary teaching--is well organized, full of examples from Moffitt's life and the lives of his students, and is eminently readable, His style is lucid and alive, and his book is a treasure to savor. I highly recommend this book to anyone whether or not they are familiar with the Buddha's teachings.



5. Written by a man who walked away from his position as CEO & Editor in Chief of Esquire Magazine, this treatise is the real thing! Given his command of knowledge in all matters literary, what could have been another cerebral exercise is in fact a work of heart.
   
   Two days ago, I encountered Phillip walking down a rural road at sunset. In silence, we passed one another. Although, I don't really know this man, there existed in that moment an implicit recognition of mutual presence and purpose. When our gaze met and held, I found there... joy, a radiance, peace. No kidding.
   
   Having just finished my read of "Dancing with Life", I thought, "here is an author, a teacher... who literally 'walks his talk' ".
   
   The book is like that--filled with easily understood and accessible content, literary references, stories, metaphor, and allegory. He skillfully integrates case examples from the lives of his students, and wisdom gleaned from years of study in the original Buddhist texts. Backed by his very real practice and lived experience, the content comes alive in one's heart, and is not easily forgotten.
   
   A central theme encourages the reader not to rely on conceptual teachings of the Four Noble Truths; rather, to intentionally pursue a 'lived" or "felt experience" of the insights through the practice of mindful meditation. Ultimately, the possibilities are limitless.... to fully embrace all of life at T.S. Eliot's dynamic "still point" is readily available... that place where suffering and joy passionately tango together in the dance of life. A highly recommended read!