5 comments about Ending the Pursuit of Happiness: A Zen Guide.

1. Hsin-hsin Ming famously wrote, "the Great Way is not difficult for those not attached to preferences." All too often this has been interpreted in American Zen as requiring an emotional neutering with the student supposedly developing the ability to be unaffected by external events. Dr. Magid's great contribution to practice, and that of the Ordinary Mind School generally, is to point out that demands for particular emotional states are no different than demands for specific external conditions, and the Great Way is attached to neither. Or more particularly, through proper Zen practice the individual slowly and at times painfully develops the capacity to hold both external events and internal emotional states without being fully caught by either. Dr. Magid bravely goes against the current barrage of books promising happiness ever after and shows how suffering is inherent in that very pursuit. He does not promise happiness so this book will never be sold at the grocery store check-out counter. Rather he shows the path available to all of us to open to the joy of the very life we have. No candy here. All meat.



2. In the 15 or so years that I've been interested in Buddhism, I couldn't begin to tell you how many books I've read on the subject. I've come to believe that they all basically say the same thing, but that doesn't mean that some aren't better than others. Truth be told: there are plenty of books by Buddhist teachers that are a complete mess--not to mention a waste of time. Fortunately, this isn't one of them.
   
   There's something about Charlotte Joko Beck, who is Magid's teacher, that is quite refreshing to me. I have found Joko Beck's two books, and the books of another of her students, Ezra Bayda, very useful. She has a non-sense style and an emphasis on the fact that Zen is not a means of escape (which is all I have ever really wanted from spiritual practice). Barry Magid takes this same theme and runs with it--presenting it with a new clarity and insight.
   
   Magid, a psychoanalyst and Zen teacher, presents a bull****-free version of practice that emphasizes real life experience--not the aspiration to a higher state of consciousness. Much of what we come to spritual practice to find is imaginary, according to Magid---and I think this is something we can't hear enough: coming to practice might ultimately be transformative, but it won't change the "ordinariness" of our lives. I can think of no better book to guide us to this simple, yet quite profound truth.
   
   Ending the Pursuit of Happiness is a fabulous, direct, inspired, articulate, accessible work. For those interested in Buddhism, and Zen in particular, I can't recommend it highly enough.



3. This is an exceptional practice-related book. Barry Magid clearly articulates his thoughts that our emotions and their underpinnings are not separate, or to be discarded, in our practice. He makes very clear the point that pursuits to be other than we are, even when these pursuits fit an ideal Zen or personal image, lead us away from the reality of who/how we are now. However, he is able to incorporate the purpose of action in a useful way. Certainly, other books revolve around the topic of `be here, now, regardless of what comes up,' but none I've read comes close to making this topic more alive than Magid's book.
   
   Although I don't think my teacher has to be my analyst (he does not necessarily advocate this) or that I necessarily need an analyst at all (if he doesn't advocate this, it is because he does not know me), I am left with the impression that North Americans are more psychologically weighted down than the rest of the world. Maybe we should be given our projection of anger, guilt, violence, etc. around the world, but I am not quite convinced of this idea. I don't know if he believes this or if it is more the Ordinary Mind School's incorporation of psychology in seeking the best `Zen fit' for those of us in the states.
   
   If Charolette Joko Beck's teachings struck a chord with you, so will this book. No doubt this is one of those books you can read and re-read and benefit at each sitting. This is one of the best practice books I have read.



4. Magid writes clearly and helps the seeker acknowledge his own hidden agenda.
   Must read for serious seekers.



5. Very good personal descriptions of his experience and the essence of Zen, not the sitting, but the meaning. Rondavous with Advita thinking in the end.

5 comments about The Pema Chodron Collection: Pure Meditation:Good Medicine:From Fear to Fearlessness.

1. these are wonderful recordings of pema chodron presenting teachings and wisdom about meditation, open heart, and tonglen. she is clear, wise and funny. i've played these over and over and they have helped me so much in my own practice. highly recommended.



2. Have you seen that ad on TV - "Your mind controls you, but do you control your mind?" Pema Chocdron shows you how to stop the incessant noise and criticism of your mind by finding a space where ideas are allowed, but teh spontaneous reaction to those ideas is not. By becoming compassionate towards others, you become more compassionate towards yourself, and learn to laugh at yourself and feel less alone by realizing "others feel like this too".
   
   Buy this - it helps.



3. I put Pema in my walkman (yes, I'm old) and listen to her on my long walks with the dog. I can listen to them over and over and enjoy them. She's easy to listen to and imparts information without preaching.



4. Every CD in this set is excellent, and since they were taped on site at sessions in Cape Breton you feel like Pema is right there in the room with you. Pema's words along with her wonderfully soothing voice will truly heal the aches and pains of living. It's not just the simplicity but the honesty that makes owning everything Pema worthwhile. If I had known about her years ago, I would have lived differently, if not more easily. Now, because of Pema, there are no regrets, just today. This set is very good therapy.



5. This is a very nice collection of three of Pema Chodron's CD's. She is an excellent teacher--compassionate, thoughtful, and very user-friendly. Listening to these CD's has helped open my heart and mind during stressful moments in life when taking a moment to pause and stay with an uncomfortable emotion is the more difficult but, beneficial mode of operation.

5 comments about The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are.

1. After reading this marvelous exposé on the advaita view of who I really am, there was nothing left to do than to give it to my son. It is the ultimate gift a father can give!!!



2. In 1966, Alan Watts published a book near the end of which he introduced the word "nonduality" to a mainstream audience: "The unity, or inseparability, of one and many is ... referred to in Vedanta philosophy as `non-duality' (advaita) to distinguish it from simple uniformity." The Book is important for anyone who wants to understand nonduality. The topics it covers are wider ranging than what's seen in the current crop of more direct and lean books on nonduality. He riffs on God, Christmas morning, American values, spirituality, Dads, religion, social change, philosophy, death. He calls in Blake, Bohm, Schrodinger, a gang of philosophers, a cut of Zen. Did I mention Santa Claus? Yeah, I think I did.
   
   Alan Watts was the Carl Sagan of nonduality. That is, he spoke eloquently, plainly, quotably, and memorably about the essential truth of his sphere of interest, which could be called nonduality, truth, IT, That, or This, or Who You Are.
   
   In the first few pages, Watts informs the reader a new perspective is about to come down: "We do not need a new religion or a new bible. We need a new experience - a new feeling of what it is to be `I.'"
   
   Then he gets into it and in paragraph after paragraph of explanation and example, Watts lays down the nondual perspective: "...what we call `things' are no more than glimpses of a unified process. Certainly, this process has distinct features which catch our attention, but we must remember that distinction is not separation."
   
   Watts' tone of voice is like that of any guru: "If you ask me how to get beyond the ego-feeling, I shall ask you why you want to get there. If you give me the honest answer, which is that your ego will feel better in the `higher spiritual status' of self-transcendence, you will thus realize that you - as ego - are a fake."
   
   Because of the quality of explanation, I would say The Book is an important and excellent book to add to your study of nonduality. I do think there are moments when Watts enjoys hearing his own voice, but I enjoyed hearing it too.
   
   Jerry Katz
   One: Essential Writings on Nonduality



3. There are many many books available today written about the non-dual philosophy or perspective. At the time this book was written, the old nonduality traditions like Zen, Dzogchen and Taoism were well-known but cloaked in the mystery of Asian or Eastern religions or philosophies. Alan Watts was one of the first to take this revolutionary and radical perspective to the West.
   
   Alan Watts writes from a clear understanding of the nature of reality - he does this in a way that slowly lures us from our conditioned and programmed thought process into a more open and accepting stance.
   
   He points to the fact that the illusion of "ME" being a separate entity held prisoner within a bag of skin and bones is merely a mistake in perception, a false belief given to us by unknowing and similarly-illusioned parents. He uses concepts and illustrations to guide us past the mind, past the overlay of conceptual belief, into a pure STOP, a cease of the mind, in which the true nature of beingness can be known.
   
   The traditional Eastern philosophies were always viewed as just that - Eastern and "separate" philosophies, which applied to "those of that faith" but was not much more than a passing curiosity of those in the West. When this book came out, it was an introduction to Advaita Vedanta, a Western slant on the Eastern teachings. It talked about things which were taboo in the west, hence the title "The Book on the Taboo against knowing what you are."
   
   And why is it Taboo? It's taboo because there is a Truth shining through the words, a freedom of being which underlies ALL religious beliefs, a seeing/knowing which is ever-present and prior to the mind and it's attempts to run away from the Truth. And who wants their long-held and treasured beliefs to be questioned?
   
   Who really wants to know that they truly do not exist?



4. In his pursuit of science man emphasizes the difference between things: this is not that. This approach has created the technological world in which we live, but the very same mind set has created a culture in which man feels cut off from the world, isolated in the eternal 'I', lonely and at odds with those around us. "You are not me", we say. But in this book Watts wants to teach us a different way of looking at the problem. Things do not exist in separate categories of, for example, 'right' and wrong. Rather the world is a set of continuums and polarities which are basic to our understanding. Right and wrong are interdependent and we can't understand one without knowledge of the other. Also, we are not divided off from the world, but intimately linked to the environment. In a witty scenario Watts explores the inter-relationship between an ant in a hole in the ground and you, via your own kitchen. You and I share certain qualities, though of course we may have different degrees of them.
   
   This book is, at its heart, Watts' take on the philosophy of Indian, Verdic (Hindu) literature. As usual it is very accessible reading and is filled with witty descriptions and arguments that lead you to think more deeply about life. I read the book several months ago and am still taking on board some of his apparently simple arguments. I found, however, that I agreed with Watts through his long chains of arguments only to balk at his final conclusion. This happened repeatedly. Specifically I cannot agree that man is a total microcosm of the macrocosm, that we are a unique, yet complete, expression of Brahma, God, Absolute Meaning, or whatever you choose to describe the ultimate 'It' as. This is just too much metaphysics and theology for me. It must be remembered that Watts is an ex-Anglican minister and I think his background shows here. I also wished that Watts had spent much more time defining modern man's current predicament as I feel that this is where he is at his very best. For example I loved the first half of his earlier book The Wisdom of Insecurity for that very reason. Of course your understanding of the world may be very different to mine, so you may like the book better than I did. I certainly didn't dislike it, but I do not feel that it is his best.



5. This is a distillation of the sublime wisdom of fifties and sixties writer on Vedanda, Zen, and psychotherapy in a proto-integral non dual Zen way. This is a perfect, succint glide past constructed and limited ego. Five stars.

5 comments about Emptiness Dancing.

1. Adyashanti shows a fresh and impeccable clarity in this book and brilliantly leads the reader past the noise of the mind and its concepts to rediscover the constant, quiet, untaintable sense of beingness that is ever present.



2. Brilliant writing doesn't lie in how profound the terms are, but rather, in the simplicity that the unfathomably profound can be expressed in. Adyashanti is gifted with the ability to accomplish the task. The light that every chapter is able to shine upon the mind is put into terminology and sentence structure so simple that any individual will be able to allow the meaning behind the words immediately have an affect on them. So simplified, so wise.



3. It's hard to put it into words, there's just something unique about his teachings. He doesn't talk endlessly about koans or sitting like most Zen books. He describes the craziest experiences but emphasizes that the only good thing about spiritual experiences are to find what awakening isn't. He also says that you don't get a thing 'you' want when awakening. He speaks of awakening as enlightenment like experiences and also moment to moment work, thus seeming to go between both popular schools of Japanese Zen. He has an awareness of western and Hindu mysticism also, but keeps coming back to Zen of course. So he is not some sort of integrative teacher, although I had the unfortunate experience of finding one of his books in the new age section of a book store.
   I believe he recieved transmission from a Soto teacher.
   Recommended for any Zen student or any mystic whatsoever.



4. Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2K90J6J1VNKGL Please enjopy my video review of Emptiness Dancing. Mark Waller author of Awakening: Exposing the Voice of the Mosaic Mind



5. Adya is a great communicator of truth. His message truly delivers with so much patience and humor. He will lead you to the doorway. Caution! Once you have entered that door don't be disappointed to find yourself still doing the dishes.
   
   [...]

3 comments about Why the Dalai Lama Matters: His Act of Truth as the Solution for China, Tibet, and the World.

1. Although the Dalai Lama is almost a household name in the United States, few people have a clear picture of who he is. Robert Thurman has championed the potential of this simple monk to teach the planet how to survive in peace. The ways of war are no longer practical (if they ever were...), and our creative ability to evolve will require a peaceful world. China would be well served to open a dialoge with the Dalai Lama before he dies, if for no other reason than to show it truly is a Great China, not just another despotic communist state.
   This book should be read widely, especially by the Chinese audience in the United States. Although this book is sometimes critical of China, it is often hopeful that China will soon open its arms in friendship. "No matter what part of the world we come from, we are all basically the same human beings. We all seek happiness and try to avoid suffering. We have the same basic needs and concerns. All human beings want freedom and the right to determine our own destiny as individuals and peoples. That is human nature." from the Dalai Lama's Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, December 10, 1989.



2. Read this book if you want to know of a viable solution to peace between Tibet and China. Thurman gives us 7 jewels. First, because of Thurman's 45 year friendship with His Holiness, Thurman gives the reader an intimate connection to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, specifically, his brilliant mind and his good, pure heart. A mind/heart connection that seeks gentleness, forgiveness, compassion, and wisdom. This is the psychologically mature leader the world desperately needs. I found this part of Thurman's book to be especially engaging. Second, Thurman provides a brief, but truthful account of the history of Tibet and Sino-Tibetan relations with the brutal oppression and cultural genocide of Tibetans by the Chinese Communist Party. Third, Thurman shows us not only his extensive knowledge and passion for Tibetans and Tibetan culture, but his own gentle, compassionate, and altruistic mind/heart connection. We need leaders in the world like this! The fourth jewel is Thurman's feasible, practical vision for how China and Tibet can benefit from a One Country, Two System arrangement. Though the vision has its potential drawbacks, Thurman articulates the overarching win-win outcome. It is doable if both sides can build essential trust. The fifth jewel is Thurman's compassion for both sides in advancing the Dalai Lama's Middle Way approach. The sixth jewel--Thurman's Wisdom of Nonviolence--is salient and woven like a tapestry throughout the book. Here, Thurman stays true to the essence of Buddhism. And I found Thurman's seventh jewel most endearing and inspiring of all--the jewel of abiding Hope. His indefatigable hope that a peaceful solution is entirely possible was invigorating to me. In a world with ecological problems which present dire peril for our planet, Thurman's hope for transcending these anthropogenic problems shines through from the jewel that is essential Thurman, essential Buddhism---a brilliant mind and a Good Heart. Read Thurman---it is sheer joy to be inspired by him! Other recommended readings are Awakening the Mind, Lightening the Heart and The Meaning of Life from a Buddhist Perspective both by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.



3. In the current crisis over Tibet, this book by Thurman is topical, to the point, with some practical suggestions as to the resolution of the conflict with China. The tremendous forbearance of the Dalai Lama receives here a spokesman for the peaceful resolution of the Tibetan tragedy in the form of the status of autonomy, and it is hard to see how the Chinese expect to simply ignore the realities of the situation that has emerged and that is so prejudicial to the Chinese self-image. Thurman reminds us that Tibetan Buddhism is an immense legacy whose destruction by any party could only backfire in ignominy.
   The tensions of the Tiber/China conflict are tremendous, Thurman's calm is the context for a convincing plea, but will China have the presence of mind to listen?

5 comments about Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames.

1. As someone who has dealt with anger and depression, I read this book with great interest. I have always been interested in the traditional East Asian philosophies and methods of healing. While I don't subscribe to everything suggested in this book, I do think that American medicine and psychotherapy could benifit from incorporating a more spiritual approach.
   
   We in America have advanced all kinds of drugs that can help people with anger and depession to get thier chemicals and hormones back on track, but we don't always offer people a more spiritual method of coping. What I think is needed is a thoughtful blending of Eastern and Western ideas.
   
   Thich Nhat Hanh gives one a good insight into the Buddhist or more "mindful" way. I think that anyone that struggles with anger or depression (which is really anger turned inward), may take something useful from this book.



2. Simple...breath, walk, do something else, other than be angry...stop & listen to your body, to others while holding your anger, not avoiding it or stuffing it up. Thich Nhat Hanh is a great teacher & some words of wisdom need repeating over & over again to remind us, to be mindful.



3. This book is well written, and it is sometimes necessarily repetitive (Yes I wrote necessarily) in order to stress the point that to be able to deal with the habit energy released by anger, the energy of mindfulness has to be generated by the practitioner which will lovingly take care of anger.
   I can see why some people have written mixed reviews on this book. However, Zen is not meant to be idealized or understood intellectually, it is direct experience which provides the true understanding of Zen. When a Zen master is asked what it is that Zen practitioners do differently from others he is likely to say "well..when we are hungry we eat, when we are tired we sleep, when we are thirsty we drink water." Mindfulness is doing whatever ordinary task we have at hand with all of our hearts. That's the practice taugth in this book.
   
   This is a book for those who already practice the art of mindful living and wish to strenghthen their mindfulness in a way that will bring home the Pure Land for him/herself and therefore his/her loved ones.



4. By publishing a poem showing his anger at the USA. Thich Nhat Hanh
   is one of the worst liar. He is the most hated personality among the
   Vietnamese community who knew him very well as a communist in disguise.



5. I picked this up after my anger started careening out of control, especially at work. This book was responsible for putting me back on the dharma path. Thich Naht Hanh's writings on Buddhism are incredibly lucid, and easy to apply to your daily life. Since discovering this book, I've read four others by Thich Naht Hanh, and am currently working on a fifth. My life has been transformed since reading this book, but keep in mind that I've also been meditating daily and meeting regularly with a sangha. Whether you're looking to "walk the path" or simply gain some control over your emotions, this book is an effective resource.

No comments about Light Comes Through: Buddhist Teachings on Awakening to Our Natural Intelligence.

No comments about The Wishing Year: A House, a Man, My Soul A Memoir of Fulfilled Desire.

5 comments about Feeding Your Demons: Ancient Wisdom for Resolving Inner Conflict.

1. This book offers a profound approach to resolving that with which we struggle inside (and outside too). I have been working with this process--so clearly explained by the author--and have found it to be extremely effective. The premise is simple: anything you fight and/or banish to your shadow will just find ways to haunt you even more, so why not find a way to provide it with the attention and compassion it really needs. This process has helped me to resolve and transform some deep-seated fears and issues. If peace begins within, this book goes a long way towards helping change what is frustrating in the world. I give it my highest recommendation.



2. I saw a magazine cover yesterday in a supermarket: "We can win the war against global warming!" it declared. "Really?" I wondered. "Has war ever brought us anything but more suffering?" I was much more sensitive to this fundamental question since I have just finished reading Lama Tsultrim's book on an alternative to war - whether we are talking about inner war against our bodies, our diseases, our fat(!), or our thoughts and feelings or outer war against our mothers and fathers, our children, neighbors, other groups of people, or even the natural world around us whether near or far who "threaten" us. In the animal kingdom - we are told - the only two choices when one feels threatened are "fight or flight", and that is the way we have been mostly operating for quite awhile now. Thank God there is another way, and Lama Tsultrim describes it in practical terms with lots of examples from real life. Now if we can just get our politicians to read this and try it....



3. Lama Tsultrim Allione has masterfully adapted the ancient Tibetan practice of chod and it's powerful gift of transformation so simply and directly that it will serve those who might be drawn to the book's evocative title, while also providing support and a fresh approach to long time spiritual practitioners. Simple, concise and carefully honed through Tsultrim's own many years of practice, this book and the practice which it transmits is a liberating gift for all those whose lives are devoted to freedom. Blessings and Gratitude...



4. 
   Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for ReviewYourBook.com, 5/08
   In her book, Feeding Your Demons,with much authority and personal experience, Tsultrim Allione, shares ancient wisdom from the Buddhists. Allione defines demons not as a Gargoyle type spirit but as an obstacle or hindrance that holds us back from living a full life. Depression, anxiety, illnesses are a few of the obstacles she calls demons. She adapts Buddhist methods into a simple 5-step process.
   1. Find the demon.
   2. Personify the demon and ask what it needs.
   3. Imagine yourself as the demon.
   4. Feed the demon and meet the ally.
   5. Rest in awareness.
   I understand the principles behind the 5-step concept even if I do not agree with it. My liberation comes from above. However, Allione takes a mysterious subject and simplifies it. All in all, Feeding Your Demons is an unique concept. Its basis is ancient, but practiced by many New Agers.



5. I'm 51 and found it very useful. I also bought it for a 24 yr old friend of mine and she thought it was wonderful too! I highly recommend it.

5 comments about Comfortable with Uncertainty: 108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion.

1. Comfortable with Uncertainty offered me an entirely new way to think (and not think) about my life and living. In fun to read and beautifully written, short essays, Pema Chodron describes the revolutionary process of embracing the present, pursuing desire without becoming ferociously attached, and cultivating compassion for yourself and others.
   
   I continually use this book as a gentle reminder whenever I am feeling overly anxious.



2. as pema chodron is one of my teachers i always come back to this book for it's simplicity and great teachings. it's good for any-one who teaches others or new on the spiritual path.every time you revisit this book there's a new wisdom to be found.. it's a timeless treasure.
   jodi



3. This book is quite enlightening. I can forsee reading many more of Chodron's books.



4. Once in a great while a book like this comes along. It's so honest and plain and challenging at the same time. The short chapters and conciseness furthermore make it all the more accessible.



5. It's a best of some of her writings, and it's really good. It's a nice concise set of one and two page sections from her other books. Something that I found myself reading a second time.