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

1. 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.



2. 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.



3. 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!



4. This book, although not written in a very flowery or flowy style, gave me real insights... it wasn't even what he wrote, but how he wrote it maybe...
   
   I was familiar with the 4 noble and the 8 fold path, but this book spoke to the heart...and not to the head...that's why the head has a hard time following...I will have to re-read it again. The wording is simple, but the meaning deep. It is one of those books that you can randomly pick a page and read a paragraph, and there is no need to keep going.



5. This book is an excellent western explaination of Ajan Sumedho's teachings/realizations of the four noble truths. The author has obviously realized aspects of these teachings as well.

5 comments about When I Say No, I Feel Guilty.

1. I went to assertive training more than 25 years ago, and the early edition of this book was what they used. The techniques are timeless. Thank God I learned these skills before I got married! They have added so much to our relationship (25 years and going strong!). Thank God I learned these skills before I had to deal with insurance companies about my long term illness. These techniques work great with insurance companies! Especially the broken record technique. It is amazing how few "no"s an insurance rep has! I have read almost all books on the subject (I have my masters in communication), and this is still the best one out there! It can make your life happier! These skills have been making my life better for years! Hope you buy it, and it does the same for you!



2. My favorite book on how to be assertive without being obnoxious. I've given copies to may of my friends who can't say "no" when they really want to. Many very useful techniques for dealing with all kinds of people and situations.



3. Although I have been trying to be more assertive over the past couple of years it was not until I read this book that I knew what things I did made me come off as a push-over and what made me strong. Now I am able to transition into a more equal role with those around me when the situation changes.
   
   Its a great read



4. I have found this book to be as relevant today as when it was published. There are a wide range of examples in the book showing how the skills taught can be used. This examples are excellent starting points to practise the skills yourself with others and then step on to applying them in your everyday life.



5. This is the first review I have ever put on Amazon; that's how much I like this book. The first half is full of skills and techniques that, for the unassertive and "nice" person like myself, really opens your eyes. The second half of the book contains different example assertive conversations into different social and professional settings, and while they do help, the first half is really the guts of the book. It doesn't seem to have too many different techniques, but what it has are techniques that work, and they work very quickly, as long as you continue to study them and keep them fresh in your mind, and then of course practice them. The author tells it straight, and really opened my eyes. I bought three of these assertiveness books at one time, and this was the best of the three.

5 comments about The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem.

1. In every field, some books are considered classics. That's the case with The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem.
   
   I bought this book when it first came out, have read it a couple times, and keep it in a bookcase with other valuable books that I re-read every few years. I think it's so important I recently bought it as a gift for my best friend.
   
   One of the most important truths you will ever learn is in this book: "No one is coming to rescue me. If I don't DO something, nothing is going to change." Branden elaborates further, but that advice alone is worth the price of the book. If you sink that truth deep into your life and become your own rescuer, believe me, your life WILL change.
   
   My only criticism of The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem is a personal one. Most of my self-esteem comes from my relationship with God. But this is a secular, not a Christian book, so I didn't really expect to hear that.
   
   This is not fluff. It's not New Age silliness. It's solid, crucial information that will help you live a happier life. If you're trying to build or repair your self-esteem, you need this book.



2. I've read hundreds of self-help books. When I first read this book 10 years ago, it changed my life. No other book had that power. It gave me the insight to heal all my emotional problems. Partially because this book poses no "short cuts" and is very real. Any negative reviews on here--I've noticed--were written by people who didn't really read the book.



3. I have the abridged audio version and recommend that and this review is about that in particular.
   
   There are perhaps about 20 books that can be considered mandatory reading for all humans. This is one of them. Probably in the top 5. Get it? Got it? 'Nuff said. And do the 31 week excercises. You'll find them in the back of the paper book.
   
   If you want to hem and haw, find excuses not to get it or whatever...fine. Go your merry blissfully ignorant way. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink.



4. Glad I bought this book. I will reread it many times. It was very meaningfull to me.



5. I've been reading this book a little bit each day for the last couple weeks. I've been having issues with self-esteem for years, though nothing I'd call serious. Was looking for a book written on the subject by an authority and above all was looking for steps or tactics to improve self-esteem.
   I'm probably a third through the book and what I have read I agree with. However, I find myself reading it and saying to myself "Yes. This is correct...I agree with this. This explains my situation." However I'm left thinking "Now how can I really address this?" Because I am impatient I turned to the back and found the 31 week (yes, 31 weeks!) sentence completion process and started that while I'm in the process of reading. I'm going to stick with it through completion...but I must admit I hope it does not take me this long to achieve some greater improvment in my self-esteem. Call me too impatient, if you wish. Its a well written book, as stated.

5 comments about The Intellectual Devotional: American History: Revive Your Mind, Complete Your Education, and Converse Confidently about Our Nation's Past.

1. I didn't use The Intellectual Devotional in the way it was intended. (That is, reading one entry each day for a year.)
   
   Forget that! There was no way that I was going to wait 24 hours between its excellent and varied entries.
   
   Regarding the few less-than-favorable reader reviews this book has garnered, some do criticize the smallish fonts the authors employ... to these readers, I say muscle up and break out the bi-focals. Each page in this book is devoted to one particular aspect of US history, and on the occasions when I clucked my tongue because some choice tidbit had been left out of a notable American's biography, I'd look the page over again and realize that a profound amount of pithy and important information HAD been included... in short, the Devotional had done as good a job as could be done.
   
   Speaking of pithy, I am now anything but. Buy two copies of this book; one for you, and one for me. (I gave my copy away. Wasn't that a nice gesture?)



2. This is the most sloppily edited book I've ever read. Did it even have a proofreader? Page after page suffers errors in dates and basic facts.
   
   Here is a very typical error in the discussion of the Battle of Antietam in 1862. "Nearly 100,000 soldiers participated in the battle--a force of greater size than the entire army that had fought the American Revolution seventy years earlier." So the Revolutionary War was being fought in 1798?
   
   Seriously, this kind of simple error is all over the place. The previous volume had its own errors (there was an article about Mormon prophet Joseph Smith with a random photograph attached claiming to be him), but this one is terrible. And this is just the stuff I know. I hate to think how many errors there are in total because you have to assume that any fact-checking was equally slipshod.



3. Aristotle's theory of matter and form is one of the most important and influential aspects of his philosophy. He saw the world was populated by substances -- concrete individual things, like plants and animals. He attempts to explain the natural world before the advances of modern science. Although many people, believers and atheists alike, argue the existence of God. Philosophers since Aristotle have tried to prove it. Charles Darwin wrote The Origin of Species which proposed the theory that populations evolve over time.
   
   The Parthenon was constructed between 447 and 432 BC on the Acropolis in Athens, Greece and was dedicated to Athena. There is a replica in Nashville, TN, with a tall statue of Athena. During the Dark Ages, after 476 AD, Charlemagne became the ruler of a huge circumverance and was crowned leader of Christendom. Recent genetic studies show that a large percentage of Europeans descend from this Frankish king.
   
   The Sistine Chapel in the Vatican is best known for the ceiling painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512. His scenes and ignudi (along with five pagan sibyls) covered the original painting of a starry sky. The God creating man was placed over the cardinals side of the chapel.
   
   Andrew Jackson founded a new political party, the Democrats, and became the nation's first democratic president. When Abraham Lincoln won the 1860 election with the support of the Northern abolitionists, the Southern states seceded, sparking the Civil War. John Brown was an activist who with his sons created a fiasco at Harper's Ferry and, as a consequence, he was hanged on the spot.



4. The only thing I can say is that if you liked the 1st edition, you will also enjoy this one.



5. The Intellectual Devotional: American History, is history lite.
   
   Divided into seven fields of knowledge, (Politics & Leadership, War & Peace, Rights & Reform, Business, Building America, Literature, and Arts), the idea behind the devotional is to read one page per day, but I found myself so absorbed that I read half the book in one sitting.
   
   This book is more about the tip of the iceberg rather than an in-depth look at American history, but it is fascinating nonetheless. It's perfect when you only have a few minutes for reading.
   
   On the downside, the fonts are too small for the average reader, so you might find yourself reaching for those drugstore readers. There are obvious editing errors that I found distracting. If you are a true student of history, this is probably not the book for you.
   
   Still, it is great fun, makes a wonderful coffee table book or gift, and opens a window to our collective past.

5 comments about Anger: Handling a Powerful Emotion in a Healthy Way.

1. I did not realize how much anger I was holding on to and the effect it was having on me. I was able to see and admit my anger and then offer it up God. I feel a lot better and happier.
   
   I will be able to use what I read and apply it to the future as well. I learned ways to recognize my anger and constructive ways to resolve underlying issues.



2. There was a lot of talk about God in this book. I am not the most religious person so I felt like it wasn't explaining enough on how to deal with it. I read the chapter on anger with kids and all it said was quote the bible with your kids, admit when you are wrong and listen. I needed more that that to guide me.



3. I got this book specifically because Gary Chapman, a Christian therapist and author, wrote it. His book The Five Love Languages has been an inspiration to many couples seeking a way to make their spouse feel loved and to also make the reader aware of what makes him/her feel loved. His Anger book has left me where I can start managing my anger instead of stuffing it down inside. Funny how in the Bible, God and Christ express anger - but we're told as Christians that it's not a "good" emotion and we should "turn the other cheek". There is a time and a place for everything. If you're angry, then do what you have to in order to come to terms with that anger and deal with it in a healthy way, not the way most of us were taught as kids. The lessons in this book are the groundwork for a healthy life, in whatever circumstances you find yourself. As with any book, read the full description, as it will clue you in as to what the author's motivation is. Chapman is a relationship therapist and his work is phenomenal. He's also a Christian and teaches how to deal with anger in a healthy way, instead of holding it inside until you are ill or you just totally lose it. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a way to express anger in a healthy, constructive way. Too often, we use our anger to hurt others. This book, although based on Biblical teaching, can offer something to anyone who wants to stop the anger cycle and repair the relationships with those around them.



4. Bought two of these as gifts and was told by both parties that they were very good.



5. Dr. Gary is awesome! He has helped me to evolve and introduced me to my walk with God. I will read anything he signs his name to. Highly recommended.

5 comments about I Love You. Now What?: Falling in Love is a Mystery, Keeping It Isn't.

1. When I thought there were not any more sex "techniques" or "tips" about love I could learn from a book, this book just amazed me.
   This book literally blew me away with its freshness, compassion,expert solutions and clarity. This is the relationships book I Love You. Now What?: Falling in Love is a Mystery, Keeping It Isn'tI had been waiting for a long time. From the first page I could put it down
   This book just transformed my relationship and it is never going to be better than after reading it.



2. Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2MUJO4VDU1KKJ Just to refresh your memory, a Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry. The Americanized form consists of three lines. The first line contains five syllables; the second line seven syllables; the third line five again.
   
   I hope you enjoy watching this Haiku Review. After writing reviews with hundreds of words, it can be challenging to sum up a book with a mere seventeen syllables.
   
   Brian Douthit
   Author Of Perfectly Said: when words become art



3. This book is full of eroticism, joy, tips about sex and love. This book is a manual comprising great knowledge for a wonderful relationship with your partner and, most fundamentally, with yourself. In the first part, the book offers solutions in the form of techniques, testimonies and advice to help people to grow spiritually and psychologically, and feel loved. It will also help you understand, change and transform the negative feelings you have about yourself and your partner, for the sake of harmony. The second part of the book is dedicated to different very creative sex techniques that can contribute to improve a relationship, be it a new flame or a well-settled relationship.



4. For the first time, I, and you will too, know how to "be" in a relationship. After having tried so hard in different ways in the past, Iam's (the author) way just lead me there in no time, and with ease. The book is thick and I thought that it maybe pack with "fyi, or good to know" but it's nothing like that. I read every single word; this is too real.
   This book is a gem amongst books teaching about NOW WHAT? After WE said: I LOVE YOU, it teaches "how to be love and loved" not just descriptive information.
   I am surprised that more people have not found this book...it is excellent. You could use the concepts of the book to create the relationship of your dreams. I recommend this book to everyone!
   
   I also recommend Sex and the Perfect Lover: Tao, Tantra, and the Kama Sutra



5. This book should be required reading for every married, single person or in relationship- male and female. Excellent insights - I couldn't put it down. It's a quick read - written well - enjoyable and greatly informative. There's a ton of wisdom packed in its pages!! The book provides a great process for uncovering the qualities of better relationship. Some of the topics and methods discussed in the book include discovering various roadblocks to effective communication, being truly empathetic,learning the art of powerful, open-ended questions, assertiveness skills.The second part is all about sexuality and techniques, it helps my sex issues with my partner. Every chapter is really amazing. I have read this author before and she continues to have very good principles to share. It will bless your life.
   In fact, I bought several copies for my friends. It will make a great gift. Very helpful and fun to read!

5 comments about The Ultimate Weight Solution Food Guide.

1. Very helpful in teaching which foods to help up your metabolism and use as fuel more efficiently. Also helps you to know which foods are less healthful and to limit them. Rapid Start program helps a lot.



2. Sorry, but for such a critical hinge to success being 'getting in touch with this' and 'knowing pivotal things', I'm destined to fail with this book. I just don't know what he's wanting me to look for and the few answers I gave turned out to be 'what it doesn't mean'. Holy cow, he should include a copy of his psych degrees for us to borrow till we get through the program.



3. This is an OK book. Pretty easy read and it doens't take a rocket scientist to decode it but it is just OK. Kinda long at points but he does a good job at putting it on the common mans language. I ahve read better books like "Body By God"



4. I found this book put together so that it's extremely hard to find any particular food that you're trying to figure out. I can't use it as a reference, which is what I wanted. I've totally given up on it. I need all the foods listed in alphabetical order with all of the information stated. This book does NOT accomplish that. I expected much more of it/him. Totally wasted my money on this one.



5. ...is so you can enjoy many more healthy, productive years watching his trashy train wreck show.

5 comments about Living the Wisdom of the Tao: The Complete Tao Te Ching and Affirmations.

1. As this little book suggests - it takes time to get it, but once learned it's more valuable than one can imagine. Its not for anyone just beginning their journey of living in the moment. Dr. Dyer has done it again. He never lets you down.



2. Tao Te Ching..meaning Book of The Way, or book of the Word. One of the best books ever written. Certainly , the book that has had the most profound positive influence on my life.
   
   If you are like me, you may be wondering should I get this particular version, and how does it compare with other versions like the Mitchell, English and Star version.
   
   No matter how great a writer you think Wayne Dyer is, he did not write the Tao, yet his rendition is consistent with the best versions I have read. The distinguishing trait of Dyer's version is that there is a short affirmation opposite each verse, a lesson to be derived.
   
   Some of these are good, and still leave room for you to come up with your own ideas. In fact, that is an inspiring way to go through the tao, and I must make a point of going through my other versions and writing out my thoughts on each chapter. So, thank you, Mr Dyer. I also like the layout with the graphics. They add a little atmosphere to each verse.
   
   So, my personal favorite version is the Stephen Mitchell version. The Tao is wise, paradoxical, counterinituitive, puzzling, fascinating, mysterious, inspiring, amazing and true. These concepts bypass ego based thinking, and the idea of doing things by not striving is allowing a higher more authentic way of thinking to inform your being and your action.
   
   The Jane English version, has a 25th Anniversary Edition which is a large size book, coffee table version, with symbols, and graphics, and a regular size version.
   
   One of the Jonathan Star versions has Chinese symbols at the back, with multiple meanings of each symbol.
   
   This is a great idea, which allows you to come up with your own version of the Tao, and would really open up your thinking on the Tao.
   
   If you are like me, then as you read you discover the wisdom
   like a raw jewel which you shape into a glittering diamond. That is the brilliance of the book.
   
   The Tao is always present within you.
   You can use it any way you want.
   
   
   81 chapters, all less than one page. Like any great mystery, the Tao is there to be experienced and not necessarily understood. Here is a selection from verse 81 to illustrate the difference between different versions.
   
   True words aren't eloquent;
   Eloquent words aren't true;
   Wise men don't need to prove their point;
   Men who need to prove their point aren't wise.
   
   A different version might substitute the word beautiful for eloquent.
   
   You can feel comfortable buying the Wayne Dyer version, or any of these other versions.
   
   I also recommend The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, which is another classic book of wisdom, and The Dhammapada featuring the succinct teachings of the Buddha.
   
   If you were to find this review helpful, please click yes.



3. I have been interested in and a student of the teachings of Wayne Dyer for some time.
   
   This work is yet another piece to have in your self-improvement library. I believe firmly in the messages he relays and have been learning the power of meditation.
   
   If you're interested in expanding your horizons, this is for you.



4. Dr. Dyer writes in a down-to-earth style easily understood by anyone. His books may hold information one knows already, but just reading them tends to bring the words home and helps one to make positive changes in one's life.



5. This is a good translation of Lao Tzu's masterpiece. The wording is clear and concise.

5 comments about Reading People: How to Understand People and Predict Their Behavior--Anytime, Anyplace.

1. There is no significant insight to this author's offering other than right and wrong means nothing in the legal process-and of course, you can make money from a legal travesty-buyers should'nt waste their money-I did



2. I'm a "human behavior junkie" so I read all of these types of books, This one is not too bad. It for sure has some interesting insights. I much prefer Lieberman's YOU CAN READ ANYONE. That book is very practical, and as is his style, not filled with any fluff or psycho-nonsense.



3. You might want to read the last 3 chapters first if you are looking to find the more useful info about READING PEOPLE. The author covers her tracks well by often mentioning that there is no guarantee in reading people. Let's say it's not an exact science. She does give good basic insight if you are YOUNGER. If you are an older person then there is not too much can be added to your repertoire.
   
   For the cost conscious: get this one used and you can find which category of reader you fall into more economically. This is a book that can't do you harm or waste your time. Who knows - you might learn something about people. Get it.



4. I have enjoyed reading this book very much. I am somewhat disappointed with some of the reviews. This book is like a text book; you're going to have to re-read the book several times with each time picking up something that you missed. You must next apply what you read and then re-read the book to interpret your findings.
   
   I have found the book very useful in understanding people around me. I have applied the lessons in this book to my work to help me interpret actions by people including my boss. It has at times helped me to understand the hidden meaning past events of other people's actions with me and others.
   
   It is not a quick read. Do not expect to be able to in "5-minutes" learn the secret meaning of people's actions. It is a good book that deserves several re-reads.



5. After reading this book, I realize the complexity of the art of reading people. There are many factors to consider. This book is not meant for a surface reading. But, it brings to the forefront the observations one should take in before making a judgment call on anyone. It is also helpful as a self exam. You start to pay attention to your own conversations and interactions with others no matter where you are.

5 comments about You Can Heal Your Life Affirmations Kit.

1. I LOVE this kit. It is so elegant and fun. It is inspiring and bright... I am such a huge fan of Louise Hay that she can do nothing wrong in my eyes. This is so like her to come up with something so cheerful and delightful. It makes a great gift too...



2. This is a wonderful product, little kit! It is simple, easy and fun! It comes with a little magnet board and lots of little magnet words, a book,some cards and a cd! What a great complete kit for the price!!!



3. I had bought one for myself & liked it so much just ordered 2 more as gifts



4. I love the kit, but was disappointed to find out that the affirmation cd was exactly the same one that comes with the "I can do it" book, which I already had and is a great cd. So I was wanting something different than I already had. Louise Hays items are great, but just a bit repetitive. The cards are wonderful and overall it is a great kit!!!



5. I really enjoy Louise Hay's products and thoughts. This kit is a tremendous way to incorporate positive affirmations into your everyday on the go life!