1 comments about Redeeming the Past: Recovering from the Memories that Cause Our Pain.

1. Seamonds writes a book that is very caring. He addresses many issues, including blocked memories. This is helpful both the the person who seeks healing from memories as well as pastors and counselors.

4 comments about A Truthful Heart: Buddhist Practices for Connecting with Others.

1. Written by Jeffrey Hopkins, who served as the interpreter for the Dalai Lama for a decade, and featuring a foreword by the Dalai Lama himself, A Truthful Heart: Buddhist Practices for Connecting with Others is a guide to developing a more compassionate outlook, and therefore improve one's ability to project love and accomplish positive endeavors. Chapters guide the reader in using Buddhist meditations (including the Dalai Lama's favorite!) and visualizations, as well as offering vignettes from the author's own life. A welcome resource not only for Buddhist practitioners and those curious about the faith, but also for any reader regardless of religion seeking surcease from anger and pain, and desiring an increase of love and compassion within the world at large.



2. The Midwest Book Reviewer summed it up well. It is in part a vivid memoir of the author's transformation from the self-confinement of hostility to the open-heart of love. At the same, it is a systematic and authoritative guide to bringing that same change into our own lives. Highly recommended. If you have found some of Hopkins's other works tough going, don't worry: this one is a great read for all.



3. This book brings much light into developing compassion with many very practical hints. The language Mr. Hopkins is using, is very much down-to-earth.
   The guided meditations he is giving in this book are simple yet profound.
   I recommend the book to everyone who is no longer satisfied with the abstract idea "may everyone be happy" and truly wants to develop a heartfelt and intimate compassion for sentient beings.
   Thank you Mr. Hopkins!



4. With a bookcase full of books about Buddhism with many takes on developing equanimity and cultivating compassion, I was skeptical that Jeffrey Hopkins' A TRUTHFUL HEART would add anything "new." A quick skim through HEART at an airport Borders convinced me I was wrong. I plopped down my money and got reading.
   
   Hopkins does a fabulous job of making traditional, well-known meditation practices real--and feelingful. I suspect he has grounded these practices in Western culture in such a way they are now just as fresh for us as they might be to a novice monk. This grounding is much appreciated.
   
   The only "negative" is the realization that other traditions seemed less focused on the practical steps required to "love they neighbor as thyself"--and are unlikely to read/adapt HEART.
   
   Recommended, even if you have a stack of meditation books already. Enjoy.
   
   Dr. Kirtland Peterson

5 comments about The Gentle Art of Blessing: Living One's Spirituality in Everyday Life.

1. This book is wonderful. I recommend it to everyone regardless of religious persuasion. If each person could put in to practice the ideas in this book, it could transform society.



2. this book has helped me to learn about the how's of blessing.. I learned alot and felt inspired to bless more of my everyday life..
   
   loved it.



3. On page 11, the author writes, "As you walk, bless the city in which you live, its government and teachers, its nurses and street sweepers, its children and bankers, its priests and prostitutes. The minute anyone expresses the least aggravation or unkindness to you, respond with a blessing: Bless them totally, sincerely, joyfully - for such blessings are a shield that protects them from the ignorance of their misdeed and deflects that arrow that was aimed at you."
   
   I wish I could give an all-encompassing, "that's great, I loved it" review on this book, but I'm struggling with Pradevand's comments that the best and most potent response to aggression is blessing.
   
   Less than three days ago, 32 students were murdered at a once-beautiful college in the midst of the Blue Ridge mountains. There are times when you must be prepared to go toe to toe with evil and deal it a fatal blow. Like Pradervand, I believe that each of God's children have the potential and ability to express Her purity and goodness and love, but I also believe that some of God's children would rather face annihilation than surrender their association with pure evil.
   
   Jesus never taught us that we should "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil." He prayed and *then* he threw over the moneychanger's tables. He cursed the fig tree, sent the swine to their death over the hill, etc. He said to his beloved disciple Peter, "get thee behind me Satan."
   
   Jesus' predominant activity was blessing, but from my reading of various scriptures and exegeses, he also did some cursing!
   
   The Bible records several instances when Jesus got angry. His anger was unselfish and short-lived, but there were times when he "let people have it."
   
   So, if you can move through Pradervand's book with that in mind, I do recommend it as a good read. It's stuffed full of inspiring messages and powerful anecdotes on the practical application of spiritual laws to restore peace and harmony to one's soul. I also highly recommend Peck's book, "People of The Lie," which is one of the best books I've ever read about dealing with evil people. Perhaps these two books should be read together.



4. I love this book! As soon as I finished it, I started to read it again. In practicing blessing in the way the author explains it, I've seen my own (justifiable) anger and animosity towards people who have hurt me or damaged my life melt away.
   
   I don't think the author means that we shouldn't carry through if some evil needs to be addressed, but it makes it possible to do so objectively and without hate.
   
   The key, in my thought, is that this book made me see that I have to put my spiritual convictions into practice all the time and toward everyone...I can't get away with just praying in a general sense and then going about my day and continuing to feel contentious towards someone, even when merited.



5. The first two chapters held my attention well. The principle is life changing, this book is not. The author quotes many others to substantiate his stories, rather than deeply developing the theme and supporting it with quotes. Became repetitious while using different words.
   
   For the average reader who is seeking spiritual development, the title is captivating. The book could support this journey by proposing thoughtful questions during each chapter to help the reader focus the information to his/her self.
   A big disappointment to me.

No comments about So I'm God . . . Now What?: Tools for Empowered Humans.

No comments about Chicken Soup for the Golfer's Soul, The 2nd Round: 101 More Stories of Insight, Inspiration and Laughter on the Links.

5 comments about The Chocolate Cake Sutra: Ingredients for a Sweet Life.

1. If you've read anything else by Larkin, you know. She's witty, wise, and worldly. As the cover may give away, this isn't some preachy, "thou shalt" and "thou shalt not" book of Buddhist directives. Larkin speaks in the voice of one who has been there. Practically everywhere. Her words hit home and her teachings are nestled in the familiar. Loaded with personal stories to illustrate time-tested points, The Chocolate Cake Sutra provides the perfect soul food. Pun unapologetically intended.



2. If Emily Dickenson had been a big time business consultant before coming to poetry, she would have written books of humane and human wisdom as Geri Larkin does after having become a Zen priest herself. Geri puts down raw experience that one recognizes as one's own , and tempers it with insights that makes one feel proud for having shared and come through such experiences.



3. First off I do not as a rule write many review. But, this book and ALL of her books deserve high praise and have really spoken to me on many levels. I fell into this book by reading a review from my latest Body and Soul Magazine. And , I couldn't be happier that I decided to take their advice and purchase it. I read this book in 2 days...could not put it down. It spoke to me on SO many levels! Geri writes as tho she is your best friend sharing her journey with you and I could relate to SO many of her examples. I had purchase other books on Buddhism but struggled to understand them many times...I have a VERY busy schedule ( which after reading this I realize I MUST slow down) But, the other books left me a bit frustrated and frankly wanting to just fall asleep. This book was uplifting and down to earth. No pretense here...Just one person who is on a path of enlightenment expaining to another the ups and downs to acheiving it and what the path entails. I felt as I was reading that we were almost sitting together over a cup of tea or coffee and I just listening to her. I felt very comforted and also found myself laughing out loud many times at her own trials and tribulations that I could really relate to. I was very disappointed to learn that she had moved to Seattle however. I live only 2 hours from Detroit and Ann Arbor and felt saddened to learn that she was so close to me and I might have made a journey to the Temple to meet her had I discovered her earlier...and now she is thousands of miles away. But, there is a reason for everything and so instead I promptly ordered every other book she has written and finished one of them already. These are books though that, even if they are an easy and fast read, have a lot of "meat" in them and I will be referring to them again and again...re-reading each one until the pages are sure to be worn. Thank you Geri Larkin for being you and for writing these amazing books! I am so happy to have "stumbled" upon you on my path toward enlightenment!



4. Chocolate Cake Sutra, felt like sitting at a coffee shop having the most perfect talk on the most perfect day. Up lifting and inspiring, without being overwhelming, Geri Larkin brought a renewed sense of self with every word urging each of us, to find passion and inspiration in the most unexpected places.



5. I read this in the paperback edition. It is is a (sometimes)funny, always practical, easy-to-read book. Yet, it does cover the primary principles of Buddhism.

No comments about The Red String Book.

5 comments about Between the Dreaming and the Coming True: The Road Home to God.

1. This is a great book because it communicates in the words and between the words, the heart of the Father for us. It shows that He cares for the weakest of us in a way we only dare believe.

   It's a tribute to our Redeemer, spoken with authenticity and transparency.

   Thanks Bob.




2. This is a marvelous little book. Not even 150 pages, but it packs a punch. Benson's prose is magnificent. I have read the book 5 times in the last year and continue to learn from it. Each chapter follows a different theme, and Benson pulls images from his life experience to carry the chapter along. Never moralistic, the chapters are merely descriptive of Benson's life, and the way that he has found God through the rhythms of the church year, the praying of the Psalter, and other spiritual practices. The entire framework of the book is the quest to get back home to God. Because the chapters are never moralistic (i.e., Benson does not "tell us" what to do), there is much that each one can take from his work. Every time I read it I am reminded that there is a purpose in life, and that I can choose to "tap in" to that purpose. A very refreshing read, and highly recommended.



3. I have three of Bensons books now because I love his writing, love the way he lives his life and feel akin to the thoughts in his head. I am only giving him four stars because I feel he still has a five star book in him waiting to be written. God stills has that "something" for Benson to do, to write about for the rest of us pilgrims out here. Yet there is enough wisdom (written with humility) in this book that makes me want to grab my two children and impart it to them as well.



4. i found this book literally minutes after a desperate and quiet prayer asking God if i would "ever make it 'home'." Discouraged, I found this book for just [price] on the street, read it in one evening, and had my life changed because of it. It is an easy read, thought-provoking, intelligently and humbly written...it is comforting to know another has had the same awkward questions and thoughts about life's purpose, yet somehow expresses them with amazingly eloquent ease. I highly recommend this book to others.



5. Though this book is little in size, it's BIG in content. Throughout, the author eloquently and honestly imparts to the reader his struggles on the path to finding his way back to God. A book to be read again and again.

5 comments about Chicken Soup for the Soul at Work (Chicken Soup for the Soul).

1. First of all, just to get things off of my chest (and believe you me, I usually LOVE getting everything off of my chest right off the bat!) Item! Jack Canfield is an excellent and gifted motivational writer. Golly, he has motivated me to write a review, right? However, this time around old Jack's soup could use a little salt or herbage to his advice. If you ask anyone where I work, I am always promoting Chicken Soup for the Soul stories however I didn't find these all that courageous or creative. I mean, what is creative or daring about a woman who builds an entire miniature of her office environment in her cubicle using Beanie Babies for each of her coworkers. And what bigger point was Jack trying to point out about the manager who tried to motivate his daily reports by having them act out scenes from "A Room With a View" before they started their shift each day? Kind of lost me this time, Mr Canfield!



2. I'm a huge fan of the Chicken Soup books, and bought them all (even the Jewish, although I'm Christian, the prisoner's, although no one I know has ever been arrested, etc.). However, this one just arrived, but is already packed to be returned. I skimmed it, but was horribly disappointed. The stories all appeared long-winded (actually, verbose), boring, and non-inspiring. Although the other books are all wonderful to read and reread over and over again, containing countless inspirational stories (many short enough to print out and frame, and virtually all worthy of displaying on one's wall), these weren't even worth wading through the first time. I hate to say it, but this one seems to have been written solely to make a buck, padding out the most boring experiences to compile a book.
   They aren't inspirational and aren't interesting -- period.



3. I noticed this book at the airport bookstore and picked it up. I couldn't put the book down as I read one touching story after the other. It's a great colletion of stories to inspire us to add "heart" to the workplace. Kudos to all the authors.



4. Nice, inspiring little book. I work for an elected official who is a tyrant. I wish I'd seen this book 3 yrs ago! But, fortunately, it's cheered me up enough to get through the next 2 months as he was just defeated in his bid for re-election. (Yippeee!)



5. This tape was my first experience of the Chicken Soup series. I had heard of Mark Victor Hansen from the One Minute Millionaire book.
   The first thing that struck me was how awfully - there's only one way to put this - American the tape is. Beneath the slightly patronising (perhaps only to non-American ears) delivery the stories are indeed worthwhile even though some suffer from being over-sentimental.
   Recommended.

5 comments about Money and Manifesting.

1. This is a great little book, and I emphasize the word "little" in that Dyan Garris offers an effortlessly engaging guide to manifesting in a quick read that gets right to the heart of its title. While "manifesting" books and tools are no doubt enjoying immense popularity right now, Garris is the first to address the more subtle energies that may block our receptivity to all we desire, no matter how many exercises, visualizations and other law of attraction principles we practice. This accomplished musician and clairvoyant goes a step deeper by integrating an awareness of the chakras into her program for attracting greater success and abundance, guiding readers to uncover and release the unconscious patterns that may be sabotaging their efforts with detailed, simple exercises on how to clear, balance and activate the body's more etheric energies so that our positive thinking stems from a foundation of spiritually, emotionally and mentally aligned well-being. And Garris delivers this all in an absorbing blend of fact and fiction, weaving stories with characters with whom readers will easily identify throughout her more instructional text -- a technique meant to integrate both left and right brain, and thereby start the manifesting process automatically. Never pedantic or preachy, she writes in the warm, breezy style of a dear friend inviting you into her confidence, displaying a witty humor that aids in making this a brisk and illuminating read that breaks through the manifesting plateau by quite literally rooting out the obstacles to creating a deeply satisfying and joyful life.



2. If you've found little nor no success working with such concepts as the law of attraction as discussed in books like The Secret, there's a reason. As Garris explains in the compact, easy-to-read book, you're missing part of the story. Positive thinking and affirmations are not enough.
   
   We need to clear the energy flow through our chakras; it's easy and she explains how. And, perhaps more importantly, we must discover any lurking "issues" with the very things we're desire in our lives. That is, if we were brough up thinking it's bad to want money, then that notion may be blocking our efforts to bring money into our manifested world. Both an enjoyable book and one with principles and practical meditations that work.



3. For many years, I've believed that people have the "power" to make their lives better. I'm a big fan of alternative health and thinking. So, when Dyan Garris approached me about a virtual book tour for her book Money and Manifesting, I was intrigued.
   
   I admit that I'm one of the few people who didn't read The Secret. Too much hype and too many expectations... I avoid books that have that much hype behind them. The laws of attraction are a principle that I had heard about, but I didn't know a lot of detail.
   
   I began to read Money and Manifesting and there are many points that just made so much sense from the beginning. For years, I've always said that actions speak much louder than words. That idea fits into manifesting. Just thinking about what you want to accomplish isn't enough- action is needed. Many people have disagreed with me that ACTION is needed - many of these were people who didn't want to believe they had to do something to make these things happen for them. It was validating to see those words in print and to have that ideal substantiated in such a logical way.
   
   Money and Manifesting covers so many wonderful topics including: chakra balancing, detailed explanations about each chakra and what it affects, entitlement, poverty consciousness, fear, how people measure success, grounding, centering, integrating, taking responsibility, making choices and much more.
   
   In addition to all of this information, Dyan Garris also includes sections which include fictional people. These sections are great ways to give us more depth of understanding about how this information applies to people and how it can impact their lives.
   
   This is a small book, but there is a wealth of valuable information packed in these pages. I highly recommend it for people who want to go past the laws of attraction and who need additional information to make things happen in their lives.



4. I've been reading (and listening to audios) about the Law of Attraction ever since I first saw "The Secret" when it was first released. Money and Manifesting is a must - it will take you far beyond anything else you can find on manifesting.



5. I have read numerous books on how to manifest money but "Money and Manifesting" by Dyan Garris is by far the most beneficial book I have read on this topic. She not only explains the theory on how to manifest money and abundance but provides real life scenarios to help you apply it in any situation. She includes characters with a story which is not only enjoyable to read but teaches the reader to not only manifest money but how to create any true desires you have in life.
   
   Ann Churchman