Books Reviews
This is a page for books that have had a significant impact on me and my understanding of what it is to be human.
“Practicing Peace in Times of War” by Pema Chödrön.
This week’s book to consider is a small but useful little book to help understand and transform anger, aggression and ill will into peaceful mindstates. In “Practicing Peace in Times of War,” Pema Chödrön draws on Buddhist teachings to explore the origins of aggression, hatred and war. Her key message is that to change cultures of violence and national tendencies to go to war, we must look to foster peace in our own minds and hearts – rather than just relying on our politicians and leaders to manifest peace. Change from the bottom up is more reliable and profound than from the top down! … Read the rest of this review
Buy at fishpond.com.au (Australia)
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“Something Beautiful for the World: a shakuhachi sadhana” by Tarchin Hearn
This week’s book to consider is both a work of poetry and a deep spiritual teaching, using the process of constructing and learning to play the bamboo flute as a metaphor for learning how to recognise, shape and play ourselves as we master our inner flute. Tarchin Hearn presents a moving and evocative guide to mindfulness of all our senses. Just reading his poetic words stimulates the imagination … Read the rest of this review
“Opening Your Inner “I”: Discover healing imagery through Selective Awareness” by Emmett E. Miller, M.D.
This week I am turning my attention to an excellent example of Western self hypnosis techniques, developed by a very creative and wise medical doctor who determined to learn how to use the power of the mind to help the many patients who presented to him with a wide range of physical and mental illnesses. I plan to return to reviewing more of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s books in a little while but think it’s time to consider a very Western way of using the mind to heal. … Read the rest of this review
“The Sanity We Are Born With: A Buddhist Approach to Psychology” by Chogyam Trungpa.
This is the second in my series reviewing some of the works of Ven. Chogyam Trungpa, the Tibetan Buddhist meditation master, scholar and founder of the Naropa Institute in Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A. In this book Chogyam Trungpa presents key Buddhist ideas about the mind and how the underlying goodness and healthiness that constitute the basic sanity of all people can be uncovered and brought to awareness. Following an introduction discussing the meeting of Buddhist and Western Psychology, the book is loosely divided into three parts … Read the rest of this review
Buy at fishpond.com.au (Australia)
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“Transcending Madness: The Experience of the Six Bardos ” by Chogyam Trungpa.
Over the last few months I have been drawn to study the works of Ven. Chogyam Trungpa, the Tibetan Buddhist meditation master, scholar and founder of the Naropa Institute in Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A. Accordingly, I plan to review at least two of his books in the next while. Today I shall review ‘Transcending Madness: The Experience of the Six Bardos’ by Chogyam Trungpa. In this book Chogyam Trungpa discusses how the Tibetan Buddhist term, ‘bardo’ (usually associated with life after death), can be usefully explored and interwoven … Read the rest of this review
Buy at fishpond.com.au (Australia)
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“Buddhist Practice on Western Ground ” by Harvey B. Aronson, PhD
This book is particularly useful for longer term meditators, Buddhist teachers and psychotherapists interested in exploring the usefulness of integrating Buddhist psychology into their practice. It is a scholarly book but very readable. The most outstanding quality of ‘Buddhist Practice on Western Ground’ is the clear and profound identification of cultural differences and their significance, between teachers with traditional Asian assumptions about interdependence and social obligations and students from western cultures where the emphasis is on individuality … Read the rest of this review
Buy at fishpond.com.au (Australia)
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“Infidel: My life” by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
I ‘ve chosen to talk about this book because of what it has taught me about the process and consequences of religious indoctrination. Although the focus here is on fundamentalist examples of Muslim faith and its explicit instructions on female rights and behaviours, I believe its lessons on the conditioning process and power of indoctrination are applicable to all fundamentalist religious societies. Read the rest of this review
Buy at fishpond.com.au (Australia)
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The Majesty of Your Loving: A Couple’s Journey Through Alzheimer’s by Olivia Ames Hoblitzelle, with a forward by Jon Kabat-Zinn.
This is a very moving account of the personal journey, from diagnosis to death, of a very close and loving couple who were not afraid to share their experience of the progressive loss of faculties and slow death caused by Alzheimers. It is a poetically written book about love, fear, hope and loss; about bravery and endurance; commitment and acceptance. Read the rest of this review
Buy at fishpond.com.au (Australia)
Buy at Amazon.com (USA)
Going To Pieces Without Falling Apart : A Buddhist Perspective on Wholeness by Dr Mark Epstein.
Going to Pieces Without Falling Apart is a truly excellent book on some of the most significant differences between Buddhist and Western psychology. Dr Mark Epstein is a psychiatrist in private practice and a long term meditator and student of Buddhadharma. From his depth knowledge and direct experience, he has brilliantly woven together the wisdom of two worlds: Buddhism and Western psychotherapy. Read the rest of this review
Buy at fishpond.com.au (Australia)
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Dear Anil,
Thank you for the review of your book ‘Path to Perfect Happiness’. It sounds interesting and does indeed bring together Buddhist and Western psychological ideas about the mind, suffering and happiness.
You say that “living with certainty and overcoming uncertainty calls for ceasing of conditions that drive us from the vast unconscious mind” and I presume you are referring to the impulses, or predispositions, that we are so often unconscious of and therefore cause us to act as if under a spell. However, my understanding is that it is not so much the conditions that need to cease – but rather awareness of the previous forgotten or repressed learnings that constitute those conditions. It is only when we have awareness of what is propelling us – or that we are being propelled (or driven) by impulses rather than by considered choice – that we have the freedom to act and think in different ways. I do not believe that we are ever able to live with certainty. As I said in my blog on living with uncertainty, the impermanent and therefore constantly changing nature of what we perceive as reality makes accurate predictions and control impossible.
Warm wishes,
Jacqui
Dear Jacqui,
Living with certainty and overcoming uncertainty calls for ceasing of conditions that drive us from the vast unconscious mind. Unconditioned happiness is the human birthright, and the Buddha has shown the way. ‘Path to Perfect Happiness’ a book on Buddhist Psychology of Personality Development deals with this subject. You can get a copy on http://www.dr-priyankabaddevithana.co.uk/, and the book review given below might be helpful:
The book “Path to Perfect Happiness” shows how to achieve excellence by increasing the power of the brain through cognitive rejuvenation. The brain, like any other muscle in the body needs exercise for it to function properly. It is an innovative presentation of the Psychology of Personality Development based on case studies and scientific analysis. The content is bound to have practical and academic relevance to exponents of Psychology as well as aspirants of Buddhism, especially as it discusses the relationship between the Buddhist teaching of mindfulness and the theory of personality development.
We, human beings, are at the top of the evolutionary ladder where the mind’s intelligence and creativity have made it possible for us to transcend the limitation of personality and achieve a transpersonal psychological level of consciousness. Each individual has the capability of achieving self-actualization that Abraham Maslow (1970) expounded in his model of the “Hierarchy of Needs.” However, one has to develop a discerning intellect and a firm resolve based on self-knowledge before achieving this highest state of contentment. The founder of humanistic psychology, Abraham Maslow describes self-actualization as the ultimate motivational force, mentally driven towards a state of harmony and wisdom.
Maslow gave the idea of “Transpersonal Psychology” as the ultimate knowledge of the full-mind. This points the modern human of the 21st century in the direction of enlightenment and the “non-self” that one realizes through the eightfold path and mindfulness in Buddhist teaching.
The two central figures whose achievements Maslow studied for his model of self-actualizations were Lao Tzu and Albert Einstein. Lao Tzu, a sixth century BC Chinese philosopher, is the father of Taoism where “Tao” is translated as ‘the way’ or ‘the path’ while the basis of perfect happiness or tranquility in Taoism was described as the personal meaning one realizes upon abandoning material possessions to develop knowledge of the self. Maslow’s other subject; Albert Einstein was also famous for his deeply philosophical outlook on life. One of his famous quotes is:
“Buddhism has the characteristics of what would be expected in a cosmic religion for the future: It transcends a personal God, avoids dogmas and theology; it covers both the natural and the spiritual, and it is based on a religious sense aspiring from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual, as a meaningful unity.”
Albert Einstein (1954)
‘The Human Side’ Princeton University Press
We could delineate five major phases of development in psychology as Freudian Psychoanalysis & its offshoots, Behaviorism of John Watson, Humanistic Psychology of Abraham Maslow, Transpersonal Psychology and Transhuman Psychology. The Buddha’s enlightenment is the ultimate achievement of excellence in the value of a human life. Therefore, it is a “transhuman” destination, having journeyed on the path to a state if perfection characterized by unconditioned happiness. The Buddha set the goal to transcend the conditioned existence and reach the perfection of the unconditioned contentment or a state of happiness that is the ultimate birthright of all humans. The human existence is a necessary pre-requisite for self-realization, and this distinguishes humans from the rest of the animal kingdom. The Buddha declared: “Within this fathom-long sentient (conscious and breathing) body itself, I postulate the world (things compound), the arising of the world, the cessation of the world, and the path leading to the cessation of the world”. Therefore, it substantiates Einstein’s notion that Buddhism offers the cosmic reality as the meaning of life.
Yes Jacqui I have read ‘Going to pieces without falling apart’. Bought it years ago. Strangely now my daughter is finding it useful also in her life.
Another good book which you may have already read is
‘The Void’ by A.H. Almaas.
It is a psychodynamic investigation into the relationship between Mind and Space. Being involved in Tibetan Buddhist meditation, I have found this book to give a refreshing modern explanation of the Eastern and Western view of space/Mind. Well worth reading
Johanna
Hi Johanna, thanks very much for your suggestion to look at The Void. All suggestions and reactions are very much appreciated.
Warm wishes, Jacqui