The phrase “this book could change your life” is much over used in Publishers’ press releases and on jacket blurbs, but there are books that do change lives – not in all cases in the spectacular fashion that some books may claim, but in more gentle, subtle ways. Peace is Every Step is such a gentle book, and certainly the Buddhist perspective from which it is written is one that has improved, changed, even saved a good few lives!
In the rush of modern life, particularly in the West, and now in the fast becoming Westernized eastern nations, human beings have largely forgotten how to live in the moment and to access the peace that can be found in each moment – we tend to dwell on the past, or our minds rush headlong into the future, making plans that might or might come to fruition, reacting to things that might happen or might never happen, trying to avoid things we don’t want to happen – or if we can’t avoid them, we at least try to avoid thinking about them! Modern life itself is unstable, unpredictable, and is full of unsatisfactoriness which makes us suffer – stress, anger, need, hate, greed, seem to persist long after we have solved most of the practical problems that living in the world presents. In this book, Thich Nhat Hanh, a Zen Master, monk, peace activist and poet, shows us how we can make use of the situations and circumstances that normally leave us feeling stressed, antagonised and negative. Through the Buddhist practice of mindfulness, we can learn to live and find joy and peace in each moment, and grow from the manure, as it were, of our problems and negativity.
Although it is written by a Buddhist monk, and essentially draws on the Buddhist principle of mindfulness, Peace is Every Step does not attempt to draw the reader into Buddhism, but concentrates on helping readers live in the moment and be happier people – both for their own sakes and the sake of others. In deceptively simple language, Thich Nhat Hanh describes mindfulness techniques for dealing with anger and the like, as well as every day situations that might normally have us stressed – the ringing of a telephone, for example, is a reminder to breathe and come back to ourselves, if only for a moment; washing the dishes is an opportunity to revel in the sensations of warm water and to living fully in the moment.
We crave so much what is outside ourselves, he says – but we can enjoy a view of the sky from pretty much anywhere, and can return to the simply beauty of ourselves by using conscious breathing wherever we are – finding the meditative peace that we may or may not also find on the meditation cushion.
All in all this book was a breath of fresh air at a difficult time in my life, and the exercises and outlook certainly helped me. It’s the kind of book I will read again before passing on so somebody else can benefit. Thich Nhat Hanh has written other books which I will be looking at, as this book was very easy to read, and did not get heavy or lecturing despite having a very profound, albeit very simple, message to offer.
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Happiness – everyone is searching for it, but how do we know that so few find it, truly? Probably by the continuous flow of self help books that reach the bestseller lists – achieve happiness through diet, image, riches, friends, travel, hypnosis, etc etc. Still more we look at the addictions around us and see people trying to gain happiness through drink, drugs, sex, power… The list goes on. In a world of truly happy human beings, there would perhaps be less conflict, less trouble. It is probably a tragedy in some ways that the Dalai Lama’s The Art of Happiness, co-authored with Howard C. Cutler, has sold so many copies and spawned a series of such books! For it speaks of so many who come searching, who have not yet found deep, lasting happiness, who still search for it and perhaps pick up this book. Then again, those who read the book cannot fail to have their lives touched in subtle ways, helping not only them, but having knock on effects on others they encounter. One thing is certain – there is suffering (and that is one of the Buddha’s 4 Noble Truths) – but the fact that there is suffering also means an end to suffering, and in its place happiness, some kind of liberation.
The Art of Happiness is subtitled “A Handbook For Living” – but don’t expect 10 practical tips for getting through your day or for dealing with road rage! The authors, rather, take us through an organic journey of discussions and observations, experiences and considerations, giving rather a general direction which we may or may not choose to follow. As with much of Buddhism, there is no right or wrong, merely the observation that certain actions lead to suffering and some do not. As probably the most famous Buddhist in the world, and an accomplised and learned man, the Dalai Lama could hide his message in lots of esoteric language and rituals; he is instead very human, bringing some of his Buddhist ideals and principles to us in very human and very accessible ways. In reading the book we gather the general guiding principles that lead away from suffering and towards our true purpose and birthright – the striving for, the right to be happy.
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I have come a long way in the last year, and it is thanks in no small part to a number of great books I have read, books which I have held sometimes as if I were holding the author’s hand and listening to their kind words of wisdom. Another such book I can now add to this book reviews blog is Tara Brach’s Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha, a jewel of wisdom which comes from the Buddhist idea that we really need to open our hearts and minds to all our experience – including suffering – in order to live fully and happily. And that means to accept some things, and most of all to accept ourselves. It sounds so counterintuitive – to accept bad things, and especially to accept the bad things about ourselves – we are conditioned to want to improve every aspect of our lives. Neither Buddhism or Brach is saying this is wrong – but there are two ways of dealing with the things we cannot change – we can either mope, gnash our teeth and wail, or we can embrace it with acceptance and get on with it with a smile on our face!
Of course Brach does not put things as clumsily as I often do – but rather welcomes us into this philosophy through a number of personal and professional anecdotes which see Radical Acceptance in practice. Before I go any further I should note that although this book is written by a Buddhist teacher, it is very accessible and you by no means have to be familiar with Buddhism to learn something from this book – it is a mixture of Buddhism and therapy, leaning really towards a kind of therapy based on Buddhist principles (Brach is a therapist as well as a Buddhist). As soon as I started reading the book I had one of those “Yes! That’s exactly what I have experienced for 20 years” moments, as Brach related the all too familiar story of the “trance of unworthiness” many of us human beings so easily fall into. It is true that many successful people consider themselves failures, many of us fear that we are not clever enough, not attractive enough, not rich enough, not kind enough, and so on – we spend so much time listening to the voice of this trance that we hardly ever wake up to the true beauty and success of our lives, but Brach shows ways in which Radical Acceptance can help us to wake up and accept ourselves as we really are.
At the end of each chapter there are guided meditations and exercises to help the reader put the ideas into practice, from gentle awareness meditations to meditations and exercises to work on relationships and our reactions to negative emotions, making it a handy book to read and re-read, and try the meditations as you go along.
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As a meditator with some six months’ experience, I have gone some way on my path of meditation. Although it is a lifelong path, my first footsteps have started my journey, and even the longest journeys start with a single footstep. It has been interesting that in my personal journey over the last year, I have listened to many voices offering advice, all of which have helped greatly, but often the voice we ignore is the most important one: our own. My meditation practice has resulted so far in greater confidence, a calmer outlook on day today problems, greater ability to manage stress, and enhanced creativity coupled with more positive thinking. It is true to say that it has been one of the more worthwhile additions to my life in recent years.
Of course the only real way to learn meditation is to meditate – you could read all the books in the world on meditation and be very knowledgeable about the subject, without knowing what the meditation experience actually holds (for in many ways this cannot be put into words, it can only be experienced directly). However, we all need teachers, and although the best teachers are human ones, in person, books have always been an excellent substitute for those keen to learn and research. On my meditative journey, a number of books have proved very useful indeed in providing information on meditation theories, practices and techniques, enabling me to get started, and if not taking me on the journey, at least offering me signposts in the right direction. I will be looking at these books in due course on this book reviews blog, but for now I will start with a book that provides an excellent introduction for beginners, and the wealth of information inside may also be useful as a refresher for experienced meditatoThe converse of something I said earlier is also true – just because someone is an experienced meditator, does not mean that they know all about the theory and practice (indeed practices) of meditation. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Mediation is therefore a useful book for meditators at all different kinds of stages on their journey, and is most definitely not for idiots!
Written by Joan Budilovsky and Eve Adamson, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Mediation is succinct and comprehensive, giving enough information about all aspects of meditation to whet the appetite of the curious, equip the intrepid and inform the experienced. Like all Idiot’s Guides it is broken into easily digestible chunks, and need not be read all at once, but is the kind of book that can be dipped into, although I would recommend reading it all the way through in the first instance. I certainly found myself marking off segments which I would return to later. So, in plain English, the book offers information on how to find a meditation class if appropriate, how to use mantras and healing sounds, how to use visually based meditation techniques, how meditation can improve health, how to breathe properly when meditating, and explores meditation with yoga practice and poses, as well as different meditation techniques from around the world. There’s a summary of Zen techniques, tips for learning how to use meditation in daily life, such as in stressful situations, an exploration of the connections between mediation, sleep and dreams, and it also has some useful diagrams and photographs showing possible poses for meditation practice.
A lot of people claim they don’t have time to meditate, and there is certainly no point in trying to force or cajole people into meditating if they are not, at this time, interested – it would simply be impossible. When you’re ready to begin you’re meditative journey, you’re ready, and if you’re not, you’re not. However, I can honestly say that since I began meditating (now for around an hour a day), I seem to have a lot more time, my mind is more focused so I get things done more quickly, and if I happen to be behind schedule or have a deadline, it doesn’t seem to be a life and death matter any more, and believe me I used to suffer very much from stress and anxiety (although please note that I still do suffer from these, but the meditation has been a very useful addition to my armoury, and proves to be more effective the more I do it – one thing this book will tell you is that having too many expectations about meditation is why many people give up when a few sessions don’t transform there lives!) For sure we are all busy, and meditation may not be for everyone – but with a book like this available there is no longer an excuse to put off finding out at least a little more about meditation. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Mediation can be read over a few weeks, perhaps on the train or bus, perhaps 10 minutes a day during a lunch break. Indeed, you might even get so intrigued you make more time! Just analyse how much time you spend, say, chatting with a colleague, or watching soap operas, or perhaps moaning or worrying! Believe me, reading this book could change you life – although it is more likely rather to set you on a life-changing path, or give you potential for this, or perhaps less dramatically give you some food for thought about the mysteries of meditation 
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