Looking to get into meditation? This is the book. Hitting a rough patch in life? This is the book. Having a hard time understanding/dealing with emotions? This is the book. I’ve only come across Tara Brach about two years ago and she’s already one of the biggest influencers in my life. If you’ve been reading my blogs you might already be familiar with her name. I’ve mentioned her in my blogs “Getting Still and Smoke & Mirrors” where both dealt with meditation on some level and how to deal with uncomfortable emotions. She has an amazing podcast that has hour long talks alongside 20 minute meditations that you can follow along with.
No matter how you look at, people are flawed. We have fears. We have anxieties. You can be on cloud 9 Monday and find yourself barely making it through the day on Tuesday. Being a human is fucking hard, man. As hard as it is though, I am a strong believer that one of the best ways to navigate through this world is to really try to understand yourself. Understand how you work. Why you do the things you do. What your fears are. All of that is easier said than done. I get it. So that’s where this book comes into play. This book is a master-course on helping us understand ourselves a little bit better. Tara does a phenomenal job in combining her knowledge of psychology with the teachings of buddhism that helps us understand what’s going on with us. That what you’re probably feeling is nothing out of the norm. Among that, she throws in daily meditations in the book that are yours to try out. When all is said and done I think the thing I love most about Tara is her approach to meditation; non-dogmatic, straight to the point, and no bullshit. Really gained a lot from her so if you have the time, definitely check out her book or podcast.
Standouts: “The boundary to what we can accept is the boundary to our freedom.”
“”As happens in any addiction, the behaviors we use to keep us from pain only fuel our suffering. Not only do our escape strategies amplify the feeling that something is wrong with us, they stop us from attending to the very parts of ourselves that most need our attention to heal. As Carl Jung states in one of his key insights, the unfaced and unfelt parts of our psyche are the source of all neurosis and suffering.”
“When we learn to face and feel the fear and shame we habitually avoid, we begin to awaken from trance. We free ourselves to respond to our circumstances in ways that bring genuine peace and happiness.”
Rating: 8/10
Recommended for: Read the first few lines.