Books and Media Reviews

Naikan: Gratitude, Grace, and the Japanese Art of Self-Reflection

School/perspective: Naikan (influenced by Pure Land Buddhism) Chapter headings: What Is Naikan? Gratitude and the Practice of Attention and Reflection in Everyday Life Giving to Others A Moral Self-Examination Mysteries and the Myths of Separation Intimate Attention The Practice of Naikan Self-Reflection and Service Selected excerpts: “Naikan is a Japanese word that means “looking inside”,…

Mindful Recovery

Chapter headings: Part One: Mindful Recovery Introduction: Getting to here and now The process of change Part Two: The Ten Doorways to Mindful Recovery Doorway One: Seeing the magic of the ordinary (Practices: Be aware of your breathing; reclaim the magic; establish moments of mindfulness; stop making hope an obstacle; recognize enough). Doorway Two: Telling…

Let Go: A Buddhist Guide to Breaking Free of Habits

hapter headings: Introduction Patterns Meditation Grasping Mental Habits Lost in Emotions Signals of the Body Recovering from Addiction Love Compassion Ethics A Creative Path Afterword Acknowledgements Bibliography Index Selected excerpts: “In England there is an association, The Prison Phoenix Trust, which is dedicated to teaching meditation and yoga to prisoners. This organization sends out a…

Hooked!: Buddhist Writings on Greed, Desire, and the Urge to Consume

Chapter headings: Foreword: Paul Hawken Introduction: Stephanie Kaza Part One Getting Hooked: Desire and Attachment 1. Desire, delusion and DVDs: Joseph Goldstein 2. How we get hooked, how we get unhooked: Pema Chödrön 3. The inner pursuit of happiness: Ruben L.F. Habito 4. Young Buddhists in shopping Shangri-la: Sumi Loundon 5. Marketing the Dharma: Thubten…

Hi, I’m Bill and I’m Old: Reinventing My Sobriety for the Long Haul

Chapter headings: Acknowledgments Preface Aging Reverie: Oblivion No Escape Two Truths The Downward Slope Old Is Good We Are Addicts The God of Time The End Naked Burial Remembering Story/Memory Interlude Memory/Story Interlude Growing Down Interlude The Mind of my Grandmother Interlude Rocking Chair Forgetting Silence Big Mind Resurrection Transfiguration Communion Reverie: The Mind of…