Customer Reviews
A Wonderful Resource for Self Discovery
Years ago I attended one of Tara and her husband Daniel's weekend seminar on meditation. I remember feeling a lightness and ease in myself after this seminar. I found a similar experience with reading Tara's book, Emotional Alchemy. Through Western psychology and Buddhist mindfulness Tara guides the reader in self discovery. According to Tara "Mindfulness means seeing things as they are, without trying to change them." I had not previously heard of the practice of mindfulness, but it rang true for me. I feel I will revisit Tara's book again and again as it is a great resource for personal transformation.
I you enjoyed this book, I highly recommend reading another book called "Working on Yourself Doesn't Work" by Ariel and Shya Kane. The Kane's approach to modern day enlightenments is based on simple awareness where mechanical behavior can transform enabling you to lead an authentic life, one with meaning and satisfaction. Thanks to all the authors of these two wonderful books!
Insight and understanding
This is a book holding a very strong transforming ability if you take it's lessons to heart. Tara Bennett-Goleman melds eastern and western ideas into a theroy of self revelaion that is at once simple in it's statements yet deep and meaningful the more you probe the questions and ideas posed. She writes in a very approchable manner and I never once felt talked down to. She first offers an in-depth explanation of her ideas of inner peace and how to achive it, then shows you how to apply it to every day issues like breaking bad habits, relationships, findig out where some of your emotions come from, death and spirituality. There is a wonderful introduction by the Dalai Lama included that sets the stage for the ideas to come. On a superficial (yet telling) note, the book has a very subdued dust cover, but underneath it comes to life in color and grandeuer. A marvel to look at!
I've gained much insight from this book and am sure to be referring to it again and again. This is a book everyone should read, but especially if you're interested in growing as a human being and learning just what makes YOU tick. Are you up to the challenge?
Informative but dull and uninspiring
This type of a book is not read for its entertainment value, that it obvious. The depth of the content is a primary consideration, and in the case of this book, the material is not lacking in depth, borrowing from a subject as rich and profound as the human mind itself - Buddhist phychology. However, the message of healing through mindfulness gets lost in the hopeless wandering aroung in circles, without ever really getting anywhere. Where is this book going? By page 130 it was still not very clear. This seems more like a dry psychology textbook, filled with chapter after chapter of research results, case histories and impressive technical "buzzwords", than an inspiring and sympathetic Buddhist teaching on how to heal the emotions. I peronally have found Tich Nhat Hanh's wrtitings much more "Buddhist", in a sense, because they are warm, non-technical, practical and consise. The Dalai Lama himself has written a number of excellent books on the subject.
