Radical Acceptance

[TranqWilly]

I'm currently re-reading this one written by Tara Brach who is a psychologist and buddist instructor. Tara explains that people in general tend to get caught up in trances of negativity (fear, unworthiness, failure...), and these mental trances control our lives and dictate our behavior. Much of this hit home for me relative to al; in fact I was in awe of the fact that there are gems of meaningful wisdom on virtually every page. She helps the reader explore their trance-like thoughts with thoughtful explanation and guided meditation exercises.

I have little patience for spiritual snobery, and I found this book about meditation and zen concepts to be very down-to-earth and understandable. As a mild detraction, Tara returned again and again to the touchy-feely lovingkindness solution for things (see Joko Beck's 'Nothing Special' for a real no-nonsense discussion of Zen practice). But I didn't find Tara's style overly cloying or annoying in this sense. I would recommend Radical Acceptance for anyone interested in understanding a mindful approach to understanding deep seated psychological processes and barriers.

For a taste of her teachings checkout her archives of podcast lectures at Welcome to the Insight Meditation Community of Washington | Insight Meditation Community of Washington.

Enjoy!
tw

[looking for peace]

Radical Acceptance

Thanks for posting this... I just reserved it at the library. I want to get into meditation, even went to a class. It seems to make a world of difference to people that practice regularly. Any other suggestions on books like this one?

[TranqWilly]

Radical Acceptance

Hi Peace!

I cannot say enough about Tara Brach's writing style, compassion and the fact that she speaks from a therapeutic background with a lot of relevance for the issues we deal with in fighting with al. I'd recommend it without reservations. Many of the lectures on the website are excellent as well.

I mentioned "Nothing Special" by Charlotte Joko Beck. Her book is the really the first one on Zen or Buddism that I actually understood. She makes sense and is relevant to our culture; although some of her teachings are a bit stark -- she doesn't promise bliss or nirvana, and doesn't hide the fact that dealing with some issues can be difficult. But in the end she explains that the rewards come from knowing ourselves better.

Others I've read - "The Eye Never Sleeps" and "Big Mind - Big Heart" by Dennis Merzel. But he tends to get bogged down in jargon and nuances that seemed to distract from my purpose.

Also, someone else wrote about the "Tao of Recovery" which I thought was quite good. I've also read "Mindful Recovery" and found it useful, but covered a lot of ground that I already had a handle on. Probably either of these two would be good if you're looking for a starting point.

I agree that meditation becomes a powerful tool with regular practice. I've been doing it since April and feel a lot of benefit in the way I approach and understand my thoughts. It takes patience and understanding, but there's really no wrong way to do it.

Enjoy!
tw

[reneesmiles]

Radical Acceptance

AWESOME book! Loved it!