Awakening Joy: 10 Steps That Will Put You On The Road To Real Happiness (2010) - Plot & Excerpts
This book covers the basics of Buddhist meditation practice with an emphasis on cultivating joy. It is good but not spectacular, although it does contain some gems. It probably works better for beginning students as opposed to advanced practitioners. It has almost no technical Buddhist terminology in it. What lowers the rating for me is that I don't really like the format--it has a lot of inserts and sidebars. And, it is written by two people. Each of these makes it jarring to read--the flow is often interrupted. I'm not a fan of books that share information in the format of a personal story of someone the author knows. I find that hokey. If that doesn't bother you, you might enjoy the book more than I did. Fun, easy read: James Baraz includes lots of anecdotes and testimonials throughout the book. Of course it all comes back to meditation and awareness. He is a cofounder of Spirit Rock, so mindfulness is the foundation of his work. A couple of things that hit home for me: "...and now I get to..." as I move from activity to activity, and "...and my life is really quite blessed" as dose of reality in the midst of it all. The $5 advice he got from a psychic rings true: "Fear blocks any movement on your journey, but once you get past that and take the first step, life opens up and shows you what to do next." Or from Ram Dass, "Whenever you're ready, you'll hear the next message." I will look at the online course.
What do You think about Awakening Joy: 10 Steps That Will Put You On The Road To Real Happiness (2010)?
This is my Lenten resolution - to become more joyful and to find joy in my everyday existence.
—Nana
Pretty profound. Check out author's mother's you tube. How my son ruined my life.
—vookie
So insightful and such a different approach that it was like a breath of fresh air.
—Roary
Think i am going to have do the online course next year
—musicteen10
