Book Description
Updated with a new 12 week companion Bible study, Joanna Weaver's popular book shows women how to blend intimacy with Jesus and service for Him.
An invitation for every woman who feels she isn't godly enough...isn't loving enough...isn't doing enough
The life of a woman today isn't really all that different from that of Mary and Martha in the New Testament. Like Mary, you long to sit at the Lord's feet...but the daily demands of a busy world just won't leave you alone. Like Martha, you love Jesus and really want to serve him...yet you struggle with weariness, resentment, and feelings of inadequacy.
Then comes Jesus, right into the midst of your busy Mary/Martha life-and he extends the same invitation he issued long ago to the two sisters of Bethany. Tenderly he invites you to choose "the better part"-a joyful life of "living-room" intimacy with him that flows naturally into "kitchen service" for him.
How can you make that choice? With her fresh approach to the familiar Bible story and its creative, practical strategies, Joanna shows how all of us-Marys and Marthas alike-can draw closer to our Lord, deepening our devotion, strengthening our service, and doing both with less stress and greater joy.
Customer Reviews:
Great for today's fast-paced women.......2007-10-01
I'm only in chapter 2 but I'm enjoying the parallels from Mary and Martha's life to my busy, fast-paced life. It's a good reminder to slow down and I think this is a message many women need to hear today. I highly recommend this book!
Not very Mary.......2007-09-21
This book should maybe have been written by co-authors, a Martha and a Mary.
I've always identified more with Mary, and for me the author didn't really capture her spirit. Ms. Weaver comes across as a struggling Martha trying to be more Mary, writing down Martha-esque strategies and tips for being more Mary. Perhaps she captures a mid-struggle Martha well, but she never gets very far into the heart of Mary.
An example from the book:
"You've known the Lord your whole life, and yet you haven't found the peace and fulfillment you've always longed for."
That's a very Marthaesque statement; it speaks to working very hard to live a Christian life without recognizing what God really wants from you. I don't even understand or relate to that experience (as a Mary, my struggles are in different areas). How do you know the Lord and not know peace? A Mary might have said it like this - "Peace and fulfillment found me and I was powerless to resist; I'm not sure how it happened, but his name was Jesus. Hallelujah!"
The author also gets overwraught with her struggles as a Martha. I'm not sure Jesus was condemning Martha for being task-oriented. Society can't function without task-oriented people. All he seems to be saying is that when God shows up at your door, spend the time being present with him. I'm not sure he's asking Martha to change who she is - he just seems to be saying "I'm here. Take a load off and spend some time getting to know me, Martha heart and all."
It appears that a lot of women who have enjoyed this study identify with Martha. If you identify with Martha and are looking for a book that will help you articulate your frustrations, this might be a good book for you. I'm not sure it has any great answers. I agree with other reviewers who commented that Ms. Weaver wasn't old enough to write this and offer mature wisdom.
Best Devotional Commentary on a Popular Passage.......2007-09-17
I've read a lot of commentaries over the years that deal with the Martha and Mary passage in Luke 10:38-42. None of them enable the reader to apply the truths there as this book does. While this title is directed primarily toward women, men can learn much from it as well. What Joanna Weaver does here is to promote a balance between the productive Martha and the pensive Mary. She describes the value of both, although acknowledging that most of today's women have far more problems with the Mary side of the equation than with the Martha side. This book would make a great women's Bible study -- in fact, several ladies in my church are using it for that very purpose. This title is excellent -- I recommend it highly!
Inspirational .......2007-08-30
We have been using this book, A Mary Heart in a Marth World", in our bible studies on Wednesdays and what a blessing it has been! It is aimed towards women but men will enjoy it just as much. And you won't believe the conversations it sparks! It's an excellent source of information and inspiration that you can use again and again!
Grew our personal relationship with God.......2007-08-01
We did this as a 6 week summer Bible Study (two chapters a week). We met in the evening at different public locations and prayed and discussed the study guide questions. All of us REALLY enjoyed the study! It has made us want to have a more intimate relationship with our Lord. We feel convicted and rejuvenated.
Book Description
The definitive and rollicking story of one of the best, and one of the wackiest, teams of all time, during one of the most vital eras in baseball.
With The Gashouse Gang, John Heidenry delivers the definitive account of one the greatest and most colorful baseball teams of all times, the 1934 St. Louis Cardinals, filled with larger-than-life baseball personalities like Branch Rickey, Leo Durocher, Pepper Martin, Casey Stengel, Satchel Paige, Frankie Frisch, and--especially--the eccentric good ol' boy and great pitcher Dizzy Dean and his brother Paul.
The year 1934 marked the lowest point of the Great Depression, when the U.S. went off the gold standard, banks collapsed by the score, and millions of Americans were out of work. Epic baseball feats offered welcome relief from the hardships of daily life. The Gashouse Gang, the brilliant culmination of a dream by its general manager, Branch Rickey, the first to envision a farm system that would acquire and "educate" young players in the art of baseball, was adored by the nation, who saw itself--scruffy, proud, and unbeatable--in the Gang.
Based on original research and told in entertaining narrative style, The Gashouse Gang brings a bygone era and a cast full of vivid personalities to life and unearths a treasure trove of baseball lore that will delight any fan of the great American pastime.
Customer Reviews:
Baseball lover's only!.......2007-09-23
Baseball in times long passed was a very different game, but like today there were some really wild characters to mke the game all the more interesting. The 1934 Cardinals, "The Gashouse Gang" were an exciting, odd collection of great ball payers who played for the love of the game in a way we wish today's players did.
If you love baseball you won't be able to put this down, and even if you don't it will be too intriquing to stop reading once you start. Well written, well researched and as entertaining as anything I've read this season. Highly reccommended!
The Gashouse Gang Personalities.......2007-09-15
This book climbs to the top wrung of my baseball ladder. Rather than a statistical or play-by-play book so common in baseball pages, this features personality development of some of the wackiest players of all time. Learn that Ducky Joe should have been Mean Joe, that Leo the Lip couldn't handle relationships, or that Dizzy Dean was really Jerome or Jay or Hanna or Herman, maybe that he was from Arkansas or Oklahoma or Texas -- well, you get it.
This book captures the thrill of a season and the joy of a team effort. It really makes you think of the Oakland Athletics of the Catfish days.
Just one observation: John Heidenry missed the point of the moniker, "Gashouse Gang." He can't figure out where it came from. He even ponders how "Gas Tank" became "Gashouse." During that day, electricity was provided by manufactured gas plants, sometimes called "witch's brew." The main structure was known as the "gashouse." The working class fellows who toiled away in those dirty gashouses were known as "the gashouse gangs." They cursed, they played dirty and hilarious tricks on each other, they had great and sour dispositions -- necessary to get through the tough days, and yes, their clothes were always filthy. Sound like the beloved Gashouse Gang?
Snag this book, and you will enjoy several hours of quiet time, if you can block out your own laughter.
Me 'n' Paul.......2007-09-02
In baseball, 1934 was a year to remember, a year in which the Saint Louis Cardinals, a scruffy team of misfits and malcontents, came from almost the graveyard to win the National League pennant, and then the World Series. While we learn a tremendous amount about the Cardinals, and especially the Dean brothers, Dizzy and Paul, there are others about whom we receive thumbnail biographies. Most importantly, Branch Rickey is focused upon for much of the early part of the book, and just reading about this remarkable man is sufficient reason to study this book. Other famous players make cameo appearances: Babe Ruth, Mel Otto, Mickey Cochrane, Leo Durocher, and Pie Traynor, with whom I was once priviledged to have an extensive conversation about baseball when I was in college. I also remember listening to Dizzy on the television announcing(?) games and talking about all kinds of extraneous subjects other than the game he was supposed to be calling. Of course, Dizzy is the centerpiece of this book, and he strides through it like a colossus. He did things then that would not be tolerated by a basseball organization today, and perhaps we are the pooorer for not having men such as him (and Curt Flood)to challenge what is considered the "right" way to act as a porfessional ball player. He's gone, and so are all of those famous old-timers, and the world misses them!
Great Father's Day gift.......2007-07-12
I gave this book to my 60 year old father for Father's Day. He hasn't read a book in years but is a huge baseball fan. He loved the book and stayed up late into the night reading it. Great for a Cardinals or baseball fan!
RICK SHAQ GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "73 YEARS AFTER WINNING THE WORLD SERIES "THE GASHOUSE GANG" ST LOUIS CARDINALS HAVE A BOOK!".......2007-06-13
Before I give you the details of this book, let me save some people their valuable time, by telling you who this book would appeal to! Old School Baseball fanatics, "Baseball Historians", Saint Louis Cardinal fans. If you think the designated hitter rule is good for baseball this book isn't for you.
73 years after the famous (To the above listed people.) Saint Louis Cardinals, hereafter known as "The Gashouse Gang", won the World Series, they have had an excellent book released on their exploits and accomplishments. As a self-acclaimed baseball fanatic, some of the statistics, and idiosyncrasies, I discovered in this book about famous old time players that I already knew about, were both interesting and amusing. The author's writing style is not anything you'll remember as out of the ordinary, since so much of the meat of the book, you can tell is repeated from old newspaper articles. But the detailed, meticulous, research should be applauded. As I've mentioned in my earlier reviews, I've read literally hundreds of baseball books, and memorized half the "Encyclopedia Of Baseball" when I was 10 years old, yet I learned even more details and amusing personality "quirks" of some of the old-time stars. I of course already knew that Dizzy Dean was a great pitcher, in the Hall Of Fame, and the last National League pitcher to win 30 games. What I didn't know, but learned here, was the absolute bottom of the barrel poverty he came from in the historically famous "dust bowl"! I knew he was a "wacky" character, but I didn't know, it went to the extent of him literally being the Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali, of the baseball world in the 1930's, before there was an Ali. I didn't know that Dizzy held out and boycotted games, in a demand for an increased contract, in the middle of the season. I also got to learn much more about the great Ducky Medwick, (The last National League Player to win the Triple Crown 70 years ago.) who was one of my dear departed Mother's favorite players, when he later played on the Brooklyn Dodgers. I never knew he was such a New Jersey, street fighting, chip on the shoulder, ready to fight anyone, including his own teammates, type of guy! I learned more than I ever had known about what led up to one of the biggest name trades in baseball history, Rogers Hornsby for Frankie Frisch. The detailed background on Branch Rickey, before his famous relationship with Jackie Robinson, was also expertly detailed. The almost blow by blow reporting on the 1934 World Series between the Gashouse Gang and the star studded Detroit Tigers makes you feel like you were there. I could go on and on, but like I said in my opening sentences, these facts, that are exciting and educational to me, would only be exciting to the type of people I described in my opening.
Book Description
Guys Aren’t the Only Ones Fighting a Battle for Purity.
The world you live in promotes sex as the answer to just about everything. The pressure to go along with the crowd is greater than ever before, and it’s easy to compromise in little ways that are a lot more harmful than they seem. You and your friends may become caught up in destructive relationships or sexual activities without even knowing how you got there. You just want to be normal–to fit in, to be liked, to look attractive to the opposite sex. But are you paying too high a price?
This counterpart to the award-winning Every Young Man’s Battle can help you:
· learn how the sexual battle begins in your heart and mind
· understand your hunger for attention from guys
· recognize and avoid the potential pitfalls awaiting young women on the journey toward adulthood and possibly marriage
· find out how the media, novels, fashion, internet chat rooms, and body and beauty obsessions influence your sexual choices–and what you can do about it
· guard your mind, heart, and body against sexual and emotional compromise
· develop a deeper, more satisfying level of intimacy with God
Whether you have so far protected yourself emotionally and sexually, feel that you’ve been robbed of your purity, or have given in to temptation in some way, this book can help you achieve or reclaim sexual integrity. It can also guide you through the temptations and pressures of young adulthood while demonstrating how you can live your life to the fullest–without regrets.
Customer Reviews:
Great Advice!.......2007-09-06
Awesome book! Another great book that I recommend - How to be a Super Hot Woman: 339 Tips to Make Every Man Fall in Love with You and Every Woman Envy You
P-E-R-F-E-C-T!!!.......2007-08-21
Another bestseller which I love and recommend - How to be a Super Hot Woman: 339 Tips to Make Every Man Fall in Love with You and Every Woman Envy You
Both books are a must read for every woman!
Does not provide complex and nuanced strategies, which are essential for intensely complex dilemmas.......2007-07-31
Do not buy this book. If you are curious and want to evaluate it for yourself, borrow it from your local library (ask for it via inter-library loan if your library does not hold a copy).
Girls who have not acknowledged their own healthy sexual desires, who have not thought about their sexual desires in context with their other desires (to date, to connect with other people, to not have sex until marriage, to find and marry a person with similar values, etc.), and who have not pre-conceptualized how they might manage predictable situations will find themselves ill prepared to handle those situations.
"Every Young Woman's Battle: Guarding Your Mind, Heart, and Body in a Sex-Saturated World" does not help prepare or guide the girl who is alone with her boyfriend and finds herself intensely aroused while kissing him. Libido only looses its clarity, not its intensity, when jumbled with the social and cultural complexities of sexuality.
Ethridge and Arterburn do not provide complex and nuanced tools and strategies, which are essential for deeply complex challenges. Hopefully they can do so in their next addition, or perhaps another author will.
In the mean time I think girls and women would be better off reading "Every Young Man's Battle: Strategies for Victory in the Real World of Sexual Temptation" along with "Dilemmas of Desire: Teenage Girls Talk about Sexuality" by Deborah L. Tolman. (Ethridge and Arterburn should read Tolman's book as well.)
Dilemmas of Desire: Teenage Girls Talk about Sexuality
A "Must-Read" for teenage girls.......2007-07-16
If there had been a book like this for me when I was a teenager in the 70's, I could have saved myself many mistakes. The book answers questions every parent wants to answer but may not know how to or have the nerve to, in a way that is straightforward and scripturally based. I suggest parents and daughters read this one together. We read it together in our high school youth group while the boys read it's companion book, "Every Young Man's Battle". It helps everyone understand why they should remain sexually pure until marriage.
fantastic!.......2007-05-17
This book was real. It touched on the soultion for dealing with constant thoughts of the opposite sex as well as forgiving yourself for your past. Everyone is a new creature when they ask for forgiveness and this book did a great job of reminding us of that. I recommend this book to ALL young preteens, teen age, and young women. Anyone who is interested in EVER dating.
Amazon.com
Much like Zen, Pema Chodron's interpretation of Tibetan Buddhism takes the form of a nontheistic spiritualism. In When Things Fall Apart this head of a Tibetan monastery in Canada outlines some relevant and deceptively profound terms of Tibetan Buddhism that are germane to modern issues. The key to all of these terms is accepting that in the final analysis, life is groundless. By letting go, we free ourselves to face fear and obstacles and offer ourselves unflinchingly to others. The graceful, conversational tone of Chodron's writing gives the impression of sitting on a pillow across from her, listening to her everyday examples of Buddhist wisdom.
Book Description
The beautiful practicality of her teaching has made Pema Chödrön one of the most beloved of contemporary American spiritual authors among Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike. A collection of talks she gave between 1987 and 1994, the book is a treasury of wisdom for going on living when we are overcome by pain and difficulties. Chödrön discusses: Using painful emotions to cultivate wisdom, compassion, and courage Communicating so as to encourage others to open up rather than shut down Practices for reversing habitual patterns Methods for working with chaotic situations Ways for creating effective social action
Customer Reviews:
One of Pema's best books!.......2007-09-27
There is no way you could NOT feel better about anything going on in your life after reading this book.
Simple, Real, and Easy to Follow.......2007-09-12
Pema Chodron is one of the most real and down to earth practicing Buddhist teachers I have come across to date. She brings forth the great wisdom from her own two marriages, children and personal life lessons. She has been a great source of comfort to me during my own difficult times in life and really helped me practice Buddhism in a way that has helped me understand my higher calling and why I am here. I highly recommend this book and all of her books.
Guidance without hyperbole.......2007-06-27
I have always read and re-read the works of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche,deeply appreciating his ability to cut through life's muddled battles. Pema Chodron is easily as gifted a writer as Rinpoche, her teacher.
This book is plain, direct, humble and real. She never offers "solutions" but instead gently guides you to look in places you pass by every day. I've had a crazy year, and reading this book got me back to the place we always are: now.
After reading this, I realized, with a laugh, that I'm already Buddhist and I might as well accept it and get some meditation instruction.
Life's Energy, When Things Fall Apart, Start From Where You Are, etc........2007-06-18
Pema Chodron is, without a doubt, an inspirational phenom. She brings the concepts of Buddhism in a down to earth compassionate manner. Before becoming a Buddhist Nun, born in the U.S., she spent early adulthood, as wife and mother, in the southwest. As an American her teachings offer a bridge and insight connecting western culture and Buddhist concepts that just make sense. This book as well as her other publications have helped to provide a spiritual centering and peace, whether in daily life or as a concerned citizen in a very troubled nation and world. If you're on a path to true awareness, emotional health and spiritual depth, then Pema's works are key.
Packs a kharmic wallop.......2007-06-06
A zen man for 40 years, I often find Tibetan Buddhism mired in three-of-this and eight-of-that. But this book is an exception. Chodron packs a wallop that's more powerful, penetrating, profound, and personal than I've dared stand up to in a decade. You needn't accept Buddhism, foreswear Christianity, or even the NEW YORK TIMES. She simply points to a world of sanity that underlies "all the above." CAVEAT: If you read more than a chapter a day, you're only devouring it, not digesting it.
Book Description
In 1999, after a series of wildly adventurous jobs around the world, Sam Sheridan found himself in Australia, loaded with cash and intent on not working until he’d spent it all. It occurred to him that, without distractions, he could finally indulge a long-dormant obsession: fighting. Within a year, he was in Bangkok training with the greatest fighter in muay Thai (Thai kickboxing) history and stepping through the ropes for a professional bout. That one fight wasn’t enough. Sheridan set out to test himself on an epic journey into how and why we fight, facing Olympic boxers, Brazilian jiu-jitsu stars, and Ultimate Fighting champions. Along the way, Sheridan delivers an insightful look at violence as a career and a spectator sport, a behind-the-pageantry glimpse of athletes at the top of their terrifying game. An extraordinary combination of gonzo journalism and participatory sports writing, A Fighter’s Heart is a dizzying first-hand account of what it’s like to reach the peak of finely disciplined personal aggression, to hit—and be hit.
Customer Reviews:
Good, not great book...........2007-10-08
Part of a journalist's trade is his/her objectivity. It is one of the things missing from this book. The author is a fine, fine writer. What he lacks is enough time in a specific discipline to take the lessons learned down to the bone, and the ability to write honestly about someone without having it come off like a magazine fluff piece.
I skipped over the animal fighting chapter...I understand why it was included, but if no one watches/bets....the sports will end...people have a choice, animals-not so much.
Keep working, Sam, you'll get better as time moves on....BTW....the older you get, the more it hurts, LOL.
Gimme a Break.......2007-10-02
Alright, I'm picking on one little thing here. I didn't much care for this guy's portrayal of Deerfield on page 4. I was there when he was - not everyone who lived in a dorm was some "rich" person, as if that's bad anyway. Get over yourself, Sam, and feel fortunate that you received the great education that you did.
A World Of Hurt.......2007-08-23
A Fighter's Heart isn't something that I expected it to be. While I was aware that it is a book that deals with MMA (mixed martial arts) from the author's perspective, I didn't expect it to thoroughly go on about trips to Thailand, the home of Muay Thai, journeys out west with boxing professionals, and South American & Japan jaunts focused more on Brazilian Jui Jitsu. Sam Sheridan's writing style can match the layman and his interest in combat sports. In all, a very interesting read.
A trip through the world of fighting.......2007-07-31
The book is a vicarious journey through the world of fighting. With the rise in popularity of MMA, such themes are catching on and reflected in TV shows such as the History Channel's "Human Weapon."
The author travels around the world to practice and compete in various forms of martial arts. He goes to Thailand for Muay Thai, Iowa for MMA (from Pat Miletich of UFC fame), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) for Jiu Jitsu, New York (Manhattan) for Tai Chi, and California (Oakland) for boxing. He also travels back to Thailand for Zen meditation, as well as a stint in Hollywood as an extra in an action film starring Paul Walker.
On a higher level, the book attempts to answer philosophical questions as to why humans are attracted to violence. Part of the answer may be cultural, as societies with martial cultures have tended to conquer those without through the ages.
Overall, a good read if you have any interest in martial arts.
Beautifully written book.......2007-07-09
A Fighter's Heart is a beautifully written book on a challenging subject. Sam Sheridan is a sensitive and intelligent tough guy who has left no stone unturned in this startling investigation of martial arts, the human spirit ("Gameness") and violence in general.
Amazon.com
What should we think when on the one hand Buddhism tells us that life is suffering and on the other we are told to enjoy life's every moment? Loved around the world for his simple, straightforward explanations of Buddhism, Thich Nhat Hanh has finally turned his hand to the very core of Buddhism and conundrums such as this. In the traditional way, Thich Nhat Hanh takes up the core teachings one by one--the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, the Twelve Links of Interdependent Co-Arising--but his approach is as fresh as a soft breeze through a plum orchard. For illustration, he dips into the vast stores of Buddhist literature right alongside contemporary anecdotes, pointing out subtleties that can get glossed over in other popular introductions. He also includes three short but key sutras, essential source teachings from which all Buddhism flows. Studying the basics of Buddhism under Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh is like learning basketball from Michael Jordan. --Brian Bruya
Book Description
In
The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching, Thich Nhat Hanh introduces us to the core teachings of Buddhism and shows us that the Buddha's teachings are accessible and applicable to our daily lives. With poetry and clarity, Nhat Hanh imparts comforting wisdom about the nature of suffering and its role in creating compassion, love, and joy--all qualities of enlightenment. Covering such significant teachings as the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, the Three Doors of Liberation, the Three Dharma Seals, and the Seven Factors of Awakening,
The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching is a radiant beacon on Buddhist thought for the initiated and uninitiated alike.
Customer Reviews:
HORRIBLE.......2007-10-01
YOUR SERVICE IS HORRIBLE!! I WANTED A ONE DAY SHIPMENT AND IT TOOK 8 DAYS!!! YOU HAVE THE WORSTE SERVICE EVER! I SPENT EXTRA MONEY TO GET IT HERE IN ONE DAY AND YOU CAN'T COME THORUGH ON THAT!
Deep, profound teachings and commentary.......2007-08-31
For those who think Thay's (Thich Nhat Hanh)teachings are too simple, think again. This shows you the depth and amazing understanding this Zen master has of the Buddha's teachings. I love the way in most of Thay's teachings he can make the profound amazingly simple, easy to understand and practice. This book though is almost like a grad course on Buddhist philosophy/thought/teachings. Amazing and inspiring. For the best read about the Buddha's life check out: Old Path White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha
Read the Dalai Lama books instead.......2007-08-15
Prior to reading this book, most of my Buddhist teachings had come from reading Dalai Lama teachings.
I decided to read this book for the following reasons:
1) While shopping for Buddhism books to read, I saw that Thich Nhat Hanh wrote many books which occupied a lot of shelf space at the local Barnes and Nobles, and Borders Book stores. I assumed that the amount of shelf space might correlate to popularity, and that popularity might correlate to people's opinions of the worthiness of the teachings.
2) Also, I saw that this book was a required textbook for a course about Buddhism at a prestigious university near where I live.
I rationalized if 1) the author was so popular, and 2) a PHD (expert?) choose this book from all the others that were available, as a required textbook to learn about Buddhism, I can't go wrong, so I decided to find out what I was missing.
After reading this book, I determined that I don't think I was missing anything. In fact, I believe time would have been better spent, and I would have gotten more out of re-reading the Dalai Lama teachings.
Personally, I think the Dalai Lama teachings are the best teachings I've come across to date. I would like to challenge anyone that gave this book a 4 or 5 star rating to compare this book to almost any of the Dalai Lama teachings. In particular, I highly recommend reading the Dalai Lama's "A Flash of Lightning in the Dark of Night - A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life".
Fabulous!.......2007-06-06
I can never say enough good things about the writings of Thich Nhat Hanh, and this is no exception. This is a wonderful fabulous book that will speak directly to your heart. His teachings and writings are a treasure, whether one is Buddhist or not. One of my all time favorite authors, we are blessed to have his writings.
Very informative and inspiring book........2007-05-13
Thich Nhat Hanh writes with intellect and heart. This book has been inspiring and helpfull to me.
Amazon.com
In undertaking a spiritual life, we must make certain that our path is connected with our heart, according to author and Buddhist monk Jack Kornfield. Since 1974 (long before it gained popularity in the 1990s), Kornfield has been teaching westerners how to integrate Eastern teaching into their daily lives. Through generous storytelling and unmitigated warmth, Kornfield offers this excellent guidebook on living with attentiveness, meditation, and full-tilt compassion.
Part of what makes this book so accessible is Kornfield's use of everyday metaphors to describe the elusive lessons of spiritual transformation. For example, he opens with "the one seat" lesson taught to him by his esteemed teacher. Literally it means sitting in the center of a room and not being swayed or moved by all the people and dramas happening around you. On a spiritual level it means sticking "with one practice and teacher among all of the possibilities," writes Kornfield; "inwardly it means having the determination to stick with that practice through whatever difficulties and doubts arise until you have come to true clarity and understanding." The same could be said for this "one book." Among all the spiritual self-help books, this is a classic worth sticking with and returning to--a highly approachable teacher that can only lead to greater clarity and understanding. --Gail Hudson
Customer Reviews:
ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!.......2007-09-03
This quickly became one of my all time favorite books. It has great techniques for meditation and beautiful and funny story's about
following your heart and the Dharma. A must read for anyone who meditates and/or is interested in Buddhism.
Compassionate with Psychological Understanding.......2007-05-17
"A Path with Heart" gives a unique Buddhist perspective to heal ourselves emotionally and psychologically. It asks us to accept emotions fully, experience them at a deep level and then to release them. The path is not one of denial but of acceptance and also letting go. Jack Kornfield's words are filled with compassion and equanimity, which are two important facets of our spiritual journey filled with both perils and promises.
This book resonated at a deeper level for me and I found the same inspiration in Nexus: A Neo Novel which is an experiential journey to heart-centered living. Both books offer a path of compassion, which is important in our age. We can share the wisdom of these books within our circle and help transform lives.
Enjoyable reading!.......2007-05-16
I have had to buy this book several times because I keep giving them out! Enjoyable and written in a format that conveys a spiritual message to any faith. This is a book you will pick up and read time and time again.
An example of the optimism and realism of Buddhism.......2006-11-26
--Just want to add another five-star vote for this deserving, positive, practical, solid, encouraging book. As an experienced Buddhist who has joyfully practiced for many years, I find this one keeps coming off my bookshelf again and again. It's a fine example of wisdom and compassion, of tolerance and discipline, of shared joy and personal responsibility. It is an inspiration. It is good to encounter an author filled with Buddhism's optimism and realism.
--This book, and its outlook, is also an excellent antidote for times when one just feels kind of briefly overwhelmed by the negative craziness in the world (in other words, dukkha). Having just read a pathologically heartless, best-selling work by a fundamentalist atheist, I realized what a miracle it is that we have the opportunity to travel on a path with heart.
A book with heart!!!!!.......2006-05-02
This is an excellent and sensitively written book by a former Buddhist monk and clinical psychologist. Jack Kornfield uses stories and lyrical language to weave a portrait of an authentic spiritual life characterized by insight, compassion and wisdom. He makes Buddhism accessible to modern people and shows us how it is relevant to modern life. This is no small task and Kornfield pulls it off brilliantly, with warmth and an entertaining style. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is looking for deeper meaning in their lives whatever their specific beliefs. It is also an important book that connects Western psychological thought to Eastern worldviews.
If you like this book, you may also find "Toward a Psychology of Awakening" by John Welwood a great next step in your explorations. John Welwood casts a broader net and has a more intellectual approach that compliments Jack Kornfield's more heart-centered story-based way of bringing this wisdom tradition to the West.
If you are looking for a concise essay on Buddhism, then the "World's Religions" by Huston Smith has an excellent relatively short, but information packed essay on Buddhism and another on Hinduism which helps place Buddhism in its historical context.
If your area of interest is more toward Tibetan Buddhism, then you might enjoy "Indestructible Truth" by Reginald A. Ray. However, be warned that Ray is a scholar, the book is long and while it is interesting, it is very detailed. If you are just looking to get a feel for Tibetan Buddhism, then you might want to try "The Art of Happiness" by the Dali Lama. While it doesn't dive deeply into Tibetan Buddhism in a comprehensive way, it does draw out many aspects that are relative and useful to Western people in improving the quality of their lives.
Book Description
The tale of a simple act of faith between two young people - one Israeli, one Palestinian - that symbolizes the hope for peace in the Middle East.
In 1967, not long after the Six-Day War, three young Arab men ventured into the town of Ramle, in what is now Jewish Israel. They were cousins, on a pilgrimage to see their childhood homes; their families had been driven out of Palestine nearly twenty years earlier. One cousin had a door slammed in his face, and another found his old house had been converted into a school. But the third, Bashir Al-Khairi, was met at the door by a young woman called Dalia, who invited them in.
This act of faith in the face of many years of animosity is the starting point for a true story of a remarkable relationship between two families, one Arab, one Jewish, amid the fraught modern history of the regio. In his childhood home, in the lemon tree his father planted in the backyard, Bashir sees dispossession and occupation; Dalia, who arrived as an infant in 1948 with her family from Bulgaria, sees hope for a people devastated by the Holocaust. As both are swept up in the fates of their people, and Bashir is jailed for his alleged part in a supermarket bombing, the friends do not speak for years. They finally reconcile and convert the house in Ramle into a day-care centre for Arab children of Israel, and a center for dialogue between Arabs and Jews. Now the dialogue they started seems more threatened than ever; the lemon tree died in 1998, and Bashir was jailed again, without charge.
The Lemon Tree grew out of a forty-three minute radio documentary that Sandy Tolan produced for Fresh Air. With this book, he pursues the story into the homes and histories of the two families at its center, and up to the present day. Their stories form a personal microcosm of the last seventy years of Israeli-Palestinian history. In a region that seems ever more divided, The Lemon Tree is a reminder of all that is at stake, and of all that is still possible.
Customer Reviews:
The Lemon Tree: An Arab, A Jew and the Heart of the MIddle East.......2007-10-03
This book is a poignant story of the people drawn up into the Arab-Israeli conflict. It takes the premise that both sides have committed atrocities and both sides have been victimized. It does so by following both a Palestinian and Jewish family, linked together by residence of the same home during different periods. Each family learns to understand the other, but still a inpenetrable barrier remains between them.
The Lemon Tree.......2007-10-02
THE LEMON TREE, by Sandy Tolan, is a historical perspective of the Palestine/Israel problems viewed from two lives, one Arab man and one Israeli woman. Their factual stories are given from the history of the land and the divisions made by outside influence. The U.N. and Great Britian were very involved in the partition and resettlement of the people of this area.
The two personal lives were intertwined by having consecutive lives in one house as "one home" for the two families. Both of these lives reflect on people of great faith, great education, and great involvment in the situation.
The author uses much research, factual relativity, and impartiality to his report. A very complicated situation exists and the book allows the information to understand the impossibility of the area and future peaceful settlement.
A biased view of the Middle East conflict.......2007-08-23
Although when I began The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan, I believed this book would be a balanced and nuances work about the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis. The book opens with a description of a home which had been built and inhabited by Palestinians and in which Israeli Jews live after the 1948 war. Great, I thought! We'll see two sides of the dreadful tensions and violence in the region. I was disappointed by the time I finished reading because Tolan loads the argument in favor of the dispossessed Palestinians, barely mentioned the horrific consequences of suicide bombings and attacks on innocent civilians. One example is the reference to the problems in Gaza. Tollan describes the attacks by Israel as violent and gratuitous on the Gazans, and actually suggests that the rockets Hamas fired into Israel (after the Israelis pulled out) are harmless. Surely, the author doesn't believe that the intention of Hamas was to fire "harmless rockets" into enemy territory. Throughout the book, we see very little about the wars the Arab nations began, especially the one that immediately followed the establishment of the state of Israel. The 1967 war was initiated by the Israelis, true, but Egyptian forces were massed on the border. If that wasn't provocation, I don't know what is.
I am not sorry I read the book. I enjoyed much of it, and I was certainly more sympathetic with many Palestinians who suffered so much after having read Tolan's presentation of their lives and losses. The book would have been more successful for me had it been more balanced and honest.
The Lemon Tree.......2007-08-07
This is an excellent book - extremely well documented. It affords the reader greater understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It arouses sympathy for those who have suffered injustice - also admiration for people on both sides for their resilience and determination to seek the truth. This book also inspires a feeling of hope through the compassion shown between Jew and Israeli. Would that more people could strive for understanding and peace!
good read.......2007-08-01
This is well written and easy to read book that gave me a new perspective on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict using personalized research,including historical,familial comments and quotes from both Arab and Israeli sources.
Book Description
For many of us, feelings of deficiency are right around the corner. It doesn’t take much--just hearing of someone else’s accomplishments, being criticized, getting into an argument, making a mistake at work--to make us feel that we are not okay. Beginning to understand how our lives have become ensnared in this trance of unworthiness is our first step toward reconnecting with who we really are and what it means to live fully.
--from
Radical Acceptance
Radical Acceptance
“Believing that something is wrong with us is a deep and tenacious suffering,” says Tara Brach at the start of this illuminating book. This suffering emerges in crippling self-judgments and conflicts in our relationships, in addictions and perfectionism, in loneliness and overwork--all the forces that keep our lives constricted and unfulfilled. Radical Acceptance offers a path to freedom, including the day-to-day practical guidance developed over Dr. Brach’s twenty years of work with therapy clients and Buddhist students.
Writing with great warmth and clarity, Tara Brach brings her teachings alive through personal stories and case histories, fresh interpretations of Buddhist tales, and guided meditations. Step by step, she leads us to trust our innate goodness, showing how we can develop the balance of clear-sightedness and compassion that is the essence of
Radical Acceptance.
Radical Acceptance does not mean self-indulgence or passivity. Instead it empowers genuine change: healing fear and shame and helping to build loving, authentic relationships. When we stop being at war with ourselves, we are free to live fully every precious moment of our lives.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Life Transforming!.......2007-09-24
Sometimes in life you open a book and upon reading the first sentences, paragraphs or chapters you know that the book is already speaking directly to your heart. You know the book is going to give you a new out look on the way you perceive the world. Such was my experience with Tara Brach's - Radical Acceptance; Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha.
"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field, I'll meet you there" My favorite quote from Rumi, graces the first page of this amazing gift of a book. Brach begins by moving from the ideas and descriptions of the "trances" (read kleshas) that we get ourselves involved in, into the ways that we tend to become entrenched throughout our lives, in false truths and stories of our unworthiness. What is done differently in this book is that she moves from the trances into practical, beautiful, useable meditations and ideas for how to move beyond the stories and into a new way of Being in Truth. I have been with this book for a month now. Reading, rereading, practicing the exercises and doing the meditations included at the end of each chapter. While I feel incapable of doing this book justice without going into 10 -15 pages, I must at least suggest, strongly, that if you have opportunity to read it you should consider doing so.
Chapter two; Awakening from the Trance, lays the foundation for Radical Acceptance. In this chapter Brach walks us through the idea of Radical Acceptance as the "dismantling of the very foundation of the trance" (pg 26). The chapter discusses the level of Mindfulness we are called to if we are to move beyond our conditioned reactions and stories of pain, anger, and a host of other sufferings that keep us separated from the Source of our Being. Brach does her reader the service in this chapter, of addressing common misunderstandings of Radical Acceptance. She looks at the false perceptions of Radical Acceptance being an invitation to resignation, defining ourselves by our limitations, self-indulgence, passivity and accepting our self (with a small s). In doing so she allows the reader to enter into the rest of the book with more freedom, released from the questions that might often arise around these topics.
This book feels to me, as a culmination of much that I have learned / heard. Perhaps because of the level of growth that has occurred for me over the last years I have not been able to fully integrate the learnings. This book gave me a phenomenal opportunity to recap if you will. Thus it doesn't seem too surprising for me that chapter three, The Sacred Pause was a brilliant - Aha chapter, within which there was nothing that I did not already know. It was a chapter dedicated to the ability to STOP, ever so briefly. This was not a new discovery. Instead it reminded me, reinforced for me, the question of "What does it mean to be in this world, but not of this world". I found it to be the same type of tool. The briefest of discernment moments if you will - where am I right now?
Chapter four; Unconditional Friendliness, finds the reader being asked to "invite Mara to tea (Mara being the "Evil One"), saying Yes to one's life and Naming what is true. These are the pieces that I spent the longest time with during the last month and the pieces I see as being the most transformational tools. Pieces that already have provided a pathway to releasing that which is not needed and to embracing those things that are true and present in my life.
Moving through the rest of the book we find chapters on coming home to our bodies, longings, and desires. We also see - opening up to Fear and recognizing our own goodness before moving into the closing chapters on integrating and practicing Radical Acceptance in all relationships and Realizing our own true natures.
One particularly moving story was told in Chapter nine; Widening the Circles of Compassion. It is the story of an aged Sikh elder who called two followers to his hut. Giving them each a chicken he tells them to go where no one can see and kill the chickens. One follower returns immediately with the deceased chicken, the other return many hours later with a live chicken. When asked what happened the follower explains that "everywhere I go, the chicken sees". What a powerful picture of our interconnectedness with all!
Ultimately what this book has meant for me is best summed up in the authors words in the final chapter; Realizing our own True Nature. "The path of Radical Acceptance frees us from the voices of Mara that tell us we are separate and unworthy. Whenever we become fully present, we discover the natural wakefulness and care that is inherent within us. We come to understand, in a vivid and cellular way, who we really are." Ms. Brach has truly helped to bring home to me, in a vivid and cellular way who I really am.
An illuminating insight into the backbone of the Buddhist view.......2007-08-29
A Dharma teacher recommended this to me after I told him I was having unexpectedly strong feelings of self-loathing after some meditations - this was a great suggestion, as the focus of this book is learning how to accept yourself, and others, as they are; not as you wish they were. To be in the moment, accept and really see reality as it is - not as you wish it was or fear it might be. 'Radical Acceptance' gave me an insight into how to think like a Buddhist, rather than just trying to act like one. Basically this is a 'self-help' book (with a Buddhist backbone), but as a work in that category it is perhaps a work of spiritual genius. If you have problems with accepting some part of your habitual behaviour (anger, shyness, addiction, depression - even if only seemingly mild) then you are likely to really benefit from this wonderful book
A Touching & Transformational Book For Anyone.......2007-05-12
"Radical Acceptance" is a book that will touch and expand the heart and soul of the reader. Though the content is based on Buddhism Teachings...it matters not what is your religion or spiritual belief. I have been on my own personal and ecclectic spiritual path for many years. I feel that I am an advanced student & yet Tara Brach gave me a new perspective and simple and very practical exercises on how to handle the excruciating pain that sometimes comes from experiencing life. Because she speaks "Truth" her words offer instant strength and makes you feel less alone and isolated when going through touch times. Her extraordinary book came to me at one of the most difficult times in my life and helped me immeasurably! It is a book that can be referred to...over and over. Needless to say, I am indeed so grateful for Ms Brach's touching, warm, inviting and loving content that is filled with ageless wisdom. This is one the most important books I have ever read. I highly recommend it...especially if life is "hitting you in the face" over and over!
Sincerely, Malana Mikella
Readable, Relevant and Real.......2007-03-09
Radical Acceptance sits on my bedside table holding the honored place of a book that can be read and re-read many times. The insights and messages in this book speak to core issues we all face and the possibilities of how to work with them using wisdom and compassion. It is a book with honesty, clarity and strength of purpose that can only contribute to our understanding of self and others.
Best Book for the Road to Recovery.......2007-01-16
One of the best books I have read. I suffer from Social Anxiety and this book allowed me to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Before we can begin to conquer our "problems" we first must accept ourselves. I take this book with me everywhere I go and will just open it up begin to read. If you have ever wondered how to achieve an inner peace and to stay within yourself, this is the book for you.
Book Description
While Galileo suffered under house arrest at the hands of Pope Urban VIII, the Thirty Years War ruined Europe, and the Pilgrims struggled to survive in the New World, work began on what would become one of the Seven Wonders of the World: the Taj Mahal. Built by the Moghul emperor Shah Jahan as a memorial to his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, its flawless symmetry and gleaming presence have for centuries dazzled everyone who has seen it, and the story of its creation is a fascinating blend of cultural and architectural heritage. Yet, as Diana & Michael Preston vividly convey in the first narrative history of the Taj, it also reflects the magnificent history of the Moghul Empire itself, for it turned out to mark the high point of the Empire’s glory at the same time as it became a tipping point in Moghul fortunes.
The roots of the Moghul Empire lie with the legendary warriors Genghis Khan and Tamburlaine; at its height it contained 100 million people, from Afghanistan in the north and present-day Pakistan in the west, to Bengal in the east and southwards deep into central India.. With the storytelling skills that characterize their previous books, Diana & Michael Preston bring alive both the grand sweep of Moghul history and the details that make it memorable: the battles and dynastic rivalries that forged the Empire alongside an intimate chronicle of daily life within the imperial palace. A tale of overwhelming passion, the story of the Taj has the cadences of Greek tragedy and the ripe emotion of grand opera, and puts a memorable human face on the marble masterpiece.
Customer Reviews:
You get the Taj and much more!.......2007-07-30
For those that want to see complete visuals and illustrations of the Taj Mahal, then this book is not for you. It contained many photos but most were taken at a distance and others were a bit blurry. Even my heavily scratched reading glasses did not assist in delivering me an adequate detailed photo. I visited the Taj, in 2002, and have more interesting photos than what was portrayed in the book. I also visited the Red Fort in 2006, which was also described in the book.
The only other 'pessimistic item' that I would write about was that, at times, it was difficult to follow the authors when they would describe informative detail on the building and how it was constructed. Since there were no photos about these fine details to observe, this information proved difficult to follow. It could be just me. I am a very visual person and that describing things in detail usually averts my attention. I need visuals!
Now, for the good side. I thought the book was very informative on the Moghul empire. It discusses all the friction between the families on the strive to gain power and gives you a pretty good account of the history of India(Moghul empire, mainly) during that time frame. It also makes you understand why imperialistic empires just don't survive and how the desire for power destroyed this infamous empire. I am no avid historian and have read only a few books containing any history of India. Even though I lack the historical background of India, I found the book easy to read and follow. Basically I read it in 2 days and found the information that the authors presented to be fascinating. I felt as if I was standing there watching the whole thing unfold in front of my eyes. In addition, I was able to perceive the physical sensation of the characters written within the pages. It takes a very special history book to keep my attention span going and this book did the trick. Most history books take me a month to finish.
So overall, I enjoyed the book and if you are a person that has no direction or sense of history, you, my friend, will enjoy it as well. The only thing that I regret was not reading this information prior to seeing the Taj in 2002. If I did, I would have had a better feeling of what it represented than being just a silly tourist making a checklist on all the famous places that I have visited. Oh well...
Read it. I guarantee that you will enjoy it!
portrait of a world icon and the human landscape behind it .......2007-04-11
initially I was interested in this book because a decade ago, I'd written about Mumtaz Mahal, the woman for whom the Taj was built. I was amazed at the book's insights. One in particular moved me--it showed how Shah Jahan publicly revealed his deep grief over his wife's death. By going public, he broke the rules of Indian society by showing his feelings in such a manner--considered signs of weakness in a man, especially a ruler. But this book took on even more meaning after taking a recent 3-week trip to India. In the Preston book, I'd read how uncounted thousands of laborers, men and women, had built the foundations of the Taj with little besides their hands. That seemed hard to believe. But in Agra and other places, I was astonished to see women and men doing repair work on grand monuments like the Taj, moving stones in baskets, carrying loads of excavated earth upon their heads--exactly as described in the Preston book. Since I collect books, I like those that cover a topic well and give me unusual facts, too. From this one, I found out something I'd always wanted to know: that the backwards swastika seen everywhere in India represents the way the cosmos spreads outward in four directions. Cool. Being a nonfiction writer myself, I know what a challenge it is to tackle a popular topic that, one would think, has been "done to death." The Prestons have risen to the challenge and succeeded brilliantly.
Highly recommended.......2007-04-10
This is a wonderful book, beautifully written and presented with fine illustrations. I started reading the book on my return from a business trip in India and found that the perspective the book provided on the Moghul empire helped me understand the beauty of their art and architecture. The Taj Mahal is the highlight of the Moghul art and architecture . The book helps the reader understand the context in which this building was created. I highly recommend this book.
Caveat Emptor: Only 1/4th of the Book Focuses on the Taj Mahal Complex.......2007-03-25
Although the Prestons' book is well written, only a portion of it delivers what its title and cover seem to promise. This, of course, you will quickly discover if you have a copy to preview. If you don't, you should know that much of the book focuses on the struggles to gain/keep territory and the throne over the course of almost two centuries and six shahs. There is also much information about various shahs' idiosyncrasies and addictions, their strengths and weaknesses as leaders, and the customs of their courts and harems. What 3/4ths of the Prestons' book is really about, in fact, is equally well covered in the aptly entitled "A Brief History of the Great Moghuls: India's Most Flamboyant Rulers" (reprinted 2002) and "Mughal Throne: The Saga of India's Great Emperors" (reprinted 2005).
It is difficult to rate the approximately 60 pages of text in the Prestons' book that do focus on the Taj complex, including the people directly involved in its construction, its ornamentation, its antecedents, the toll time has taken on it and the theory that Shah Jahan had planned a different mausoleum for himself. Those who are reading about the complex in depth for the first time will likely find the material interesting; those who have read other books on the subject are unlikely to find much that is new.
Unfortunately, it is not at all difficult to rate the 23 snapshots of the Taj complex and related funerary architecture in this book. First, most are grainy black and grays that reveal little more than general outlines. Second, even the seven in color (four of them small ones of interior details) are taken from too great a distance to reveal technical brilliance or artistry. That only the cover and another mood shot of the mausoleum appear to be the work of a professional is a major weakness in a book that purports to be about the genius of the Taj Mahal, for only superb photography can truly convey much of it. As for drawings to illuminate structural detail, the only two merely shade in an arch and a vault.
For the reasons noted above and more, if you are interested in India's national treasure, you will do yourself a great favor if, before deciding on the Prestons' book, you investigate the following: 1) Okada, Joshi & Nou's TAJ MAHAL (1993), a visually stunning and informative book which can easily be accessed by going to the list of What Customers Also Buy at the site of 2) E. Koch's THE COMPLETE TAJ MAHAL (2006), a TEN-STAR BOOK I could not resist buying even though I already own Okada's. (Incidentally, that the Prestons' bookcover is almost identical to Koch's does not make their book comparable to hers.)
Books:
- Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes (Baby Board Books)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- Honor Under Siege
- How to Burn Down the House: The Infamous Waiter and Bartender's Scam Bible by Two Bourbon Street Waiters
- I'll Be Watching You: Inside the Police, 1980-83 (Taschen Artists Edition)
- I Love A Mystery: Old Time Radio Shows
- I Only Say This Because I Love You: Talking to Your Parents, Partner, Sibs, and Kids When You're All Adults
- IMMACULATE DECEPTION
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General
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Having a Mary Spirit: Allowing God to Change Us from the Inside Out
At Jesus Feet: A Bible Study for Women Based on the Story of Mary and Martha, Learning to Draw Near
Calm My Anxious Heart: A Woman's Guide to Finding Contentment
Martha to the Max!: Balanced Living for Perfectionists
If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat
