When people and circumstances upset us, how do we deal with them? Often, we feel victimized. We become hurt, angry, and defensive. We end up seeing others as enemies, and when things don't go our way, we become enemies to ourselves. But what if we could move past this pain, anger, and defensiveness? Inspired by Buddhist philosophy, this book introduces us to the four kinds of enemies we encounter in life: the outer enemy, people, institutions, and situations that mean to harm us; the inner enemy, anger, hatred, fear, and other destructive emotions; the secret enemy, self-obsession that isolates us from others; and the super-secret enemy, deep-seated self-loathing that prevents us from finding inner freedom and true happiness. In this practical guide, we learn not only how to identify our enemies, but more important, how to transform our relationship to them. Love Your Enemies teaches us how to . . . break free from the mode of "us" versus "them" thinking develop compassion, patience, and love accept what is beyond our control embrace lovingkindness, right speech, and other core concepts Throughout, authors Sharon Salzberg and Robert Thurman share stories and exercises for achieving finding peace within yourself and with the world. Drawing from ancient spiritual wisdom and modern psychology, Love Your Enemies presents tools that are useful for all readers. Reviews: “If life is a struggle, this book is your friend. Its whispered truths, like the first inklings of the dawn, bring both relief and recognition. Return to it time and again; its good humor and wise counsel are a balm for the soul.” —Mark Epstein, author of The Trauma of Everyday Life
“If there are two beings in the whole world whom I trust with my whole heart to give powerful, honest, kind, and deeply truthful teachings that can free us from burning in the mental anguish that is the ‘new normal’ in these anxious and fear-ridden times, it is Tenzin Bob Thurman and Sharon Salzberg. Having known both of them for many years, I can say that I am blessed that they are with me on this desert island called Earth.” —Krishna Das, musician and author of Chants of a Lifetime
“Brilliant! Love Your Enemies is possibly the most inspiring and liberating meditation on love ever written.” —Robert Holden, Ph.D., author of Shift Happens! and Loveability About the Authors: Sharon Salzberg cofounded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, and is the New York Times best-selling author of eight books, including Lovingkindness, Faith, and Real Happiness. A teacher for more than 30 years, she blogs for The Huffington Post, has been a contributing editor at O, the Oprah Magazine, and has been featured in Time, Real Simple, Good Housekeeping, Self, Tricycle: the Buddhist Review, Shambhala Sun, and other periodicals. Tenzin Robert Thurman, a professor at Columbia University, holds the first endowed chair in Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies in America. A cofounder and the president of Tibet House New York, an organization dedicated to preserving the endangered culture of Tibet, he is the author of the bestseller Inner Revolution, as well as Anger, Infinite Life, and numerous other books. The first Tibetan Buddhist monk from the West, he has been a close friend and colleague of the Dalai Lama many years. |