Western therapeutic approaches have often put considerable emphasis on buiding self-esteem and enhancing a positive sense of self - but this work challenges the assumption behind such an approach, exploring the practical relevance of Buddhist teachings on psychology to life. Most of us protect ourselves against being fully alive. Fearing loss and pain, we escape by withdrawing from experiences and distracting ourselves with amusements. We fall into habitual ways of acting and limit ourselves to the familiar. We create an identity which we think of as a self, and in so doing imprison our life energy.
Over 2,500 years Buddhism has developed an understanding of such delusions. It reveals how the mind clings to false perceptions and tries to create permanence out of an ever changing world. This liberating book shows the practical relevance of Buddhist tecahings on psychology to our everyday experience. By letting go of our attachment to self, we open ourselves to full engagement with life and with others. We step out of our self-made prison. Challenging, yet accessible, this revelatory book will appeal to both scholars and the general reader. |
