Authors: Charlotte Kasl
ISBN-13: 9780142196281, ISBN-10: 0142196282
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
Date Published: January 2005
Edition: (Non-applicable)
Charlotte Kasl, Ph.D.a practicing therapist, workshop leader for 25 years, and bestselling authorhas had lifelong connections to feminism, Buddhism, Quaker practice, and Reiki healing.
Perennial favorites, Charlotte Kasl's If the Buddha Dated and If the Buddha Married have inspired readers with their empowering blend of spiritual and psychological insights. Her latest, If the Buddha Got Stuck, is a wise yet lighthearted book that will speak to anyone who's ever experienced being stuck in life and wanted to break free. With her signature clarity, wisdom, and warm heart, Kasl presents readers with seven steps that tap into life's bigger picture: Notice Where You're Stuck; Show Up; Pay Attention; Live in Reality; Connect with Others; Move From Thought to Action; and Let Go. Full of insight from Buddhist and other teachings that emphasize the joy that comes with letting go of attachments to events and things, If the Buddha Got Stuck is an inspirational and practical roadmap to a more joyful, peaceful, and fulfilling life.
"Buddhism offers a gentle... understanding of being stuck and getting unstuck," writes Kasl (If the Buddha Dated), referring to a variety of stubborn problems that can interfere with life, including feeling intractably "bored, scared, protective, petty, exhausted, afraid or unfulfilled." In 60-plus brief chapters featuring discussions and therapy-type strategies deeply rooted in Buddhist teachings, Kasl guides readers on a journey of self-discovery. She begins by inviting them to notice where they are stuck, and then asks them to simply "show up" to life with a sense of "fascination and curiosity." She implores them to be mindful and to trust in the power of engaging reality directly without interpretive lenses (acknowledging difficulties in a relationship, for example, instead of making excuses). She then explores the importance of connecting with others, of acting on insights and the "ultimate step" of letting go the temporal self, an act that brings "abiding happiness." Throughout, she intersperses exercises to help readers engage the lessons more personally. Kasl's approach is compelling: her discussions are simple but never simplistic; her tone is warmly inviting but not obsequious; and her insights are both penetrating and accessible. Occasionally her supporting illustrations veer into the cheesy, but overall Kasl offers a challenging, practical and disarmingly effective approach to getting out of life's ruts. (Jan. 4) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Introduction : a personal story of getting stuck and unstuck | ||
Step 1 | Feel your longing, notice where you're stuck | |
Step 2 | Show up | |
Step 3 | Pay attention | |
Step 4 | Live in reality, listen to your truths | |
Step 5 | Connect with others, connect with life | |
Step 6 | Move from thought to action | |
Step 7 | Let go |