Has a book ever changed your life?

[sayak83]

Just wondering if people have had life-changing experiences from reading a certain book.

Has a book ever radically altered the way you view life, love & the universe?

I absolutely LOVE reading. I have read many wonderful books over the past 30 years or so of my life's journey!

If I had to select one that has been of most benefit, it would be a book few people have heard of.

The book is "Emissary of Light" by James Twyman.

That book was the MOST effortless reading experience I have ever had! I would read 40 or 50 pages in what seemed like a few minutes.

It was in fact the first book I ever read that explained the experience of unconditional love.

Here is the section I am talking about - it literally gave me goose-bumps! -

"The final lesson is about the true meaning of love. I have said before that fear is the self-imposed block to the awareness of love's presence. When fear is released, love is revealed. And yet the true experience of love is beyond anything you can now imagine. It lies past all the images and symbols you have made to obscure love's call. And yet it is closer than you know, closer than your breath or even the silent whisper of love's longing for itself. And what is the secret that love has whispered into your half-closed ear, the distant echo that has haunted you so? You are the very essence of Love. This very moment, just as you are, in spite of all the preconceived ideas you have of yourself, love claims you and accepts you."

"You have forgotten who you are because in your fear of losing love you have witheld that which is your foundation. Love by its very nature is a gift that is freely given. And yet this gift is know only as it is given again. Only when love is breathed from one heart to another is it fully experienced. When love is witheld it is forgotten, and because you and love were born together, you are forgotten with her. She lies hidden within you beside the still forgotten memory of your truest Self. Though asleep and dreaming, she awaits the dawn when her name is called and she is again brought back to life. And the awakening of love is your awakening as well, so intimately linked, all from giving freely that which you are: the full awareness of love's presence. But this awakening process requires that you give up all the ways you have tried to limit and contain her."

"True, or unconditional, love is unaware of the strange demands you impose on your relationships. Love is the same for all. Your attempts to reserve love for specific relationships and then withold it from others is the very thing that has blocked your vision of love's presence. Give as love gives - just as the sun that gives its light to all who ask, or the sparrow that sings not for the one who listens, but for the song itself. When you give love, love is your reward. When you judge some people as worthy of your giving and other people as undeserving, then it is you who is undeserving; not because you have been judged by love but because you have forgotten love's law."

"You, in your essence are the foundation of unconditional love. The water you give refreshes the whole universe, for you are not separate from one part of the universe but are intimately linked to all. Let your gift be free, then. Let it flow from you and wash over all those you see, all those who cross your path. Do not think that you cannot still have relationships that are more involved than others. Involvement has nothing to do with love. There will always be those in your life with whom you share the deeper pulse of your thoughts and those whom you do not. But the love you give is the same for each of them. It is but the recognition of the very same life of which you are continually reborn."

"Love is a knowing, a pure understanding. It knows that all things are whole, regardless of their appearance or delusion, and it gives itself wholly, without judgement, without recognizing the difference between this relationship or that. It understands that there is only one real relationship and it is the one we all share, the Self that is beyond the thought or the idea of Love, the holy encounter of life with life. The secret of unconditional love is that we are all the same, holy beyond imagination. This is what the release of fear reveals. This is what you are all looking for. And this is what you will find when you open your heart to every element of creation."

We sat there for a very long time without saying a word. The silence was overwhelming. I looked up at Teacher and thought I noticed a change. His face began to glow, I was sure of it. The Light radiated from him and all around him. Then it extended to include all of us. We were engulfed in the Light. I cannot describe what this is like because it is beyond anything the world can understand. Several of the women and attendants stood up from their chairs. One of them started jumping up in the air and another began laughing out loud. Soon we were all laughing and dancing, moving with the energy and sharing the Light. I could no longer tell the difference between myself and the others. In that instant I understood everything. I was teacher. I was the Light. I swam in the ocean of sameness and knew I would never leave again.

Hopefully that will inspire you - it sure has been for me!

So ... I would be interested to hear about other people's life-changing experiences.

All the best!

One book I forgot to mention, as I often forget it's actually a book .
The Mahabharata.

Mahabharata | Hindu literature

 

[Bob the Unbeliever]

Yes, I am a mister rather than a madam.

Thank you. I will do my best to try to remember. Alas, I'm 60 this year, and my memory isn't what it once was.

*sigh*

Faulty design, I say. But seeing as how the hardware is basically a kludge, I suppose I ought to be impressed that it even works at all.

 

[Mock Turtle]

Thank you. I will do my best to try to remember. Alas, I'm 60 this year, and my memory isn't what it once was.

*sigh*

Faulty design, I say. But seeing as how the hardware is basically a kludge, I suppose I ought to be impressed that it even works at all.

Since my mother seemingly had alzheimer's at the end of her life, I've tried to keep my mind busy by writing and framing arguments for various issues. The former seems to be working but not sure about the latter.

 

[Nous]

Just wondering if people have had life-changing experiences from reading a certain book.

Has a book ever radically altered the way you view life, love & the universe?

Yes, Humboldt's Gift by Saul Bellow was life-changing for me. I had not read anything by Bellow, and really didn't know anything about him or his writing (other than the fact that he had won the Nobel in literature several years earlier). I had started this novel several times and repeatedly put it down--I couldn't keep up with the characters; there seemed to be too much information, too many extraneous details, and where is the plot? Then I grabbed it one day to take with me when I anticipated having to wait in the doctor's office. I just started where I'd left off a good while earlier, even though I couldn't remember much that I had already read. Then I realized how outrageously funny it was, and I laughed out loud in the waiting room full of people who felt bad. I recognized that the writing was just abnormally erudite, penetratingly insightful, and knee-slapping comical, all at the same time, interspersed with unexpected moments of visual beauty. It seemed that every other sentence was at least slightly paradoxical. It became no longer a novel that I was reading but something that was speaking to me. I quickly became cognizant that I am Charlie Citrine in spirit, or, rather, the author of the fictional front who was having all Citrine's thoughts. The book somehow just opened up my world to new dimensions.

After that I read every word Bellow had ever scrawled, and I savored most of them--although there was one book that I threw on the ground and stomped on (metaphorically). Then I read everything written about Bellow, which actually was a small industry among lit crits for a while. About 1995, a friend of mine mentioned that he saw a blurb in the newspaper announcing that Bellow would be giving reading at MIT. It noted that Bellow had been living in Boston (or Brookline) for several years, teaching at BU, riding the Green Line to work every day. I had lived in Boston for more than a decade, but, just weeks before, had moved to Houston. I was on the Green Line every day. I wondered if I had sat in the same seat where Bellow had sat. So, lied to colleagues about why I needed to be away from the office for a couple of days, and traveled back to Boston to witness Bellow reading from one of his books. He was delightful in every way. He read from a novella he had recently completed and told about having just been in a coma for some period of time, brought on by a fish he had eaten while in the Caribbean. You will find a fictional account of that coma in his last novel, Ravelstein. I was surprised by the youthful quality of his voice and his delivery. I guess I was expecting some grouchy, gravely 80-year-old. Far from it. But on his doctor's advice he did not shake hands or sign autographs. I hate that I kind of stabbed him with my pen when talking with him at the end.

Anyway, there are other books and writers that have been, if not entirely transformative, at least highly influential on me. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan's An Idealist View of Life is one. The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James is another. One of the books by the philosopher Walter Kaufmann had a large impact on me. The collected poems in The Dream of the Unified Field by Jorie Graham was a mind-explosion for me.

 

[Geoff-Allen]

One more book I enjoyed is "The Power of Now".

Many millions have found it life-changing.

Here's a little taste -

“Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at the moment.”

More here -

Twelve quotes by Eckhart Tolle on living in present, acceptance and wisdom

All the best!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Here's a book I have yet to read but he heard great things about it -

Self-love and Acceptance with Lori Deschene from TinyBuddha.com (Part 1) - Becoming Who You Are

 

[Geoff-Allen]

The Lost Art of Compassion

What do you think?

Is compassion a lost art?

What WOULD this world look like if people were more compassionate?

In my experience, if I forget to cultivate genuine compassion, I find that my relationships with my fellow beings are inevitably difficult & stressful.

"The Lost Art of Compassion" by Lorne Ladner is a book that really deserves a wider audience.

From the rear cover:

DON'T LEAVE HAPPINESS TO CHANCE

Modern culture has overlooked one of the most powerful inner resources for creating a life of happiness and contentment. With The Lost Art of Compassion, clinical psychologist and long time Tibetan Buddhist practioner Lorne Ladner rescues compassion from the margins and demonstrates its potential to transform our daily lives.

While interest in positive psychology is just dawning in the West, the cultivation of compassion has been a cornerstone of Tibetan Buddhism for over a thousand years. This is the first book to incorporate the Tibetan Buddhist teachings most suited to the demands of our busy lives and provides a crucial perspective lacking in Western psychology. Bringing together the best contributions of psychology and Buddhism, Dr. Ladner bridges the gap between East and West, theory and practice, offering ten methods for cultivating joy and contentment amidst the everyday challenges we face. The result is a highly practical, user-friendly guide to discovering the neglected path of happiness in this modern world.

"Dr. Ladner brings his own passion to the cause of compassion. He shows how revolutionary a lost art it really is. His book is inspiring for all of us, therapists and patients alike."

Here's a couple of quotes from the actual book -

"Often it is difficult people who are suffering the most and are therefore most in need of compassion."

"Perhaps some parts of ourselves that we see as normal and essential to who we are in fact block us from being more compassionate, creative, content and joyful than we've yet imagined we could be."

"His Holiness the Dalai Lama often notes that in order to avert war and bring about disarmament in the world we must begin by effecting an inner disarmament."

"By spending time regularly for months or years imagining how they received limitless love & kindness over infinite expanses of time, meditators gradually develop an inexhaustible sense of gratitude, love, affection & inner wealth."

"If you're sincerely interested in being a more loving, good-hearted person then it can be particularly helpful at the beginning to recognise that it's mainly through your practice with difficult people that you will become confident that your inner development is bearing fruit."

If you are keen to learn how to become a more compassionate human being, try these sites -

Zen habits has a great guide to cultivating compassion

Compassion for yourself is a key to peace of mind

Some great quotes - also try a google search for viewonbudhism compassion

 

[Geoff-Allen]

More excellent book reviews at this site -

Spirituality & Practice: Resources for Spiritual Journeys | Book Award Winners | Books | Spirituality & Practice

Enjoy!

 

[Mock Turtle]

The Lost Art of Compassion

What do you think?

Is compassion a lost art?

What WOULD this world look like if people were more compassionate?

In my experience, if I forget to cultivate genuine compassion, I find that my relationships with my fellow beings are inevitably difficult & stressful.

"The Lost Art of Compassion" by Lorne Ladner is a book that really deserves a wider audience.

From the rear cover:

DON'T LEAVE HAPPINESS TO CHANCE

Modern culture has overlooked one of the most powerful inner resources for creating a life of happiness and contentment. With The Lost Art of Compassion, clinical psychologist and long time Tibetan Buddhist practioner Lorne Ladner rescues compassion from the margins and demonstrates its potential to transform our daily lives.

While interest in positive psychology is just dawning in the West, the cultivation of compassion has been a cornerstone of Tibetan Buddhism for over a thousand years. This is the first book to incorporate the Tibetan Buddhist teachings most suited to the demands of our busy lives and provides a crucial perspective lacking in Western psychology. Bringing together the best contributions of psychology and Buddhism, Dr. Ladner bridges the gap between East and West, theory and practice, offering ten methods for cultivating joy and contentment amidst the everyday challenges we face. The result is a highly practical, user-friendly guide to discovering the neglected path of happiness in this modern world.

"Dr. Ladner brings his own passion to the cause of compassion. He shows how revolutionary a lost art it really is. His book is inspiring for all of us, therapists and patients alike."

Here's a couple of quotes from the actual book -

"Often it is difficult people who are suffering the most and are therefore most in need of compassion."

"Perhaps some parts of ourselves that we see as normal and essential to who we are in fact block us from being more compassionate, creative, content and joyful than we've yet imagined we could be."

"His Holiness the Dalai Lama often notes that in order to avert war and bring about disarmament in the world we must begin by effecting an inner disarmament."

"By spending time regularly for months or years imagining how they received limitless love & kindness over infinite expanses of time, meditators gradually develop an inexhaustible sense of gratitude, love, affection & inner wealth."

"If you're sincerely interested in being a more loving, good-hearted person then it can be particularly helpful at the beginning to recognise that it's mainly through your practice with difficult people that you will become confident that your inner development is bearing fruit."

If you are keen to learn how to become a more compassionate human being, try these sites -

Zen habits has a great guide to cultivating compassion

Compassion for yourself is a key to peace of mind

Some great quotes - also try a google search for viewonbudhism compassion

I believe we tend to ration compassion, with some undeserving it seems - we probably all know who they are - but it hardly helps, and I think if we were less punitive as societies then we might have more progress to the kind of society that I hope most would want.

 

[Geoff-Allen]

I believe we tend to ration compassion, with some undeserving it seems - we probably all know who they are - but it hardly helps, and I think if we were less punitive as societies then we might have more progress to the kind of society that I hope most would want.

I think we're on the same page.

That book is a great guide for anyone wishing 2 be more compassionate!

All the best!

 

[Mock Turtle]

I think we're on the same page.

That book is a great guide for anyone wishing 2 be more compassionate!

All the best!

And to you. I think I'll add the book to my list - I will often buy many but so many get unread unless I do spend less time elsewhere. One book I can recommend, which essentially says the same, if any haven't read it is, Against Empathy, by Paul Bloom, who argues that our empathy is often too focused and localised, when what we really need is more compassion for all others, and with which I would tend to agree.

Ooops! I bought the book. So you are doing a great job.

 

[Geoff-Allen]

And to you. I think I'll add the book to my list - I will often buy many but so many get unread unless I do spend less time elsewhere. One book I can recommend, which essentially says the same, if any haven't read it is, Against Empathy, by Paul Bloom, who argues that our empathy is often too focused and localised, when what we really need is more compassion for all others, and with which I would tend to agree.

Thanks for the recommendation - hadn't heard of Paul Bloom.

Found him on Youtube -

Cheers!

 

[Axe Elf]

Send me $50, and I'll send you a copy of my new book, "How To Get People To Send You $50 For A Book."

 

[Mock Turtle]

Send me $50, and I'll send you a copy of my new book, "How To Get People To Send You $50 For A Book."

I'm a bit of a sucker - send me your bank details so I can transfer the money.

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Pema Chodron is another teacher who encourages people to treat themselves with a little more kindness & compassion.

You can get a taste of her writing here -

https://pemachodronfoundation.org/articles/

Enjoy!

 

[Buddha Dharma]

Thinking back over it, I could say several have, for many reasons.

The Dhammapada by far changed my life the most for the long journey it put me on, when I was still an agnostic youth from a skeptical raising. I saw the beauty in something higher than my immediate surroundings, in the Buddha's wonderful kindness-oriented ethics.

That made me want to see more of this thing we generally call religion. Religion has produced some very high thoughts, ideals, and inspiration. Whatever else we can say about it...

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

I've been thinking about this for a bit...here's one...

Bored of the Rings, by the Harvard Lampoon (Henry Beard and Douglas Kenney)

 

[Revoltingest]

I wouldn't say that it changed my life, but I really liked Catch 22.
Yossarian was my kind of guy.

 

[Mock Turtle]

Thanks for the recommendation - hadn't heard of Paul Bloom.

Found him on Youtube -

Cheers!

Regarding empathy - I seemed to have lost this for quite a while, and this perhaps could be seen by the following incident (occurring some decades ago), particularly when I never used to be that way and I am not so now. On a long train journey between my home and my parent’s home, I had booked a seat, knowing that often when the train was crowded, it could be a bit of a gamble. When I arrived at my allocated seat, I found a young girl, aged about ten, sitting there. Her parents and the rest of the family were a few seats away on the opposite side. I insisted she vacate the seat, and she was obviously distressed, as were her family. The looks of hurt and daggers aimed my way were almost deadly. I knew I was fully entitled to do as I did, and many might not even think that I did any wrong, however, most others probably will agree with my view now, that if I had had more empathy at the time, then I would have adjusted to the situation and found a compromise solution. For the rest of the journey the girl had to sit on someone’s knee. Looking back, I should have just asked the girl to find a vacant seat for me - or I could have done so myself - and thus all would have been happy. It was not as if I required that exact seat was it. At some stage, after some reflection, I determined to apologise to those whom I had wronged, given the chance, and I think this was an example of how I had become more empathetic again.