Living as a River: Finding Fearlessness in the Face of Change - Softcover

Bodhipaksa

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1591799104 ISBN 13: 9781591799108

Publisher: Sounds True, 2010

Synopsis

To face reality is to embrace change; to resist change is to suffer. This is the liberating insight that unfolds with Living as a River. A masterful investigation of the nature of self, this eloquent blend of current science and time-honored spiritual insight is meant to free us from the fear of impermanence in a world defined by change.

“An interesting, lively, and genuinely illuminating teaching of dharma.”―Jack Kornfield, author of A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life“At a time when it's increasingly challenging to find clear and honest direction on the spiritual path, Living as a River offers contemporary insight into an ancient practice and wise counsel we can trust. This book is both beautifully written and useful to all serious seekers.” ―Mariana Caplan, PhD, author of Eyes Wide Open: Cultivating Discernment on the Spiritual Path and Halfway Up the Mountain: The Error of Premature Claims to EnlightenmentThe primary vehicle for this journey is Buddhism's traditional Six Element Practice, a deconstructive process of deep reflection that helps us let go of the belief in a separate, static self―the root of unhappiness. Bodhipaksa takes readers through a systematic yet poetic analysis of the self that supports the realization of:

A sense of spaciousness and expansiveness that transcends the limitations of the physical body
· Profound gratitude, awe, and a feeling of belonging as we witness the extent of our connectedness with the universe
· Freedom from the psychological burden caused by clinging to a false identity
· The relaxed experience of “consciousness, pure and bright”
Engrossing and incisive, Living as a River is at once an empowering guide and a meditative practice we can turn to again and again to overcome our fear of change and align joyfully with the natural unfolding of creation.

About this title

About the Author

Bodhipaksa
Bodhipaksa was born Graeme Stephen in Scotland, and currently lives and teaches in New Hampshire. He is a Buddhist teacher and author who has been practicing within the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order since 1982, and has been a member of the Western Buddhist Order since 1993. He runs the online meditation center WildMind.org, whose mission is to increase awareness of the positive effects of meditation.

Review

This book is one of the best explanations of what the separate self is, what it does, and how being free of the static sense of a separate self benefits humanity, leaving us "peaceful yet engaged." It reminds us of why awakening is not just about personal freedom, but also compassion, ethics, action, and care and concern for all sentient beings. These elements are sometimes missed in our modern attempts to translate Buddhist texts in order to "rush to a personal awakening."

"I wrote Living as a River because I'm fascinated by the Buddhist Six Element Practice and I wanted to communicate my explorations. But my book isn't really about the Six Element Practice (which is really just the framework for the explorations it contains). It's a way of letting go of our clinging so that we can, eventually, lose our clinging and find freedom. But that's not a very adequate description of the book either" says Bodhipaksa.

Living As A River contains a great balance between explaining awakening and giving direct injunctions to the reader to bring about the awakening. As Bodhipaksa explains, like a river --life is dynamic, vibrant, ever-changing. The static, fixed views of ourselves, others, and the world freeze us, stifling our creativity, and turning us away from the inherent love within each of us.

*Bodhipaksa adds: "I could describe the book in just two words: "Embracing change." So that's what the book's about. It uses the structure of the Six Element meditation in order to face up to the reality of change, and to help us let go of clinging so that we can embrace impermanence."

This book perfectly illuminates the real purpose of awakening, which is not to just talk about that river or even enter the river, but to realize we are it --fully. Review by Scott Kiloby, author of Love's Quiet Revolution, Reflections of the One Life, and Natural Rest: Finding Recovery Through Presence. -- Non-Duality America - Scott Kiloby

Edition details

• Publisher: Sounds True
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1591799104
• ISBN 13: 9781591799108
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 364