Tibetan Wisdom for Western Life
Author: Joseph Arpaia M.D., Lobsang a Ph.D.
List Price: $14.95
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ISBN: 1582700133
Publisher: Beyond Words Publising (December, 1999)
Sales Rank: 233,672
Average Customer Rating: 4.57 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 5 out of 5
Like the Shoemaker guy said
Although I am not a member of the Joe Arpaia Fan Club, as most of the other reviewers seem to be (including Joe hisseff!), I am thoroughly enjoying this book and finding it helpful and relevant. I had never heard of this book before I found it in the library while I was looking for that "don't sweat the small stuff" book (which I never did find). I knew Joe and Lobsang were talking right to me when they pointed out that your typical westerner doesn't need weeklong fasts or hair shirts to develop spiritually or mentally -- we get all the earthly suffering we need trying to commute, pay our mortgages, placate our bosses, keep the toilet clean, etc.
I think the Kirkus review missed the mark a bit. Seems like the reviewer just can't accept the idea that meditation could be a simple part of a typical day and still be beneficial -- perhaps even more beneficial than if you try to be something you're not (a monk, for instance) before you begin practicing meditation.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Warning - Not a replacement for medical care!
I was Dr. Arpaia's patient in 1996. He told me my illness was "spiritual, not mental" because I feared death less than the pain. He gave me meditative techniques like the ones in this book to help me with my illness. I did the exercises faithfully. Dr Arpaia was eventually replaced. I continued to get sicker and sicker.
The meditations in this book are good if you are a hard-driving executive or empathic healer who needs to stop for a moment, who needs to subtly strengthen your mind. But if you are ill - suicidal, hearing voices, or in any way disabled by your condition - please believe me, the techniques in this book are not going to do it for you. They won't hurt you and by all means, jump right in, if you can focus on that kind of thing. But get some help. Even many years later, and much healthier, I still require medication, and therapy of the talking variety has been helpful.
This book has been on my shelf for a year and a half and it only occurs to me now that the good doctor may be "prescribing" it innapropriately. May these words reach whom they need to reach. May no harm be done.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Smashing!
Drs Lobsang and Arpaia have written a book that can truly and simply help the Western world benefit from the spiritual dynamics of the Tibetan monks. I have worked in the mental health field for over 15 years and none of the training I have received has ever touched on the wisdom of the book and the one-on-one teachings I have received from Joe in the last year. Working with Joe and reading the book he co-authored has been one of the most important experiences in my life. I am finding my own peace and understanding of the MindBodySpirit connection that is essential for me to become my authentic self and a truly effective clinician. It has been an honor to work with Joe and the book follows closely many of the techniques he has taught me. Other recommended books? Thich Nhat Hanh's The Miracle of Mindfulness, Jonathan Carroll's White Apples and Charles DeLint's The Little Country.
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