The Zen Guide to Opening Your Heart: Practical Advice from a Zen Buddhist Monk

In this accessible if sometimes trite debut, Zen priest Taigu shares Buddhist wisdom for moving past difficult feelings “with greater ease and peace of mind.” The process begins, he argues, with realizing that suffering is rooted in the mind and becoming cognizant of the emotions causing it. To that end, the book is organized around three key emotions that cause suffering—greed, anger, and ignorance—with examples of how to tackle the challenges stemming from each. Regret, for example, is a form of anger at oneself that reinforces negative thought patterns and should be replaced with calm reflection on why one “did or didn’t do something” or by viewing the situation in a humorous light. Elsewhere, Taigu advises readers who feel angry to take a break from the person or situation that’s causing distress and, in the long term, work on remembering that such feelings are rooted in their interpretation of the situation rather than the person who ostensibly upset them. The author’s elucidation of Buddhist principles is straightforward and often refreshing, even if some of his takes can feel out-of-touch (addressing how readers can let go of “intense dissatisfaction or anger toward their employer” after being fired, he suggests reframing the situation by realizing that “your evaluation of yourself was completely different to the company’s evaluation of you”). Despite those flaws, new students of Buddhism will find some pearls of wisdom here. (Sept.)