Thoughts Without a Thinker: Psychotherapy from a Buddhist Perspective

Rating:
Summary: Clear, entertaining, original, and very off-beat
Review: The first part of the book, where Epstein gives a summary of Buddhist doctrine as he views it, is simply brilliant. I would recommend the book to anyone who wants to know what the heck Buddhism is -- just read the first part. In the second part Epstein occasionally lapses into therapeutic jargon and I caught myself skeeping over some things just because of the way the author worded them. However, still the second part is good -- it gives some insights on meditation practice and, curiously, it sounds like a restatement of Castaneda's doctrine of impeccability. It is a small world, after all! The third part is good also but is more oriented towards those specifically interested in therapy. I enjoyed it still. It is nice to have bright people like Epstein write good books on such interesting subjects. His level of delivery is very masterly, and very deep. Great reading, and time well spent!

Rating:
Summary: This book is profound.
Review: This book actually changed my life.I learned to meditate, I learned the power of meditation, and I learned a Buddhist framework for examining my life. (I was so impressed with the mental skills that this book taught me that I actually became a Buddhist.) I find that the more I understand the world, the more relevant this book becomes, and things that were difficult when I read it become clear years afterwards. By this I do not mean that the book itself is difficult -- it is brilliantly clear -- but rather that it is profound and its lessons are still revealing themselves to me.

Rating:
Summary: Good introduction to Buddhism
Review: This book is a terrific introduction to Buddhism. It puts Buddhism into psychological framework and makes it more accessible. This book is not about avoiding pain or anything pollyana like that. It's about understanding your feelings in a way that you can actually experience them for what they are: just feelings!The the idea is to watch your feelings as they happen to you psychically and try to understand what the experience of having a feeling is actually like in a conscious engaged manner. It's about a whole lot more as well. It's complicated to describe but it couldn't be more simple once you get it. It's not New Age or feel good stuff. It's a good read if your interested in Buddhism or Relgion in general and Psychotherapy as well. Don't take my word for it though. Trust yourself.

Rating:
Summary: Buddha meets Freud
Review: This books explores the profound links between psychotherapy and Buddhism. Starting from a very simple premise (in the Dalai Lama's words who writes a preface to this book) "the purpose of life is to be happy"-Epstein traverses the essential principles of Buddhism, the advantages and shortcomings of psychoanalytic traditions and how some of the tenets and philosophies of Buddhism can enrich traditional psychotherapy. This is actually many books in one - a primer on Buddhism, the science and religion of meditation and a self help book on how to be happy. While at times it seems this is written for practicing therapists, Epstein, for the most part, manages to avoid getting into a lot of technical jargon. The only warning I have is that this book may be disturbing if you have not had prior exposure to Buddhism and/or are steeped in Judeo-Christian/Islamic tradition as the basic principle of the world's major religions - the existence of an omnipotent God -- is absent in Buddhism. Strongly recommended for its in-depth exploration of Buddhism and the insight into how Buddhism can enrich psychotherapy.

Rating:
Summary: Buddha meets Freud
Review: This books explores the profound links between psychotherapy and Buddhism. Starting from a very simple premise (in the Dalai Lama's words who writes a preface to this book) "the purpose of life is to be happy"-Epstein traverses the essential principles of Buddhism, the advantages and shortcomings of psychoanalytic traditions and how some of the tenets and philosophies of Buddhism can enrich traditional psychotherapy. This is actually many books in one - a primer on Buddhism, the science and religion of meditation and a self help book on how to be happy. While at times it seems this is written for practicing therapists, Epstein, for the most part, manages to avoid getting into a lot of technical jargon. The only warning I have is that this book may be disturbing if you have not had prior exposure to Buddhism and/or are steeped in Judeo-Christian/Islamic tradition as the basic principle of the world's major religions - the existence of an omnipotent God -- is absent in Buddhism. Strongly recommended for its in-depth exploration of Buddhism and the insight into how Buddhism can enrich psychotherapy.

Rating:
Summary: Buddha meets Freud
Review: This books explores the profound links between psychotherapy and Buddhism. Starting from a very simple premise (in the Dalai Lama's words who writes a preface to this book) "the purpose of life is to be happy"-Epstein traverses the essential principles of Buddhism, the advantages and shortcomings of psychoanalytic traditions and how some of the tenets and philosophies of Buddhism can enrich traditional psychotherapy. This is actually many books in one - a primer on Buddhism, the science and religion of meditation and a self help book on how to be happy. While at times it seems this is written for practicing therapists, Epstein, for the most part, manages to avoid getting into a lot of technical jargon. The only warning I have is that this book may be disturbing if you have not had prior exposure to Buddhism and/or are steeped in Judeo-Christian/Islamic tradition as the basic principle of the world's major religions - the existence of an omnipotent God -- is absent in Buddhism. Strongly recommended for its in-depth exploration of Buddhism and the insight into how Buddhism can enrich psychotherapy.