i gave this book to my beloved brother Trav. He is a Buddhist and he enjoyed it. the books talks a lot about patience and controlling your anger.

A collection of sayings, parables, teachings, exhortations attributed to the Buddha. Some cryptic, some inscrutable, but Kornfield has obviously mined the scriptural canon well; each page either shines outrightly, or hints of some pearl to be sought with deeper digging.A few favorites:As in the ocean's midmost depth no wave is born, but all is still, so let the practitioners be still, be motionless, and nowhere should they swell._________See yourself in others.Then whom can you hurt?What harm ca...

Great book for introduction to understanding Buddhism. Really enjoyed reading and re-reading several of its pages. It's not a book you just read but truly meditate, re-read and think over again. I do really recommend it.

This book contains a selection of Buddhist parables and teachings. I am not entirely sure who this book is aimed at. It is both too watered down to be interesting for those familiar with Buddhism, and too unapproachable to serve as an introduction to Buddhism. Kornfield is usually a master of prose, but his introduction feels lazy here and offers no practical insight. Additionally, I found the translations of most selections to be bad — they were tedious and boring. Skip this book and just read

Excellent selection of verses and short passages from the suttas and other Buddhist scriptures, anecdotes etc. Reading this over several times, would give one a nice feeling for what Buddhism is essentially aimed at, and the means for approaching the goals laid out in the path. The audiobook is also nice to meditate on, or contemplate.

I thought this was a decent collection of the Buddha's teachings from such various sources as the Dhammapada, the Nikayas, the Sutras, as well as snippets from Tibetan and Zen texts. Due to its broad scope, I wouldn't recommend this to someone looking for in-depth instruction on the teachings, but as something to keep on the coffee table and flip through whenever one could use a reminder of the benefits attained from living a life mindfulness and contemplation.

There is no fire like greed. No crime like hatred.No sorrow like separation.No sickness like hunger of heart, And no joy like the joy of freedom. Health and contentment, and trust are your greatest possessions, and freedom your greatest joy. Look within, Be still. Free from fear and attachment, know the sweet joy of living in the way.

This is just a little book, but it's probably my favorite of the Buddha's teachings. I don't know if it's Kornfield's translations (which are beautiful) or the selections, but this is the book that sits on my nightstand, or next to my computer, or on my desk to work. It is the source I go to when I need a prayer, or a lesson, or something to share with a friend. Really a beautiful little book.

"No matter where or how far you wander, the light is only a split second, a half-breath away, it is never too late to recognize the clear light."I should add a Buddhist shelf to my profile at this point.This book was so much more different than I was expecting in the best way possible. I bought this book with the expectation that it was going to glaze over the typical aspects of Buddhism that I am pretty thoroughly aware of.I had no idea this was like a mini-Bible for Buddhist texts! I got the l...

Well done by Jack Kornfield, I have the Shambala pocket version,some hi-lights: "Live in Joy and love even among those who hate, Live in Joy and Health even among the afflicted : Meditate, Live Purely, do your work with mastery: like the moon emerging from the darkness, waken yourself, watch yourself and live Joyfully " The Dhammapadda "These are the blessings supreme: to live in a suitable location, to be well-skilled in handicraft,to be well caring of mother and father, to be diligent in learn...

This is a collection of excerpts and short writings conveying Buddhist teachings. The pieces range in length from about a stanza of verse to a few pages in length. Each lesson tells what book it comes from and who the translator was, which can be a nice feature if one will be comparing different translations. Unlike Walpola Rahula’s similarly named “What the Buddha Taught,” which focuses entirely on what Gautama Buddha taught while he was living, this book includes many teachings from long after...

I read this book fast, not because it was boring but because it's not the type of book you read, it's one that you keep on the shelf and when the moment is right you read it again, and refer to it later for inspiration in life.I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about the Buddha's teachings. This is a book everyone should have, regardless of beliefs.

Short book filled with a variety of famous passages from the various canon. Even I recognized some, with my slight reading in this area. It is full of nuggets and interesting perspectives.The narrator was good, and it is an enjoyable listen. I will come back to it when I need a reminder, or to mine it for other learnings.

A very readable interpretation of Buddhist teachings from various sects and teachers of Buddhism from all over the world. Simply splendid.

When love and hate are absent we can see clearly. A judgment is nothing more than the expression of a limited perspective. The more one talks and thinks about it, the further astray one wonders. There’s no need to search for truth; only one to cease cherishing opinions in all forms. Ideas of what’s right and wrong only carry us farther into the illusion. The faster we try to go, the more lost we become. Obey nature, one’s own nature, to walk freely and undisturbed. What benefit can be derived fr...

Just a good little book filled with short, insightful anecdotes, koans, stories and lessons from various sources illuminating the core of the Buddha’s philosophy. I also recommend the audio version as it is narrated by the silky smooth voice of Edoardo Ballerini. A good book to just absorb in bits and pieces; no hurry required!

Great little book,lots of wisdom from the Buddha and others!!

Not my first time through this book. Or my second. Couldn't say how many times I've read it, really. Sometimes some of it, sometimes all of it.I've got a few books I use sort of like "devotionals." This is one of them. "Zen Flesh, Zen Bones" is another. "Dhammapada" is another. I get to the end of one, put it on the shelf, take the next down. Cycles around again eventually.This one is good. I practice more in the Zen tradition, so the Zen-friendly stuff in here appeals to me more than, say, the

A selection of Buddhist writing from around the world capturing voices from the various streams of Buddhist teaching, this collection is an interesting tour through its thought and practice. Living in and regularly visiting countries and cultures dominated by a Buddhist worldview I usually come away thinking I prefer it to secularism, because at least they acknowledge the role of the spiritual realm in forming a consistent ethical framework for society. Beyond that I remain distinctly theistic a...

A collection of Buddhist teachings and parables translated and read beautifully (on the audiobook). Some seem eerily wise (considering their age) and some are less convincing (birth and rebirth, the immortality of the 'soul', etc). But, granted, there is a blind-spot in modern science regarding the study of conciousness and qualia. Similarly, there is a (closing) gap in psychology on the topic of 'how to live well'. Nature abhors a vacuum and those spaces are often filled with utter crap - somet...