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In The Face Of Fear: Buddhist Wisdom For Challenging Times (2009)

by Barry Boyce(Favorite Author)

4 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

1590307577 (ISBN13: 9781590307571)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Shambhala

review 1: I won this book in the Goodreads give away. I read this book slowly--generally one or two chapters at a time. It took me awhile to read it. After each chapter the reader will need to reflect on the content. I found this to be good book to read. It's quit inspirational. Some of the sections gave me ideas on how to try to handle things in my life. Other sections I found a little difficult to understand or at least I did not find them applicable to my life. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for ideas and/or solutions to problems. This would not be a book to read for 'fun'.
review 2: I received this engaging anthology of contemporary Buddhist writing as a Goodreads giveaway. I felt fortunate to be a winner (I’m one of those who rarely wins anythin... moreg), and even more fortunate as I began reading and realized what I had won. This is an entertaining, enlightening, and useful book.But before I begin digging into the book, let me offer a quick word of perspective. I am not a Buddhist, at least in the capital-B sense. I am a Christian, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, an active Mormon who has served as a bishop. However, I have long had an interest in Buddhism, in which I am reasonably well read, and have benefited greatly in my life from the application of mindfulness-oriented practices based upon Buddhist teachings. That is the perspective and background that I bring to this book.In the Face of Fear comprises six parts. Part One, titled “Beyond Denial: Seeing Things as They Really Are,” offers insights into the human condition by authors such as Sylvia Boorstein, Norman Fischer, and the Dalai Lama. A brief article titled “Transiency,” by the late Shunryu Suzuki, was the highlight of this section for me, although I must say that I truly enjoyed all the articles.Part Two, “Tools for a Mindful Life,” begins with a memorable first sentence from the always helpful Pema Chodron: “One of my favorite subjects of contemplation is this question: ‘Since death is certain, but the time of death is uncertain, what it the most important thing?’” She then goes on to offer some good advice for living life. Her article is followed by useful articles by Thich Nhat Hanh, Phillip Moffitt, Sayong Mipham Rinpoche (who offers this gem: “If we don’t orient our day toward spiritual growth, the speed of our life takes over, fueled by habitual patterns.”), and Joseph Goldstein. Part Three, titled “Transforming Difficulty into Awakening,” is something of an extension of Part Two, in that more tools for mindful living are brought forward by authors such as Polo Rinpoche (whose article has the wonderful title, attributed and expanded upon in his writing, “Erring and Erring, We Walk the Unerring Path”), and Pema Chodron once more. Part Four, “Facing Fear and Other Strong Emotions,” continues in the same vein as the previous two parts, but burrows deeper into our psyche to offer advice on how to deal with particularly strong emotional challenges in our lives. From this section, I particularly enjoyed Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche’s “Have Courage and Sense of Humor” ands Sharon Salzberg’s reflections on “Faith.” From Jack Kornfield, this nugget: “As desire abates, generosity is born.” In all, these three sections offer not only insight, but also practical advice for dealing with life’s persistent challenges.Unfortunately, the following section, Part Five, titled “Skillful Means: Money, Work, and Family,” struck me as a significant letdown, for the most part offering what seem to be reasonable but not particularly insightful platitudes rather than wisdom, except for the final article, “Be What You Need to Be,” by Thich Nhat Hanh, who offers a succinct summary of the four skillful means of the bodhisattva and how they can be adapted to our everyday life. And fortunately, the final section of the book, Part Six, titled “True Happiness,” rises to the higher level of quality found in the earlier sections. Especially touching to me are the closing sentences of the article titled “The Natural State of Happiness,” by Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche: “What is the foremost virtue? Atisha said it is to have a profound sense of caring for the benefit and well-being of others. What is the foremost sign of success or accomplishment? Not clairvoyance or miraculous powers, but rather, having fewer selfish emotions. These may sound like just a few simple sentences, but they are very profound and of great benefit when you take them to heart.”Overall, then, In the Face of Fear is an insightful anthology of Buddhist writing that contains powerful insights into the human condition and offers sound advice for dealing with the challenges of daily life. I would recommend it highly not only to those with an interest in Buddhist thought, but to all who seek insight into life’s spiritual dimensions. less

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