I have read a lot of books on Buddhist philosophy and this one just didn’t speak to me. I think if you have a background in psychotherapy or a really analytic mind perhaps you would enjoy it but to me it felt sort of dull and without heart/ zest/ that special warmth of compassion that I get from other authors. It could also have been that I read the audiobook version and didn’t care for the narrator (as opposed to the content). He spoke way too fast and was kind of monotone.

I read this book on a recommendation. The Buddhism angle took me a bit by surprise and finally after reading a good way into it, I realized that wasn't just an element of the book, but rather the basis of it. I suppose I was conditioned to a Western approach by the title of the book and, well, how about that--judging a book by its cover. The content was a bit dense throughout. I'm capable of understanding it, and I did, but I think it could have been a bit more engaging and effective ready if it was more approachable, more relational. The parts that were grounded in real world and contemporary stories stood out. I picked up a few interesting points from the book and it served as a nice introduction to some new ideas and a different perspective.

This is the second? Third? Book by Mark Epstein I've read and have always learned something about mindfulness, meditation, and psychology from every one. Never simple answers to complex issues. Highly recommend.

Like his other book that I read (listened to), this meandered quite a bit. And, like the other, it leaned heavily on the writings of a child psychologist (whose name escapes me now) to an extent that seemed unwarranted. I'm not sure I buy his assertion that much suffering is a re-enactment of issues from infancy. That said, even though the book wasn't quite what I was hoping for, it was still really good. Because of its scattered nature, the wisdom was in bursts and tidbits rather than extended dives into a topic.

Epstein makes some excellent points about the Buddha's teachings on suffering and enlightenment-- recommending acceptance and metabolism of the ups and downs of life rather than seeking peak meditative experiences. The book had two major foci: a psychoanalytic approach to understanding the Buddha's life and interweaving Winnicott and Eigen (and a few others) into Buddhist teaching. Epstein has explored object relations and Buddhism before--so there didn't seem to be a lot new there for me. (I've read all his other work.). I appreciated the psychoanalysis of the Buddha, and wished Epstein had explored his whole life more-- not just a few aspects. Most of the focus is on the consequences of losing his mother so early in life. Epstein has a calm, slow, meticulous way of making his points. I feel that his work is a bit too derivative for me--too many stories from the works of others-- especially Goldstein and Salzberg. I found the book a bit too basic on principles of Buddhism- but others might not. It's a good book to introduce a psychotherapist to Buddhist practice. It's not a bad book, I just wish it had more depth.

Fantastic. Everyone should read this. Everyone. Some people criticize the book because it doesn't improve their understanding of Buddhism, but that's looking at it backwards. This book is an incredible resource, not to clarify Buddhism, but to illustrate how Buddhism can clarify our experiences, specifically our experiences of trauma and loss.

As a survivor walking the journey of complex PTSD, this book spoke directly to the heart of the battles we face when pain becomes pathologized. I have been in talk therapy (CBT) for an uninterrupted span of nearly seven years. I have walked the walk of recovery, inch by inch, by victory and defeat. The insights in this book fit exactly where I needed support in the context of my journey back to now. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is actively working to reopen to the parts of themselves previously too painful to access.

I can't, honestly can't, recommend it enough.