The Joy of Living (2007) (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit

Write a ridiculously simplified synopsis.

Characters/People edit see section history

• Elizabeth M. Callahan: Add a description of this character.
• Richard Davidson

Quotes edit see section history

• “I’m sure some of you have spent time around people who had a similar kind of impact, people able to teach incredibly profound lessons without appearing to be teaching at all. Just the way they are is a lesson that lasts for the rest of your life.”

• “There’s an old Tibetan saying: “If you walk with haste, you won’t reach Lhasa. Walk gently and you’ll reach your goal.” This proverb comes from the days when people in eastern Tibet would make a pilgrimage to Lhasa, the capital city, in the central region of the country. Pilgrims who wanted to get there quickly would walk as fast as they could, but because of the pace they set for themselves, they’d get tired or sick and have to return home. Those who traveled at an easy pace, however, pitched camp for the night, enjoyed one another’s company, and then continued on the next day, actually arrived at Lhasa more quickly.”

• Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers

• The mind is the source of all experience, and by changing the direction of the mind, we can change the quality of everything we experience.

  Highlighted by 159 Kindle customers

• So when Buddhists talk about emptiness, we don’t mean nothingness, but rather an unlimited potential for anything to appear, change, or disappear.

  Highlighted by 135 Kindle customers

• Experience follows intention. Wherever we are, whatever we do, all we need to do is recognize our thoughts, feelings, and perceptions as something natural. Neither rejecting nor accepting, we simply acknowledge the experience and let it pass. If we keep this up, we’ll eventually find ourselves becoming able to manage situations we once found painful, scary, or sad. We’ll discover a sense of confidence that isn’t rooted in arrogance or pride. We’ll realize that we’re always sheltered, always safe, and always home.

  Highlighted by 131 Kindle customers

• Meditation is actually a very simple exercise in resting in the natural state of your present mind, and allowing yourself to be simply and clearly present to whatever thoughts, sensations, or emotions occur.

  Highlighted by 128 Kindle customers

• what we think of as our identity—“my mind,” “my body,” “my self”—is actually an illusion generated by the unceasing flow of thoughts, emotions, sensations, and perceptions.

  Highlighted by 117 Kindle customers

• Buddhists don’t see the mind as a discrete entity, but rather as a perpetually unfolding experience.

  Highlighted by 116 Kindle customers

• Thinking is the natural activity of the mind. Meditation is not about stopping your thoughts. Meditation is simply a process of resting the mind in its natural state, which is open to and naturally aware of thoughts, emotions, and sensations as they occur.

  Highlighted by 113 Kindle customers

• If you truly want to discover a lasting sense of peace and contentment, you need to learn to rest your mind. Only by resting the mind can its innate qualities be revealed. The simplest way to clear water obscured by mud and other sediments is to allow the water to grow still. In the same way, if you allow the mind to come to rest, ignorance, attachment, aversion, and all other mental afflictions will gradually settle, and the compassion, clarity, and infinite expanse of your mind’s real nature will be revealed.

  Highlighted by 109 Kindle customers

• The key—the how of Buddhist practice—lies in learning to simply rest in a bare awareness of thoughts, feelings, and perceptions as they occur. In the Buddhist tradition, this gentle awareness is known as mindfulness, which, in turn, is simply resting in the mind’s natural clarity.

  Highlighted by 102 Kindle customers

• A more precise interpretation of nirvana is the adoption of a broad perspective that admits all experiences, pleasurable or painful, as aspects of awareness.

  Highlighted by 85 Kindle customers

Setting & Locations edit see section history

• India
• Tibet
• Nepal
• Karmapa
• Sherab Ling

First Sentence edit see section history

Table of Contents edit see section history

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Yongey Mingyur (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
• Dewey: 294.3444

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Religion & Spirituality › Buddhism › Tibetan
• Books › Science › Biological Sciences › Anatomy
• Books › Health, Mind & Body › Self-Help › Happiness
• Books › Religion & Spirituality › Buddhism › Rituals & Practice

More Books Like This edit see section history