March Read

Title: Make Peace with Your Mind: How Mindfulness and Compassion Can Free You From Your Inner Critic
Author: Coleman, Mark
Call Number:
Book Description from amazon.com
The inner critic is the voice inside our heads reminding us that we are never “good enough.” It’s behind the insidious thoughts that can make us second-guess our every action and doubt our own value. The inner critic might feel overpowering, but it can be managed effectively. Meditation teacher and therapist Mark Coleman helps readers understand and free themselves from the inner critic using the tools of mindfulness and compassion. Each chapter offers constructive insights into what creates, drives, and disarms the critic; real people’s journeys to inspire and guide readers; and simple practices anyone can use to live a free, happy, and flourishing life.
My Read:
As I close this book, the following sentence from the book stays with me:
"The emotion doesn't define who you are. It is simply a visitor."--Page 211
This sentence reminds me of one saying from one well-known Buddhist book called "金剛經."
It says: 應無所住而生其心.
This is what I understand: One shouldn't allow anything to register in the mind to bring about emotions.
Emotions ebb and flow. In real life people come and go. We shouldn't make any change of who we are to dance with them. We can simply observe and be mindful of what's happening. Visitors come and they will, eventually, leave us. And we stay for we are the master.

February Read

Title: The Right Questions: Ten Essential Questions To Guide You To an Extraordinary Life
Author: Ford, Debbie
Book Description from amazon.com:

New York Times number-one bestselling author Debbie Ford presents revolutionary questions that, when answered with complete honesty, change the way we see ourselves and make decisions - ultimately moving us toward the life we desire.

The realities of the life we live today are a result of the choices we made yesterday, three months ago and three years ago. But we don′t wind up $50,000 dollars in debt because of one extravagant purchase. Nor do we put on 30 unwanted pounds as a result of a couple of decadent meals. And our relationships certainly don′t fall apart overnight because of one decision. We are where we are because of repeated unconscious choices made day after day. If we want to understand why and how we created our present day reality, all we need to do is look at the choices we made in the past. Ford cuts right through our denial with the 10 questions that immediately reveal the true motivations behind our thoughts and actions. But more than that, by rigorously and honestly asking and answering these 10 vital questions, we regain control and have the power necessary to create the life we always wanted.

The 10 questions are:
1-Will this choice propel me toward an inspiring future or will it keep me stuck in the past?

2-Will this choice bring me long-term fulfillment or will it bring me short-term gratification?

3-Am I standing in my power or am I trying to please another?

4-am I looking for what's right or am I looking for what's wrong?

5-will this choice add to my life force(chi) or will it rob me of my energy?

6-will I use this situation as a catalyst to grow and evolve or will I use it to beat myself up?

7-Does this choice empower me or does it disempower me?

8-Is this an act of self-love or is it an act of self-sabotage?

9-Is this an act of faith or is it an act of fear?

10-am I choosing from my divinity or am I choosing from my humanity?

January Read 2/ 2017

Title: Beyond Past Lives: What Parallel Realities Can Teach Us About Relationships, Healing, and Transformation
Author: Kelley, Mira
Call Number: 615.8528 K29B 2014
Book Description from amazon.com:
 In this book, regressionist Mira Kelley shares the life-changing lessons she has learned from her clients to help you find support and understanding, and to empower you in your own growth. Mira teaches you how to connect with your Higher Self in any moment to receive guidance. You’ll come to understand how everything around you is just a reflection of yourself, why is it important to forgive, why you have the right to love yourself, and how the Universe always supports you lovingly and unconditionally.
     The stories contained in these pages will help you discover how to heal your body, mind, and spirit as you learn about the nature of time, karma, destiny, and free will—as well as how each choice creates a new reality for you. As you read Beyond Past Lives, you’ll see how regression has helped others shift to a reality of health and well-being, and you will be guided to achieve the same for yourself. Prepare for a powerful transformation as you experience the profound lesson of your past lives!
My Read:
Reading this book is as if I took a journey with other souls. There are so many stories to read. The following is one I still remember as I closed the book. It's about a soul taking a flower form in one of its lives on earth. "It's a flower. Orangish; bloomed with a very green and very thin stem. Almost don't know how the flower is being held up from such a small stem. And it's me. And it's breathing. It almost expands and contracts....To be the flower feels amazing. I open and close. I am in complete control of when I open and close. Ha! And I am expansive! And I am interesting. I am detailed. I am in a garden...Nobody is like me. Nobody. There's a few other small flowers, but I am the most free, the most expressive..I feel this confidence comes from being in this flower. I have a very expansive, impressive top. But such a thin stem. And this stem somehow holds me up. I can never leave and never move from there, and that is just okay...I don't even care if I am able to move and leave. Why would I want to leave this? I have everything I need. I like that I have this essence, this energy, and this powerful beauty, and that the other flowers see it...It feels eternal."--page 161-162
Another takeaway from this book is as followed:
"The Soul's Purpose---Your soul is created to fulfill a purpose. This idea, shared by both Serena and Ariel, has the power to take our oldest negative conditioning and turn it into dust. Yet most of us were never taught that our existence was asked for by God. And that, because God asked for us, we deserve to be. Most of us are raised to believe that we need to prove our worth and that we must take certain steps to deserve the grace of God. Our very existence is the proof of how worthy we are to the Universe. we wouldn't exist it we were not desired and unconditionally loved, even before we were created."-page 156-157
It's mentioned repetitively in stories in this book that we just have to "be yourself" ; the being of being oneself.
Be yourself is enough.

January Read

Title: The Brain That Changes Itself
Author: Doidge, Norman
Book Description:
A new science called neuroplasticity is overthrowing the old 

notion that the human brain is immutable. Psychoanalyst 

Doidge traveled the country to meet both the brilliant 

scientists championing 

neuroplasticity and the people whose lives they've 

transformed--people 

whose mental limitations or brain damage were seen as 

unalterable. We see a

woman born with half a brain that rewired itself to work as a whole, blind 

people who learn to see, learning disorders cured, IQs raised, aging brains 

rejuvenated, stroke patients learning to speak, children with cerebral palsy 

learning to move with more grace, depression and anxiety disorders 

successfully treated, and lifelong character traits changed. Using these 

stories  to probe mysteries of the body, emotion, love, sex, culture, and 

education, Dr. Doidge has written an inspiring bookthat will permanently 

alter the way  we look at our brains, human nature, and human potential.--

From publisher description.

My Read:

I found the following is the most helpful after I finished the book:

"Thus physical exercise and learning work in complementary ways: the first to 

make new stem cells, the second to prolong their survival."-page 252-253

Notes:

Constraint-induced therapy

Fast ForWord program

Feldenkrais Method

Dr. Michael Merzenich 

Mirror therapy for "phantom limbs."

Dr. Alvaro Pascual-Leone

December Read 2016

Title: The Brain's Way of Healing: Remarkable Discoveries and Recoveries from the Frontiers of Neuroplasticity
Author: Doidge, Norman
Call Number: 612.8 D657B 2015
Subject: Neuroplasticity; brain; healing
Summary(Provided by publisher):

" The New York Times bestselling author of The Brain That Changes Itself presents astounding advances in the treatment of brain injury and illness. In The Brain That Changes Itself, Norman Doidge described the most important breakthrough in our understanding of the brain in four hundred years: the discovery that the brain can change its own structure and function in response to mental experience-what we call neuroplasticity. His revolutionary new book shows, for the first time, how the amazing process of neuroplastic healing really works. It describes natural, non-invasive avenues into the brain provided by the forms of energy around us-light, sound, vibration, movement-which pass through our senses and our bodies to awaken the brain's own healing capacities without producing unpleasant side effects. Doidge explores cases where patients alleviated years of chronic pain or recovered from debilitating strokes or accidents; children on the autistic spectrum or with learning disorders normalizing; symptoms of multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and cerebral palsy radically improved, and other near-miracle recoveries. And we learn how to vastly reduce the risk of dementia with simple approaches anyone can use. For centuries it was believed that the brain's complexity prevented recovery from damage or disease. The Brain's Way of Healing shows that this very sophistication is the source of a unique kind of healing. As he did so lucidly in The Brain That Changes Itself, Doidge uses stories to present cutting-edge science with practical real-world applications, and principles that everyone can apply to improve their brain's performance and health"-- Provided by publisher.

"Norman Doidge's revolutionary new book shows, for the first time, how the amazing process of neuroplastic healing really works. It describes natural, non-invasive avenues into the brain provided by the forms of energy around us--light, sound, vibration, movement--which pass through our senses and our bodies to awaken the brain's own healing capacities without producing unpleasant side effects. Doidge explores cases where patients alleviated years of chronic pain or recovered from debilitating strokes or accidents; children on the autistic spectrum or with learning disorders normalizing; symptoms of multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and cerebral palsy radically improved, and other near-miracle recoveries. And we learn how to vastly reduce the risk of dementia with simple approaches anyone can use. For centuries it was believed that the brain's complexity prevented recovery from damage or disease. The Brain's Way of Healing shows that this very sophistication is the source of a unique kind of healing"-- Provided by publisher.

My Read:

Amazing real stories with real people. After I finished this book I checked out another book by the same author. It's called "The Brain That Changes Itself." 

November Read 2016

Title: The Urban Monk
Author: Shojai, Pedram
Call Number: 294.34435 S559U 2016
Book Description from amazon.com

We all struggle to discover satisfaction and contentment in the modern world and yet the more technology we use, the more things seem to get worse. What are we all missing? What will it take for us to find our centers? Pedram Shojai shares how the calmness of Zen masters is attainable in today's fast-paced world, and with practice, you too can stop time, refuel, and focus on the things that really matter.

The Urban Monk, a New York Times bestseller, reveals the secrets to finding an open heart, sharp mind, and grounded sense of well-being, even in the most demanding circumstances. Shojai’s no-nonsense life mastery program brings together clear tools and exercises that can elevate your existence. Learn to honor your body with nutrition and shake free from addictions to toxic substances and experiences. Let your body and mind unwind each day with evening meditations, loosening exercises, and resting rituals that will keep any stress or unfinished business out of the bedroom, helping you sleep better so that your body can rejuvenate.

The Urban Monk is filled with priceless practices that you can use in your daily life, right here and now. It is designed to be your companion in this crazy world we live in. Get it dirty, mark it up, and take it around with you on your journey to becoming an Urban Monk. There’s no need to move or drastically change your current life. You can find peace within, and The Urban Monk will teach you how to calm the chaos in your head.

The world needs you to step up and live your life to the fullest. Pedram Shojai is the Urban Monk who can show you how to drink from infinity, find peace and prosperity, and thrive in a modern world.

Hard Work (page 237):

"Again, the literal translation of the words kung fu is "hard work" or "eat bitter." So when a fellow martial artist asks me how my kung fu is, he isn't necessarily inquiring about my roundhouse kicks. It is a metaphor for life itself. The premise is that how you do one thing is how you do everything. Life is hard work, and when we apply ourselves to mastery of the items we choose to engage in, we do what it takes to be good at it. Whether you're an auto mechanic, tax planner, or athlete, the choice sits with you whether you actually apply yourself and master your craft. It is a frame of reference, an ATTITUDE. Once you adopt this attitude, it relates to everything else you do. We become good at things because we remain aware, alert, and present. Divided attention fragments us. It makes us anxious and wastes our energy. An Urban Monk is fully engaged in what he does and applies himself fully. When that task is over, he moves on to the next one. When he's tired, he rests fully and sleeps deeply. When it's time to play, he's enjoying the party. He's switched on and vibrantly alive.

September Read

Title: The Tao of Happiness
Author: Lin, Derek
Call Number: 299.51482 L735T 2015
Book Description from amazon.com
f you have not encountered Chuang Tzu before, prepare yourself for a treat. He was the sage who stood apart from all others in Chinese history. He was a unique presence, a great mind like no one before or since. Chuang Tzu quickly distinguished himself and became well known for his deep understanding and sense of humor. His mastery was such that he could explain the Tao with simple stories, and his humor was such that he could see the joy in ordinary things. He taught his students about “carefree wandering”—the path of moving through life with a free and happy heart, regardless of how turbulent the journey might be.

It is time for modern readers to join in on the fun. Chuang Tzu’s wisdom is not just for Eastern culture, but for all of humanity. We may not have the instability or the clash of massive armies indicative of Chuang Tzu’s time, but we have a lot of stress and tension in our modern world. Many of us find ourselves fighting little battles on the personal front just to get through the day. We can benefit greatly from Chuang Tzu’s teachings. These parables are presented throughout this book and juxtaposed with the charming and intelligent prose of modern-day Taoist teacher and author Derek Lin. Together, Chuang Tzu and Lin will present you with simple lessons that will have a lasting impact on your life.
My Read;
     I've learned the stories in this book when attending schools at youth; those stories were taught in the Literature classes. It's interesting to realize that rereading those stories at a later age inspired me, especially stories about death. Chuang Tzu said: "In that state between existence and nonexistence, her initial transformation gave rise to energy. That energy gave rise to a physical form, and that physical form took on life to become a human being. Now it's the other way around, as her continuing transformation returns her to the Tao. This whole process-from nonexistence to life, from life to nonexistence again-is like the changing of seasons, all completely in accordance with nature."-page 98
     Another story about friendship is also inspiring. It's an exceptional personal communication directly and candidly conducted by two friends/confidantes. It's about affinity, trust, and time you've shared with someone special. "They may have no idea what you are talking about, but that's okay. They will sense what you mean and understand what you are trying to say. This simple understanding will demonstrate, yet again, the three ingredients of the miracle-our most incredible miracle of all."-page 108