I love this book!" - Tara Brach, PhD, author of Radical Acceptance "This remarkable, warm, encouraging, and crystal-clear book expresses the ancient wisdom of the Buddha in universal, twenty-first-century terms.
TO WAKE UP HOW TO
How to Wake Up will be greatly appreciated by readers new to the Buddhist path, as well as by seasoned practitioners." - Sharon Salzberg, author of Real Happiness "Toni Bernhard has done it again-sharing wisdom teachings in a way that makes them mightily accessible and helpful without any sacrifice of depth. Bravo!" - James Baraz, author of Awakening Joy "Toni Bernhard's beautiful book is a new invitation to investigate the Buddha's teachings in the laboratories of our own lives. It's like taking a powerful healing medicine that goes down like a delicious milkshake. "Toni Bernhard deftly presents deep, profound teachings in an amazingly simple, accessible way. While this is an ideal book for people beginning to explore Buddhism or alternative methods to handling life’s difficulties, this is also a useful book for the more experienced Buddhist or spiritual practitioner looking to revisit fundamental concepts of their practice. Bernhard presents all of this in an easy, straightforward manner that will reassure readers who are less familiar with Buddhist tradition. The book is organized around three fundamental tenets of the Buddha’s teachings-wisdom, mindfulness, and open-mindedness-with each section broken into chapters that examine these ideas and offer practices that help incorporate them into daily life.
From here Bernhard walks her readers through the concepts used in Buddhism to accept and engage this state of being and, in doing so, hopefully become more “awake” to the reality of life. (Sept.) From BooklistĮxpanding on the lessons of mindfulness and meditation found in her well-received How to Be Sick (2010), Bernhard switches gears to focus on the venerable and often intimidating idea of “awakening.” The author begins with the core idea that life is a string of experiences engendered by and producing suffering. While the market is saturated with good introductions to Buddhism, Bernhard excels at demonstrating from personal knowledge that the Buddha's promises to ease suffering aren't just empty words. Her discussion of tanha (desire) teases out the difference between wholesome aspirations and harmful craving, a sometimes thorny topic for students of Buddhism.
The relevance of classic topics such as the three marks of existence (impermanence, no fixed self, and suffering) is deftly investigated. With assurance the author blends clear explanations, examples, and easy practices (such as the tracing exercise to identify the source of dissatisfaction) from her circumscribed life to explore how wisdom, mindfulness, and open-heartedness can improve well-being. Here she explores Buddhism's heart to show how we have the potential to awaken to a peace and well-being that are not dependent on whether a particular experience is joyful or sorrowful. Her previous book (How to Be Sick) described her efforts to adapt skillfully to a chronic, life-changing illness. Drawing inspiration from the Buddha's awakening, Bernhard addresses this ancient tradition's core ideas in a wise, gentle guide to reducing suffering.
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