Customer Reviews

Asperger's Syndrome and Mindfulness: Taking Refuge in the Buddha

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Reading the book I recognized the hellish prisons that open up when a person with AS is living unaware of it and / or when the people in his surrounding are in the same situation. I also share experiencing the wholesome effects of Buddhist exercises: they are a medicine for one's mind and body. As these exercises have mindfulness at their base, clarity of mind is enhanced and self-knowledge is developed as well as knowledge of others. This is particularly relevant to a person with AS, as he suffers from a handicap in information processing as well as in understanding the psychological and social fabric.
The book gives a short overview of the basic Buddhist teachings to outline the context of the five hindrances: sense desire, ill-will, sloth and torpor, restlessness and remorse, and doubt. These are mental states anyone meets when facing difficulties, and difficulties abound for persons with AS. Each chapter describes a hindrance or an aspect of it on the basis of the author's personal experience and concludes with advice for the person with AS as well as the people around him. Although the advice may fit a Buddhist context, most of it is not specifically Buddhist and may also be found in non-Buddhist books. As well most of the advice is not specifically AS related but about overcoming obstacles in general.
To me the main advantage of this book is that it opens the eyes for the suffering of people with AS as well as for the benefit they can have from Buddhist exercises. Another advantage is that people with AS can get specific advice on how to cope with the hindrances they experience in their lives, which surpasses quick fixes and helps for the rest of their lives. A disadvantage for me as a non-native English speaker is a lack of editing by the publisher. E.g. there are some very long sentences that need cutting in parts or punctuation marks added.

This is not a book about Buddhism or Mindfulness, it is a book about Asperger's with a hint of Buddhism behind it. I wanted a book about how a person with Asperger's could attain a state of Mindfulness, so I was very disappointed when this book did not even come close to giving me that information. The "advice" given in this book is not at all useful, consisting of admonitions to do better when faced with problems, but nothing at all on how to manage any of those problems utilizing Buddhist techniques. It's like saying, "In order to quit smoking, you have to have the discipline and strength to quit smoking" but telling you nothing about how to obtain discipline or strength. You want to be mindful in the Buddhist sense of the word? Then start acting mindful and you will be. There, I just saved you the money of having the buy this book by summarizing its contents for you.