Dancing with Life: Buddhist Insights for Finding Meaning and Joy in the Face of Suffering (Hardcover)

by Phillip Moffitt (Author)
Key Phrases: twelve insights, realizing cessation, vibhava tanha, Eightfold Path, Ajahn Sumedho, Four Noble Truths (more...)

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Product Description

  Why do we suffer? Is there a purpose to our pain? Noting that human beings have wrestled with such questions for thousands of years, Phillip Moffitt has found answers for his own life in Buddhist philosophy and meditation. Reflecting on his own journey from Esquire magazine editor-in-chief to Buddhist meditation teacher, Moffitt provides a fresh perspective on the Buddha's ancient wisdom, showing how to move from suffering to new awareness and unanticipated joy.

  In this deeply spiritual book that is sure to become a Buddhist classic, Moffitt explores the twelve insights that underlie the Buddha's core teaching--the Four Noble Truths--and uses these often neglected ideas to guide readers to a more meaningful relationship to suffering. Moffitt write: "These twelve insights teach you to dance with both the joy and pain, finding peace in a balanced mind and calm spirit. As the most specific, practical life instructions I have ever encountered, they serve as an invaluable tool for anyone who seeks a life filled with meaning and well-being." Practicing these twelve insights, as Moffitt suggests, will help readers experience life's difficulties without being filled with stress and anguish, and they will enhance their moments of happiness.

  With engaging writing and a strong message of self-empowerment, Dancing with Life offers a prescriptive path for finding joy and peace that will appeal to meditation students and readers of "Dharma Wisdom," Moffitt's column in Yoga Journal, as well as anyone searching for a more authentic life.

About the Author

Phillip Moffitt walked away from his highly successful post as chief executive and editor-in-chief of Esquire magazine in 1987 to live the inner life. Founder and president of the Life Balance Institute, a nonprofit organization devoted to the study and practice of spiritual values in daily life, Moffitt teaches vipassana meditation at retreat centers around the country and holds a weekly meditation class in Marin County, California. He is an award-winning essayist and is a regular contributor to Yoga Journal. He lives in the San Francisco Bay area.

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Product Details Hardcover: 352 pages Publisher: Rodale Books (April 15, 2008) Language: English ISBN-10: 1594863539 ISBN-13: 978-1594863530 Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #10,181 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in these categories: (What's this?) #19 in  Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Worship & Devotion > Meditations #35 in  Books > Health, Mind & Body > Self-Help > Spiritual #65 in  Books > Religion & Spirituality > Buddhism

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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
twelve insights, realizing cessation, vibhava tanha, full cessation, mindfulness and compassion, essential suffering, reactive mind, path factors, ego complex

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Eightfold Path, Ajahn Sumedho, Four Noble Truths, Ajahn Chah, Four Quartets, Dalai Lama, Sixth Insight, Truth of Dukkha, Fourth Insight, Four Foundations of Mindfulness, Fifth Insight, Truth of Suffering, Eighth Insight, Helen Luke, Ninth Insight, Wise Mindfulness, Crossover Moment, Wise Intention, Third Insight, Noble Truth

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	85% buy the item featured on this page: Dancing with Life: Buddhist Insights for Finding Meaning and Joy in the Face of Suffering 4.7 out of 5 stars (15) $16.47
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Customer Reviews

15 Reviews 5 star:  (14) 4 star:    (0) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:  (1)           Average Customer Review 4.7 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 31 of 32 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars A Different Kind of Dharma Book , June 16, 2008 By  William H. Coffin (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    Most of the Dharma books that I've read fall into two categories: lightweight new-age fluff or heavily-footnoted scholarship. This book avoids both extremes. It's very compactly written, with no apparent filler. (If anything, I think he is too brief in touching on some important points.) I find the title of the book to be a bit unfortunate, but it's actually appropriate to the subject matter. The book is structured around the Four Noble Truths, and as a long-time Buddhist (with a strong predilection for scholarly detail) I thought that it couldn't teach me anything new. It did, though, and on a number of levels. You might think you know all about the 4NT, but this version from the Samyutta Nikaya really adds a new dimension, and is directly applicable to one's practice. In short, I give this book a pretty-much unqualified rave. A few stylistic weaknesses and an overuse of italics, but in content it's deeply inspiring and immediately useful. 20 of 20 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Dancing with Life is a Grand Slam World Series Home Run for this genre of literature., May 1, 2008 By  Fred Mitouer - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    Phillip Moffit has articulated the core teachings of the Buddha in accessible and down to earth ways that relate soulfully and imaginatively to daily life. The teachings are affirming; and one cannot help but feel empowered and befriended by Phillip's nurturing voice and courageous stance. 17 of 18 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!, April 29, 2008 By  Ann Pendley - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    Perhaps the best Dharma book I've read. Like all gifted teachers, Phillip presents complex ideas in a way that makes them easy to grasp - regardless of one's level of practice. The book is readable, and the concepts can be readily applied to daily life. Dancing with Life is a great teaching tool too - one that I'll use for years to come.		Most Recent Customer Reviews 1.0 out of 5 stars Poor Service I ordered this book on April 23 and have not seen it. I purchased this book from A1BookS Published 1 month ago by Janice B. Guyer 5.0 out of 5 stars Best book on Buddhist psychology Phillip Moffitt has written a masterpiece of the Dharma. Written in a highly readable style with excellent examples from ordinary people lives this book shines as one of the best... Read more Published 4 months ago by Helen B. Vantine 5.0 out of 5 stars This book can make a difference! Dancing with Life. This book can make a difference! Although a student of yoga for many years, I had never explored Buddhist philosophy and meditation. Read more Published 5 months ago by Susan Gochoel 5.0 out of 5 stars Very Moving Experience This transforms the practice of the dharma into a moving experience due largely to the powerful penetration into the 4 Noble Truths and its 12 insights. Read more Published 6 months ago by James Diggle 5.0 out of 5 stars For living daily life - for Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike I am recommending this book to all of my friends, family, co-workers and acquaintances. Phillip Moffitt skillfully conveys the tools we can use to truly bring an end to our... Read more Published 7 months ago by Bryony Smith 5.0 out of 5 stars if you want to "walk the walk", get this book As a long time practitioner in the Theravada tradition, I expected this book to be a bit "light" on content. Read more Published 9 months ago by Sharmila Dissanaike 5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent teachings This book is an excellent western explaination of Ajan Sumedho's teachings/realizations of the four noble truths. Read more Published 10 months ago by A. Fichera 5.0 out of 5 stars classic This book, although not written in a very flowery or flowy style, gave me real insights... it wasn't even what he wrote, but how he wrote it maybe... Read more Published 11 months ago by S. Hsu 5.0 out of 5 stars The Still Point: Where Life & the Dharma Dance Written by a man who walked away from his position as CEO & Editor in Chief of Esquire Magazine, this treatise is the real thing! Read more Published 12 months ago by Michele McCormick 5.0 out of 5 stars A gem of a book! Moffitt's book is a gem: it is a handbook to help us develop and hone our skills so that we respond to our suffering in a way whereby we are not defined by it. Read more Published 12 months ago by Brooke A. Brown Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books (April 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594863539
• ISBN-13: 978-1594863530
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #10,181 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #19 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Worship & Devotion > Meditations
  #35 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Self-Help > Spiritual
  #65 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Buddhism

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Different Kind of Dharma Book , June 16, 2008

By	William H. Coffin (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Most of the Dharma books that I've read fall into two categories: lightweight new-age fluff or heavily-footnoted scholarship. This book avoids both extremes. It's very compactly written, with no apparent filler. (If anything, I think he is too brief in touching on some important points.) I find the title of the book to be a bit unfortunate, but it's actually appropriate to the subject matter.

The book is structured around the Four Noble Truths, and as a long-time Buddhist (with a strong predilection for scholarly detail) I thought that it couldn't teach me anything new. It did, though, and on a number of levels. You might think you know all about the 4NT, but this version from the Samyutta Nikaya really adds a new dimension, and is directly applicable to one's practice.

In short, I give this book a pretty-much unqualified rave. A few stylistic weaknesses and an overuse of italics, but in content it's deeply inspiring and immediately useful.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dancing with Life is a Grand Slam World Series Home Run for this genre of literature., May 1, 2008

By	Fred Mitouer - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Phillip Moffit has articulated the core teachings of the Buddha in accessible and down to earth ways that relate soulfully and imaginatively to daily life. The teachings are affirming; and one cannot help but feel empowered and befriended by Phillip's nurturing voice and courageous stance.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!, April 29, 2008

By	Ann Pendley - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Perhaps the best Dharma book I've read. Like all gifted teachers, Phillip presents complex ideas in a way that makes them easy to grasp - regardless of one's level of practice. The book is readable, and the concepts can be readily applied to daily life. Dancing with Life is a great teaching tool too - one that I'll use for years to come.