If the Buddha Got Stuck: A Handbook for Change on a Spiritual Path [Mass Market Paperback]

Charlotte Sophia Kasl (Author)

Book Description

Series: Compass | Publication Date: January 4, 2005

Perennial favorites, Charlotte Kasl’s If the Buddha Dated and If the Buddha Married have inspired readers with their empowering blend of spiritual and psychological insights. Her latest, If the Buddha Got Stuck, is a wise yet lighthearted book that will speak to anyone who's ever experienced being stuck in life and wanted to break free. With her signature clarity, wisdom, and warm heart, Kasl presents readers with seven steps that tap into life’s bigger picture: Notice Where You’re Stuck; Show Up; Pay Attention; Live in Reality; Connect with Others; Move From Thought to Action; and Let Go. Full of insight from Buddhist and other teachings that emphasize the joy that comes with letting go of attachments to events and things, If the Buddha Got Stuck is an inspirational and practical roadmap to a more joyful, peaceful, and fulfilling life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"Buddhism offers a gentle... understanding of being stuck and getting unstuck," writes Kasl (If the Buddha Dated), referring to a variety of stubborn problems that can interfere with life, including feeling intractably "bored, scared, protective, petty, exhausted, afraid or unfulfilled." In 60-plus brief chapters featuring discussions and therapy-type strategies deeply rooted in Buddhist teachings, Kasl guides readers on a journey of self-discovery. She begins by inviting them to notice where they are stuck, and then asks them to simply "show up" to life with a sense of "fascination and curiosity." She implores them to be mindful and to trust in the power of engaging reality directly without interpretive lenses (acknowledging difficulties in a relationship, for example, instead of making excuses). She then explores the importance of connecting with others, of acting on insights and the "ultimate step" of letting go the temporal self, an act that brings "abiding happiness." Throughout, she intersperses exercises to help readers engage the lessons more personally. Kasl's approach is compelling: her discussions are simple but never simplistic; her tone is warmly inviting but not obsequious; and her insights are both penetrating and accessible. Occasionally her supporting illustrations veer into the cheesy, but overall Kasl offers a challenging, practical and disarmingly effective approach to getting out of life's ruts.
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Review

"If the Buddha Got Stuck provides a roadmap to freedom and greater possibilities.…Encouraging, practical, beautifully written." —Laura Davis, author of I Thought We''d Never Speak Again and coauthor of The Courage to Heal



"Charlotte Kasl''s new book overflows with insight, humor and eminently practical suggestions." —Anita Doyle, former Director of the Jeannette Rankin Peace Center, Missoula, MT



"If previous attempts to work with your life from a western philosophical or psychological perspective encountered gaps...[consider this] your bridge." —Rowan Conrad, Ph.D., Director, Open Way Mindfulness Center



"If The Buddha Got Stuck, brings perspective, inspiring stories, and useful exercises to feel less overwhelmed by life''s difficulties." —Lisa M. Najavits, Ph.D., Associate Professor in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and author of Seeking Safety: A Treatment Manual for PTSD and Substance Abuse

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics); 1 edition (January 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142196282
• ISBN-13: 978-0142196281
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,843 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Charlotte D. Kasl is a social activist and a psychologist at the forefront of the empowerment movement sweeping the recovery field. She lectures and leads workshops in the United States and abroad and lives near Missoula, MT.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Nirvana of Moving Forward in the Present, August 21, 2005

By 

M. R. Estante "book reader" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: If the Buddha Got Stuck: A Handbook for Change on a Spiritual Path (Mass Market Paperback)

Kasl blends Buddhism with mind-body approaches to focus energy and move beyond the overthinking mind to a connection with our emotional body. Whether or not you are familiar with Buddhism this lively book on the art of flowing with life, despite the waves of ups and down, are filled with simple techniques to stay clear of chatter and familiar emotional responses. The practices proposed by Kasl are designed to calm the mind, sooth the emotional, and release the tension in the physical body. This is ultimatley a guide to connecting with your spirit and wisdom of soul. A wonderul handbook when the chronic patterns of the past pollute the present and corrupt the future. Simple brilliance ... just like the Buddha.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely helpful!, March 19, 2006

By 

M. Brady "Crashbam" (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: If the Buddha Got Stuck: A Handbook for Change on a Spiritual Path (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is simply fantastic! Kasl skillfully demonstrates how following the core concepts of Buddhist philosophy can help us tackle the issues that arise in everyday life. By using herself and her patients as examples, she makes Buddhism accessible to all, and provides a road map to living a more complete life. She does all of this with a writing style that makes reading this book a pleasure. This is one of the few books that I will read more than once.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Helping Friends Career Network recommended reading list!!, July 27, 2006

By 

K. Mular "HelpingFriends_careernet" (Akron, OH USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: If the Buddha Got Stuck: A Handbook for Change on a Spiritual Path (Mass Market Paperback)

I am recommending this book as a refreshing read for career seekers who feel stuck in trying to figure out what is next in a difficult environment of layoffs and reductions in force. There is a calm in identifying where you really are, why you have such attachments, and being able to see you really are only as stuck as you let yourself be. [...]