If You Meet the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him! The Pilgrimage of Psychotherapy Patients [Mass Market Paperback]

Sheldon B. Kopp (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1976

Therapists do not and cannot give answers. Explore the true nature of the therapeutic relationship, and realize that the guru is no Buddha. He is just another human struggling. Understanding the shape of your own personal ills, will lead you on your journey to recovery. Sheldon Kopp has a realistic approach to altering one's destiny and accepting the responsibility that grows with freedom.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Bantam Books (1976)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553278320
• ISBN-13: 978-0553278323
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.7 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,840 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Eastern Religions > Eastern Philosophy
  • #5 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Nonfiction > Philosophy > Eastern > General
  • #8 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Health, Mind & Body > Psychology & Counseling > General

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

169 of 177 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Looking for the Meaning of Life?, October 24, 2000

By 

Quaker Annie "reader" - See all my reviews

This review is from: If You Meet the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him! The Pilgrimage of Psychotherapy Patients (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is a wonderful read for anyone who wonders, worries or agonizes about the meaning of life, and whether they're doing it "right." Psychotherapist Kopp wrote this book in 1972, but it still works today.

Whether giving or receiving therapy, this book reminds us that we are all humans -- nobody has all the answers. The eschatological laundry list (which I've seen roaming around the web, but never attributed to Kopp) has become a classic.

1. This is it! 2. There are no hidden meanings

3. You can't get there from here, and besides, there's no place else to go

4. We are all already dying and we'll be dead for a long time.

5. Nothing lasts!

6. There is no way of getting all you want.

7. You can't have anything unless you let go of it.

8. You only get to keep what you give away.

9. There is no particular reason why you lost out on some things.

10. The world is not necessarily just. Being good often does not pay off and there is no compensation for misfortune.

11. You have the responsibility to do your best nonetheless.

12. It is a random universe to which we bring meaning.

13. You don't really control anything.

14. You can't make someone love you.

I'll stop there -- there's more in the book, and if you find the list discouraging, you need to read the book. If you find the words encouraging, you need to read the book. Add it to your list of books to give friends who are feeling glum and hopeless.

Use it as a group discussion book!

After reading this (at different stages in my life), I still find it centering and soothing. A good addition to the self-help library, along with The Road Less Traveled.

59 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Who is The Buddha?, January 22, 2004

By 

Carmen Matthews "The Serene Samurai" (San Diego, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: If You Meet the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him! The Pilgrimage of Psychotherapy Patients (Mass Market Paperback)

It is easy for anyone to believe that it is always that other person - that one who knows something that we don't know; has something that we have given up on obtaining; or, looks like what we think is the best.

Killing the Buddha is looking deeply within ourselves, accepting our limitations, our attributes, and everything in between. We are the experts in the journey of our own lives. No one else is.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Literate discussion of the freedom born of self-knowledge., October 18, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: If You Meet the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him! The Pilgrimage of Psychotherapy Patients (Mass Market Paperback)

The subtitle, "The Pilgramage of Psychotherapy Patients," belies the essence of this highly literate hymn to authenticity and self-governance: each of us must look within to find our own answers. Drawing from the Bible, the I Ching, Siddhartha, Jung and too many others to name, the author urges that living fully requires us to let go of concepts of fairness, perfection and control and embrace the uncertainty and ambiguity of our journey. A liberating, thought provoking paean to autonomy, self acceptance and personal growth. Life Changing!