Most Helpful Customer Reviews
33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thank you Dr. Epstein, August 19, 2006
This review is from: Open to Desire: The Truth About What the Buddha Taught (Paperback)
I recommend this book to anyone who has ever desired for something that he or she could never achieve. Though I found this book in Religion/Buddhist section of the bookstore, I will encourage non-Buddhist to read this book as well because this books deals with the basic cause of human suffering. This book has brought enormous amount of peace to me during a very difficult phase of my life. I am a neo-Buddhist and for the past two years, I had been working on the "cessation of attachment" to objects. I felt that I was almost there. Then I met a remarkable woman who simply swept me off my feet with her beauty and intelligence. As it happens in life, I will never be able to "have" her. All my self-training on "cessation of attachment" were forgotten. I was missing her so badly that one evening I developed symptoms of a heart attack and had to be admitted in the hospital. It was at the time of despair and heartache when I found this book. This book has afforded my the best psychotherapy I could ever imagine. This book has taught me to separate my desire from craving. I have learned to preserve and not feel guilty for my desire and fight, to some extent, defeat the craving I had for my friend. I have learned to acknowledge and respect my friend as "whole person" and not only the perspective of her that I see. I recommend this book to every man and woman of this earth.
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Kill Attachment and not Desire, February 9, 2007
This review is from: Open to Desire: The Truth About What the Buddha Taught (Paperback)
Epstein's latest book argues that, according to both Buddha and Freud, it is not desire that we need to abandon, rather it is attachment that needs to be resolved in our daily lives. He presents this argument in an unabashed and intimate manner, which sets a very different tone from the clinical though spiritual style of his previous books. Many buddhists believe that desire is an enemy of spiritual growth but Epstein says that not only should we not be afraid of desire, it is actually a good thing and is a possible path toward enlightenment. He says that intimacy is not a barrier to spiritual growth and that desire can be used to experience some of the lessons that Buddhism teaches about bliss and emptiness. To support his case, Epstein uses an impressive range of sources, ranging from the Ramayana to case studies of patients. At times the breadth of the sources, such as clinical case histories juxtaposed with tanta, detract from the clarity of his arguments. In the buddhist community saying that desire is not the enemy is like wearing a Clinton t-shirt to a republican convention. Well not exactly, but you get the idea. So he is taking a bit of a risk here which adds, dare I say it, passion to his arguments, making this book a more interesting read than typical pedagogical books in the area. Epstein reverts to his usual style at the end of the book by talking about how one can work with desire in a positive way. He suggests we do this by just "being" with the desire and not clinging to it or rejecting it. Overall an excellent book on buddhism and psychology (mainly Freud) and how these two disciplines deal with desire (but be warned it is quite a bit different from my previous books both in style as well as content, if that is what you are looking for)
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Amazing Book With Great Spiritual Applications, January 18, 2007
This review is from: Open to Desire: The Truth About What the Buddha Taught (Paperback)
Epstein's masterful weaving of western psychology, buddhist and hindu teachings and contemporary relationships yields a sum that is definitely greater than its parts. Without explicitly stating it, he has been able to describe extremely well the impossible circumstances humans find themselves in on this planet. The experience and pursuit of desire leads to the experience of the divine, if ever so brief. However, Epstein successfully points out that we can never possess the divine and unify with it through romantic love. This sets up the inevitable process that leads each individual to love and yet fail to possess the divine experience that is so badly sought. This leads to the birth of the spirtiual impulse or the birth of greater awareness or expanded consciousness which then sets the individual on one of the many paths, Kaballah, Sufi, Zen etc. that will lead to the divine. It is just a wonderful book as so many people are buried in mythical notions of love and are completely confused by their ongoing troubles in this area. Most people don't understand that the whole process is designed with purposeful flaws to ensure spiritual growth. I particularly liked Epstein's description of the Stupa and the path surrounding it. A great physical representation of a complex concept.
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