Radical Self-acceptance [Audiobook, CD] [Audio CD]

Tara Brach (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 30, 2005

In the same tradition as such bestselling authors as Jack Kornfield and Sharon Salzberg, Insight Meditation teacher Tara Brach has cultivated one of the largest and most active Buddhist meditation communities in the eastern United States. With Radical Self-Acceptance, this gifted guide brings her enthusiasm and depth of experience to a wide new arena of listeners for the first time. "Imagine what it would be like to be without anxiety about your imperfections," begins Brach. Employing her skills in two worlds, this clinical psychologist and meditation instructor takes on what she considers to be the most difficult – and pervasive – challenge to Westerners today: the suffering caused by our feelings of unworthiness and deficiency. Here, Brach teaches the specific practices we need to become more mindful and compassionate toward the "unforgivable" parts within ourselves – and how to free ourselves from "the prison of shame and self-aversion." Practical and supportive, Radical Self-Acceptance marks the debut of one of the most capable new voices today on the marriage between Eastern meditation and Western psychology.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

In the same tradition as such bestselling authors as Jack Kornfield and Sharon Salzberg, Insight Meditation teacher Tara Brach has cultivated one of the largest and most active Buddhist meditation communities in the Eastern United States. With Radical Self-Acceptance, this gifted guide brings her enthusiasm and depth of experience to a wide new arena of listeners for the first time.

"Imagine what it would be like to be without anxiety about your imperfections", begins Brach. Employing her skills in two worlds, this clinical psychologist and meditation instructor takes on what she considers to be the most difficult -- and pervasive -- challenge to Westerners today: the suffering caused by our feelings of unworthiness and deficiency. Here, Brach teaches the specific practices we need to become more mindful and compassionate toward the "unforgivable" parts within ourselves -- and how to free ourselves from "the prison of shame and self-aversion". Practical and supportive, Radical Self-Acceptance marks the debut of one of the most capable new voices today on the marriage between Eastern meditation and Western psychology. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Tara Brach is the founder and senior teacher of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, D.C. She is a practicing clinical psychologist, a lay Buddhist priest, and the author of In the Shadow of the Buddha.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Sounds True; Unabridged edition (May 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591793211
• ISBN-13: 978-1591793212
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 5.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #35,959 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #30 in Books > Books on CD > Health, Mind & Body > Relaxation & Meditation
  • #32 in Books > Books on CD > Health, Mind & Body > Meditation
  • #45 in Books > Books on CD > Nonfiction

More About the Author

Tara Brach is a leading western teacher of Buddhist meditation, emotional healing and spiritual awakening. She has practiced and taught meditation for over 35 years, with an emphasis on vipassana (mindfulness or insight) meditation. Tara is the senior teacher and founder of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington. She has conducted workshops at Spirit Rock Center, Omega Institute, Kripalu, and other retreat centers nationwide. She lives in Great Falls, Virginia, with her husband (Jonathan Foust), mother and their three dogs.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

83 of 88 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A gentle caring path of self-acceptance of oneself & others December 5, 2000

By A Customer

Format:Audio Cassette

This is a lovely set of two tapes including guided meditations, which guide the listener into a space of deep relaxation and self-acceptance. The relief of past and even current pain is palpable and the feeling, at least for me, is one of gratitude and peace. I particularly liked side 2 of the first tape. In any case, after listening to all sides, I felt that if one could just practice this simple process of self-acceptance, one would likely not only draw deeply close to one's own core, but one would have a sound basis for open, loving relationships as well. Listen and enjoy. Thank you Tara!

56 of 58 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Down home Buddhism December 28, 2004

By T. C. Overton

Format:Audio Cassette

It's always a joy to hear Tara Brach's voice, and it comes through sweet and clear in her book. Buddhism and its literature can seem harsh sometimes, like running over jagged ice, as Philip Kapleau once put it. But the I.M.S. way, which Tara represents, is more like floating down a crystal clear stream. You'll only get bruised if you don't stay attentive, and even that's not a problem.

Tara has always (for the past 17 years, anyway) espoused a gentler Buddhism than I imagined possible. In "Radical Self-Acceptance" she brings together all the threads of her deep commitment to that path. Doing this, she models the acceptance she advocates by showing us who she is, and how her own struggles have been "grist for the mill". Modeling Self-Acceptance as a radical, or root, process, Tara points us toward the realization that the Self we accept isn't our paltry ego but the life we share with all beings. Thanks, Tara, for the love you have brought to this project, and to all of us.

46 of 52 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than Prozac! November 1, 2003

By A Customer

Format:Audio Cassette

This book gets at the roots of my issues. It has opened my eyes to my problems and how I can overcome them. I have a tendency to live in the future rather than the moment. I'm really excited about putting this lifestyle into practice.