The Tibetan Art of Positive Thinking: Skillful Thought for Successful Living [Paperback]

Christopher Hansard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2, 2005

The Tibetan Art of Positive Thinking

Tibetan Bön medicine is one of the world's oldest and most sophisticated systems of healing -- and the only one endorsed by the Dalai Lama. In The Tibetan Art of Positive Thinking, Christopher Hansard draws upon the practices and principles of Bön, along with his own knowledge of Tibetan teachings, to offer a series of simple, soulful meditations and exercises that can help you achieve spiritual, emotional, interpersonal, and professional success. You'll learn how to:

• connect to the energy of positive thought -- one of the most powerful

energy resources

• trust your inner wisdom and make decisions with greater ease

• confront your fears, accept disappointment, maintain hope

• enhance your relationships by giving unconditional love and helping others

...and much more. You are what you think -- and with this book as your guide, you can direct yourself toward greater freedom, meaning, and lifelong happiness.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Norman Vincent Peale goes to Tibet in this self-help manual based on Bön, the little-known indigenous religion of Tibet that predates Buddhism. Since he was a child, Hansard trained in the spiritual and medical traditions of Bön, and now runs a London clinic where he treats celebrities and commoners with the principles of this ancient wisdom. The first two chapters lay out key ideas and theory before moving to the areas where people commonly experience problems: work, money, relationships, health. The book is long on simple exercises, using concentration and ritual practice to resolve problems. As such, it offers help for particular issues: what to do about bullies, stress and overwork, for example. Some ideas are unique to Bön: a close relationship with another forms a "third person" that needs nurturing in order to foster that relationship. Others are self-help staples: visualize, let your energy flow. The real-life examples—such as a woman who began to treat herself lovingly and was vibrant and joyful six months later—are well-intentioned but unconvincing. Those familiar with Buddhism will find special value in exposure to the religious tradition on which some of the unique forms of Tibetan Buddhism are based. But all can benefit from this problem-solving manual that cultivates concentration and compassion. (Aug. 2)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Christopher Hansard is the author of The Tibetan Art of Living. Trained in the spiritual and healing traditions of Tibetan Bön medicine from the age of four, he is now the leading Western practitioner in the field and the director of clinical affairs at the Eden Medical Centre, Chelsea, London. He is married and has a young daughter.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Atria Books; Original edition (August 2, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 074348326X
• ISBN-13: 978-0743483261
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #190,758 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thought power, November 2, 2005

By 

L. Power "nlp trainer" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Tibetan Art of Positive Thinking: Skillful Thought for Successful Living (Paperback)

When you read a book such as this, you are drawn into a new reality outside most of our normal experiences.

When the Bon Buddhists left Tibet having foretold the 1959 invasion, they were scattered throughout the world to places where their teaching would be effective, and where they would find people to carry the Bon tradtion of skilful thinking.

One such Master discovered the author at the age four in New Zealand and thus began 23 years of instruction.

There are many great techniques that stem from this teaching, so I am enjoying this book tremendously. There are some easy, yet empowering exercises to move negative thoughts and create an empowering reality.

This is an easy to follow blueprint for living, which I highly recommend. This book came to me highly recommended, and I highly recommend it to you. I hope you find this helpful.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book!, September 27, 2005

By 

Moriah Rhame (Galena, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Tibetan Art of Positive Thinking: Skillful Thought for Successful Living (Paperback)

This book is a powerhouse of information. It is written in a very easy to understand manner, with clear and concise instructions. I love this book. It is simply wonderful. I can't thank the author enough for bringing such a beautiful book to fruition. This book crosses the barrier of religions and would be a wonderful read for people of any faith. I would strongly suggest this book for people who volunteer their time in prison programs as well. Everyone who needs a nudge to find bliss within should have a copy of this book.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting side reading, March 9, 2006

By 

grouchy (exiled into purgatory. for real.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tibetan Art of Positive Thinking: Skillful Thought for Successful Living (Paperback)

Buddhism has been an interest of mine for a long time. Lot of the core ideas are slowly molded into a Westernized body of thoughts. From this angle it was interesting to read a book about a system of beliefs that was slowly molded by Buddhism into a system that contains Buddhist thoughts but is more tangible. The book deals with Traditional Bon medicine, which is a complex system of ideas, thoughts, and interpretations of the physical world. Having not read more about Bon, I cannot evaluate the correctness of the descriptions offered by the author, but I assume that they are faithful to the original teachings.

Now, what is the "Tibetan Art of Positive Thinking"? It is simply skillful thinking about life and living. I walked away with two insights after reading this book.
1. Life is hard, but simple.
2. Finding solutions to problems demands focus, attention, and commitment.

As a self-help book it is decent and above the average. Since I take a very dim view of the industrial production of erudite and packaged snippets of marginally intelligent insights, I cannot rate this book higher than three stars. I must commend, however, the author for being very forthright and honest. I never sensed condecension or empty cheerleading throughtout the book.

But since it is an interesting read - apart from the self-help aspect of this book - I give it four stars.