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Back in the 1970's, I took a meditation course with a well-known Hindu teacher named Swami Rama, who was one of the first yogis whose significant mental powers were studied by Western scientists. What I learned from him about the tools of relaxation, meditation, focusing on a mantra were very effective in my life. But like so many others, my best intentions were waylaid by daily living, and after a few years I stopped meditating. This was to my detriment since the constant stress of working, raising a family and trying to keep my head above water financially created havoc with my health.
In the meantime, Swami Rama became a controversial character after being accused by several women of being sexually abused and exploited by the "holy man" in his Ashram. This kind of revelation has become almost common place as we've come to understand that great teachers can all-too-often possess a great ability to take advantage of those he or she teaches and who place so much trust and love in that person.
Today, "mindfulness" is almost a buzzword in everything from sports to business as meditation has been studied and proven to be beneficial and rewarding to those who practice it.
As I read through the first few chapters of "Into the Magic Shop", I felt a definite deja vu as Dr. Doty describes the "magic" he was taught by Ruth in the magic shop of his youth. I purchased the book because the blurb about Dr. Doty seemed intriguing, but I soon felt like the book was nothing more than a self-help book disguised as an autobiography, and while I understood that the magic described in the book is indeed powerful, I already knew all about what he was describing as the "magic" and was about to put the book aside; disappointed that the book never felt like it was going anywhere.
I'm very glad that I didn't, however, since once Dr. Doty began to relate the amazing journey he took from Lancaster, California to the pinnacle of financial and professional success, the book became one I couldn't put down. The remarkable arc of his journey becomes a life lesson for so many people hell bent on success at all costs.
Dr. Doty is frank about his failings in relationships and about how the magic he learned got him everything he wanted materially, but let him bankrupt in many other ways. It was only when he began to understand that only through Kindness, Compassion, Empathy and Love does a life truly become fulfilled that he understood how he had misused the magic he'd learned.
In our society, the words above are used often, but they are not taken to heart, which is the organ Dr. Doty believes be the true seat of our greatest human virtues; not the brain.
Dr. Doty's story of how the magic he learned as a child can be used toward good or ill is a vitally important one in a society that values material wealth, fame and irresponsible consumerism as the most desirable. Not one to just talk about Kindness, Compassion, Empathy and Love, he created the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University. CCARE states as its mission that it "investigates methods for cultivating compassion and promoting altruism within individuals and society through rigorous research, scientific collaborations, and academic conferences. In addition, CCARE provides a compassion cultivation program and teacher training as well as educational public events and programs."
"Into the Magic Shop: A Neurosurgeon's Quest to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain and the Secrets of the Heart" is both a fascinating journey of a successful neurosurgeon and entrepreneur as well as a remarkable prescription for creating a much happier and healthier individual so that those same benefits can be shared with the entire human population. It is an ambitious goal, but one that more and more people feel dedicated to achieving; especially in a world where hatred, injustice and intolerance seem to predominate in our media and in our politics.
- Hardcover: 288 pages
- Publisher: Avery; Later prt. edition (February 2, 2016)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1594632987
- ISBN-13: 978-1594632983
- Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 1 x 8.6 inches
- Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
- Average Customer Review: 646 customer reviews
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Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#37,288 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #147 in Medical Professional Biographies
- #169 in Medical Cognitive Psychology
- #259 in Popular Psychology Personality Study
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