2023/02/15

Daughter of Tibet: The Autobiography of Rinchen Dolma Taring Paperback – January 25, 1986
by Dolma Taring (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars 7 ratings

Rinchen Taring was born in 1910 in one of the oldest families in Tibet, and grew up in the close-knit world of Lhasa nobility - a Buddhist society virtually untourhced by the West. She was educated, howevr, in Darjeeling - the first Tibetan girl to speak and write English. She first married Dasang Dadul Tsarong, one time Commander-in-Chief of the Tibetan army, and later Jigme Taring, a prince of Sikkim.

Her story covers the crucial fifty years up to 1959; the freedom, pleasures and tragedies, customs and traditions of Tibetan life, all now destroyed. She recounts too her painful separation from friends and family when she escaped across the Himalayas, following the uprising against the Chinese in 1959 and the flight of the Dalai Lama.

Mrs. Taring has written a new chapter to her story, originally published in 1970, telling of her dedicated work among Tibetan refugee children and old people in India since her exile, and of her recent reunion with many of her family.

In Daughter of Tibet Mrs. Taring tells her story movingly and without artifice. She conveys throughout the humor, kindness, resilience and great faith so characteristic of her people.

324 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

Rinchen Taring was born in 1910 in one of the oldest families in Tibet. She was the first Tibetan girl to speak and write English.

328 pages
January 25, 1986

4.6 out of 5 stars 7 ratings

Top reviews

Top reviews from the United States

Barbara
5.0 out of 5 stars

loved her writing. fascinating life of of a genuinely Honest woman

Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2015

Wonderfully informative. This was a well written, heart felt book which gave so much information about life and culture in Tibet. Very honestly written. I found this woman to be incredibly kind and generous in her estimation of people. Yes, she viewed life as s a member of a high class. Aren't all of us shaped by the conditions under which we are brought up. This woman is incredibly honest and mainly just tells unvarnished stories about the fascinating events that occurred in her life.

4 people found this helpful

----
Ingrid Asmus
3.0 out of 5 stars

Picture of Traditional Life of the upper classes in Tibet

Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2014
Verified Purchase
Nicely written, but a bit nearsighted: I got a bit tired of the assumption that all servants, city and country people universally supported the hierarchy.

I appreciated books like Across Many Mountains, which describe the lives of people in the countryside, rather more. ,

One person found this helpful

Tenzin
5.0 out of 5 stars

Honest autobiography

Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2019

Amazing story of an incredible human, her family, her country, and the combined struggle. Recommend for anyone interested in modern Tibetan history pre-1959 to post-1959, recommend for anyone interested in strong Tibetan woman leaders, recommend for anyone interested in the details of Tibetan culture in old Tibet (pre-1959).

Melanie Mueller
5.0 out of 5 stars

Through the eyes of a Tibetan Buddhist

Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2001

Daughter of Tibet provides a rare glimpse into the Tibetan culture prior to the Chinese takeover in the 1950s, courtesy of Mary-la, Rinchen Dolma Taring, whom I had the pleasure to meet in the early 1970s in Mussoorie, India. For those with the ability to temporarily discard the trappings of Western culture, Taring guides the way to learning about everyday Tibetan life, Tibetan politics and that which permeates everything Tibetan, Buddhism. The reader is transported to that magical "Land of the Snows" where, amid the harsh environment, a cheerful, hospitable, learned and deeply religious people flourished.

A must-read for anyone interested in Tibet and its current sorrow.

11 people found this helpful
===

The Supramental Manifestation Upon Earth : Sri Aurobindo

The Supramental Manifestation Upon Earth : Sri Aurobindo: Amazon.com.au: Books

The Supramental Manifestation Upon Earth Paperback – 1 January 2018
by Sri Aurobindo (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars 8 ratings

This volume comprises all of Sri Aurobindo's shorter prose writings on Yoga and philosophy written after 1910 and published during his lifetime.

The present edition differs from the first (Centenary) edition in several respects. The contents have been ordered to follow strictly the arrangement of the material as it was issued by Sri Aurobindo in his lifetime.

===

The Supramental Manifestation upon Earth

Sri Aurobindo wrote these eight essays, his last prose writings, in 1949 and 1950 for publication in the quarterly Bulletin of Physical Education (at present called the Bulletin of Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education).

They reveal a vision which includes the perfection of the body as an instrument of the action of the spirit, the nature and structure of a divine body and the conditions and operations of its life on earth, the manifestation of a supramental truth-consciousness as the basis for a divine life upon earth, and the creation of a new humanity possessed of a mind of light.

Book Details

Author: Sri Aurobindo

Print Length: 80 pages

Publisher: Sri Aurobindo Ashram

Contributor: Krishna

Book format: PDF, ePub, Kindle

Language: English

Book Download

PDF

EPUB

KINDLE

Message
Perfection of the Body
The Divine Body
Supermind and the Life Divine
Supermind and Humanity
Supermind in the Evolution
Mind of Light
Supermind and Mind of Light

Sample

The Supramental Manifestation upon Earth

Mind of Light

A new humanity means for us the appearance, the development of a type or race of mental beings whose principle of mentality would be no longer a mind in the Ignorance seeking for knowledge but even in its knowledge bound to the Ignorance, a seeker after Light but not its natural possessor, open to the Light but not an inhabitant of the Light, not yet a perfected instrument, truth-conscious and delivered out of the Ignorance. Instead, it would be possessed already of what could be called a mind of Light, a mind capable of living in the truth, capable of being truth-conscious and manifesting in its life a direct in place of an indirect knowledge. Its mentality would be an instrument of the Light and no longer of the Ignorance. At its highest it would be capable of passing into the supermind and from the new race would be recruited the race of supramental beings who would appear as the leaders of the evolution in earth-nature. Even, the highest manifestations of a mind of Light would be an instrumentality of the supermind, a part of it or a projection from it, a stepping beyond humanity into the superhumanity of the supramental principle. Above all, its possession would enable the human being to rise beyond the normalities of his present thinking, feeling and being into those highest powers of the mind in its self-exceedings which intervene between our mentality and supermind and can be regarded as steps leading towards the greater and more luminous principle. This advance like others in the evolution might not be reached and would naturally not be reached at one bound, but from the very beginning it would be inevitable: the pressure of the supermind creating from above out of itself the mind of Light would compel this certainty of the eventual outcome. The first gleamings of the new Light would carry in themselves the seed of its highest flamings; even in the first beginnings, the certainty of their topmost powers would be there; for this is the constant story of each evolutionary emergence: the principle of its highest perfection lies concealed in the involution which precedes and necessitates the evolution of the secret principle.

For throughout the story of evolution there are two complementary aspects which constitute its action and are necessary to its totality; there is hidden in the involution of Nature the secret power and principle of being which lies concealed under the veil cast on it by material Nature and there is carried in that Nature itself the inevitable force of the principle compelling the process of emergence of its inherent powers and characters, the essential features which constitute its reality.

As the evolutionary principle emerges, there are also two constant features of the process of the emergence: there are the gradations by which it climbs out of the involution and manifests more and more of its power, its possibilities, the force of the Godhead within it, and there is a constant manifestation of all types and forms of its being which are the visible, indicative and efficient embodiments of its essential nature. There appear in the evolutionary process organised forms and activities of Matter, the types of life and the living beings, the types of mind and the thinking beings, the luminosities and greatnesses of the spiritual principle and the spiritual beings whose nature, character, personality, mark the stages of the ascent towards the highest heights of the evolution and the ultimate largest manifestation of what it is in itself and must become by the force of time and the all-revealing Spirit. This is the real sense and drive of what we see as evolution: the multiplication and variation of forms is only the means of its process. Each gradation contains the possibility and the certainty of the grades beyond it: the emergence of more and more developed forms and powers points to more perfected forms and greater powers beyond them, and each emergence of consciousness and the conscious beings proper to it enables the rise to a greater consciousness beyond and the greater order of beings up to the ultimate godheads of which Nature is striving and is destined to show herself capable. Matter developed its organised forms until it became capable of embodying living organisms; then life rose from the subconscience of the plant into conscious animal formations and through them to the thinking life of man. Mind founded in life developed intellect, developed its types of knowledge and ignorance, truth and error till it reached the spiritual perception and illumination and now can see as in a glass dimly the possibility of supermind and a truth-conscious existence. In this inevitable ascent the mind of Light is a gradation, an inevitable stage. As an evolving principle it will mark a stage in the human ascent and evolve a new type of human being; this development must carry in it an ascending gradation of its own powers and types of an ascending humanity which will embody more and more the turn towards spirituality, capacity for Light, a climb towards a divinised manhood and the divine life.

In the birth of the mind of Light and its ascension into its own recognisable self and its true status and right province there must be, in the very nature of things as they are and very nature of the evolutionary process as it is at present, two stages. In the first, we can see the mind of Light gathering itself out of the Ignorance, assembling its constituent elements, building up its shapes and types, however imperfect at first, and pushing them towards perfection till it can cross the border of the Ignorance and appear in the Light, in its own Light. In the second stage we can see it developing itself in that greater natural light, taking its higher shapes and forms till it joins the supermind and lives as its subordinate portion or its delegate. In each of these stages it will define its own grades and manifest the order of its beings who will embody it and give to it a realised life. Thus there will be built up, first, even in the Ignorance itself, the possibility of a human ascent towards a divine living; then there will be, by the illumination of this mind of Light in the greater realisation of what may be called a gnostic mentality, in a transformation of the human being, even before the supermind is reached, even in the earth-consciousness and in a humanity transformed, an illumined divine life.

…

If the Buddha Were in Love by Charlotte Sophia Kasl - Audible.com.au

If the Buddha Were in Love by Charlotte Sophia Kasl - Speech - Audible.com.au

Sample

If the Buddha Were in Love
By: Charlotte Sophia Kasl
Narrated by: Charlotte Sophia Kasl
Length: 5 hrs and 44 mins
Speech
Release date: 03-11-2015
Language: English
Publisher: Sounds True
4.8 out of 5 stars4.8 (5 ratings)

Non-member price: $23.87

Member price: $14.95 or 1 Credit
Buy Now with 1 Credit
Buy Now for $14.95

Publisher's Summary

Have you ever dreamed of creating more passion and fulfillment in your relationships without losing your spiritual life or sense of self in the process? According to clinical psychologist Charlotte Kasl,

the keys to love that we're all looking for are the same ones that mystics and sages have used for centuries to open their hearts to the world around them.

Rich with insights from the Buddhist, Sufi, and Quaker traditions, If the Buddha Were in Love is a road map for anyone seeking to transform their relationships into the spiritual adventures of a lifetime.

Join this best-selling author of If Buddha Married to explore a variety of practical insights and topics, including:

The nine bonds of intimacy essential to every couple
The chemistry - and mystery - of sexual attraction
Lies we tell ourselves - how to get honest with yourself on the path of love
The fear of intimacy and other obstacles to true connection

And more

Enriched with many insights from Dr. Kasl's own professional practice, If the Buddha Were in Love is a welcome guide for everyone seeking to transform a relationship into a true spiritual partnership.
©2001 Charlotte Sophia Kasl (P)2001 Charlotte Sophia Kasl
Love, Dating & Attraction Buddhism

===

IF THE BUDDHA WERE IN LOVE: The Spiritual Guide to Love and Intimacy

Charlotte Kasl, , read by the author. . Sounds True, $29.95

---

https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781564558695

Written in part as a response to that ubiquitous relationship guide, The Rules, this latest from psychotherapist and workshop leader Charlotte Kasl (Women, Sex, and Addiction)

aims "to give people another way to think about meeting and coming together."

Claiming the point of all relationships is to help each other become our "biggest selves," Kasl, drawing upon major tenets of the Sufi, Quaker and Buddhist spiritual traditions, stresses the importance of self-awareness and responsibility in any successful pairing.

Loaded with anecdotal evidence gleaned from 27 years of professional experience working alongside couples, and read with poise, warmth and humor,

Kasl insightfully advises on noticing our "attachments," or expectations,

and what common traits all "long-term loving couples" share, such as spontaneous praise.

In addition, she probes red flag behaviors to look for in ourselves (hoping mate will change, fear of bringing up issues) and in others (jealousy, blaming and ongoing addictions).

While some may be slightly put off by Kasl's frequent New-Agey references to a "universal energy," her sympathetic-sounding voice and genuinely practical strategies will endear her to most listeners.

Cassettes are conveniently divided into specific "sessions," including

"Conflict Resolution,"
"The I-Thou Relationship" and
"Sexuality,"

which makes it easy to return to a particularly helpful segment or to stop to complete an exercise, while lending a workshop feeling to the audio experience. (May)

===
Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Erin
24-02-2021

Gently Delivered Wholesome Information

I really enjoyed listening to this book, the content and the vocal tone, attitude and cadence felt like a snuggly caring embrace by a fire. So much awareness and acceptance of human nature yet also spot on guidance and poignant examples. It is full of grounded knowledge and practical info. Should be required reading for anyone romantically involved or hoping to be. Following what’s in this book could really help a lot of people be happier and that would lead to the world being a better place.

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Amazon Customer
10-02-2018

Insight full!

Enjoyed Charlotte's look into intimate relationships.
===

Paula Sisson

5.0 out of 5 stars Yea, it's like that!

Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2006

This tape hit a chord with me. If you are ready to accept that problems are half your fault and you really do want to stay with your partner, this tape might hit a chord with you too. She gives lots of techniques and approaches that are sensible, to me anyway. The examples of couples she uses to exemplify problems (wow that sounds just like so-in-so) and possible solutions are wonderful.

===

Many Roads One Journey: Kasl, Charlotte S: Amazon.com.au: Books

Many Roads One Journey: Moving Beyond the Twelve Steps : Kasl, Charlotte S: Amazon.com.au: Books

Many Roads One Journey: Moving Beyond the Twelve Steps Paperback – 17 June 1992
by Charlotte S Kasl (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 80 ratings

Paperback
$40.77
From the author of Women, Sex, and Addiction, a timely and controversial second look at 12-Step programs, helping all readers to draw on the steps' underlying wisdom, adapting them to their own experiences, beliefs, and sources of strength.

Review

""Many Roads, One Journey" is a pioneering work with a depth of insight and social consciousness that are rare in the addiction field, which all too often seeks simple answers for complex problems. Kasl's 16 steps for empowerment and her re-framing of codependency as Internalized oppression are gifts for "all" women." -- "Stephanie Covington, Ph.D., author of Leaving the Enchanted

Forest""Dynamically moving beyond learned helplessness and the marketplace of fear, Dr. Kasl's courageous new book offers readers real choices-diverse empowerment alternatives for achieving and maintaining a high quality of life in recovery. This Is an essential and groundbreaking work." -- "James Christopher, founder and executive director of Secular Organizations for Sobriety/Save Our Selves (SOS), and author of How to Stay Sober and SOS Sobriety"

About the Author

Charlotte D. Kasl is a social activist and a psychologist at the forefront of the empowerment movement sweeping the recovery field. She lectures and leads workshops in the United States and abroad and lives near Missoula, MT.

Product details
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Perennial; 1st edition (17 June 1992)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 448 pages

From other countries

Amazon Customer

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVE THIS BOOK.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 21 December 2022

Verified Purchase

I was working a 12 step programme not for substance abuse but rather ' behavioural addiction.' As a survivor of domestic violence and other abuse I felt very triggered often and felt like the perpetrators should be working these steps!!! As one review mentions: 'The 12-step programme is great for calculating, manipulative, sociopathic / narcissistic male abusers and completely inappropriate for victimised women. ' I fully agree!!! :)

This book helped me to stop shaming myself and see that I have to find other avenues for my recovery. The only thing I like about the 12 steps is the fellows!! I have met many amazing women in fellowship!

Jeff

4.0 out of 5 stars Capitalism and Addiction

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 9 August 2017

Verified Purchase

There is a lot of good to be said for this book, because the author focuses on the Christian foundations of AA which can be very troublesome for those of us who do not believe in a "sky god."

That said, she tends to be too judgmental about 12-step programs by not acknowledging that each group is autonomous and that the function of the 12 Steps, Traditions and Concepts is to keep everyone from wandering away from the core concepts of the program.

There are plenty of people who "translate" the words that trouble them into their own language so that they can focus on the spiritual core of the program. I've not finished the book yet but I do have to weigh in on the author's stress on the words 'patriarchy' and 'hierarchy'.

I realize that this book was written in 1992, when these words were used very often to bash evil men over the head. I didn't agree with that then and I still don't agree with it. Kasl barely touches on the root problem: capitalism.

I don't know if she ever read Marx's Capital or not but I think she would find that studying Marx would be very productive. Bruce Alexander wrote The Globalization of Addiction: A Study in Poverty of the Spirit in 2008 and I recommend it highly.

He draws some very interesting parallels between the spread of capitalism as an economic system and the soaring rates of addiction that really can't be ignored.

I think Kasl's book was wonderful at the time it was written and it is still very useful for those who have issues with 12-step programs, but she hasn't really gotten to the root of the problem, which is capitalism.

I will stress that, unlike so many "progressives", I don't blame anyone but ourselves for our predicament. As Pogo said many years ago, "We have met the enemy and he is us." It is up to each one of us to re-connect with a larger community.

Capitalism destroys community and because humans are social animals, that destruction of community leads to addiction. 12-step programs are a useful beginning, but they are not the entire answer and I do think that Kasl recognizes that.

I just wish that she had written her book from a Marxist perspective and hadn't focused on the 'hierarchy' and 'patriarchy' bogeymen. Women are not saints - they are just as susceptible to hierarchy and patriarchy as men. Many women are codependents, if you will, of capitalism. We are all in this together.

23 people found this helpful

Jay

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you inspirational and affirming

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 20 April 2013

Verified Purchase

Wow what a fantastic book, after 14 years of attending 12 step fellowships and a deep sense of feeling stuck in a box for years, i read this book. It puts into words all that I have felt and experienced. I like the fact that it seems rational and that it doesn't slate the whole AA/NA thing... but just voices a more measured way of thinking.

Tired of feeling disempowered and labelled a failure, despite years of sobriety for not agreeing with all of the dogma, I am finally free and ready to grow in a much more wholesome way. I love the truth and spirit. This book makes me realise my thinking and confidence, (not encouraged) in 12 step fellowships, has been on the money for years.

I only regret I didn't find this book after five years of recovery, unfortunately it took further years and work on myself to stand strong and believe in my own thinking, rather than staying a victim to the outdated and scientifically unsound approach of 12 step recovery. Charlotte Kasl, I salute you.

4 people found this helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Revolutionary & more white people in recovery ought to read this book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 20 March 2021

Verified Purchase

Interesting review from Jeff. Just say you're a man who doesn't want to be held accountable & go!

Are capitalism, patriarchy, homophobia & racism, sexism & misogynoir, not one?

I wish more people, white & Black, & particularly white in 12 step recovery would read this book.

There is no recovery without facing the roles & experiences we all have living in this ism ridden society.

One person found this helpful

Victoria Davies

3.0 out of 5 stars This is fine but not a basis of a book that denegrates ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 27 November 2016

Verified Purchase

Not what I was hoping for. The book is interesting, introducing a fair chunk of feminist history/thinking, but is written mainly on the premise that some people don't find what they want/need in the rooms of 12 step fellowships and that this is principally because of its patriarchal, self punishing bent.

This is fine but not a basis of a book that denegrates 12 step recovery. It works for millions of people, just because it doesn't work for some doesn't mean it doesn't work. I am lucky to live somewhere where people are free to discover to their own path in AA and there is a prevailing attitude of live and let live. I understand this is not the same everywhere. But it didnt just happen - people made it happen by challenging the status quo when it was dominated by old men who thought they knew best. Also I find that a lot of therapists and writers, this author included, take the view that if AA etc worked people wouldn't still keep going when they've been sober for years, decades. News flash: if they didn't, the meetings wouldn't exist. I got some ideas from it but won't be using it as a recovery workbook.

2 people found this helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended Research

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 6 September 2021

Verified Purchase

Balanced analysis of recovery models currently in use. Thought- provoking look at multiple viewpoints. Especially beneficial for those who question the path they’re currently on...

3 people found this helpful

Fredrika Spiewak

5.0 out of 5 stars Get this book if you feel any doubt about the 12 step programs of recovery

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 3 October 2016

Verified Purchase

Dr. Kasl's book awakened in me the nature of the the discomfort i was feeling about 12 step recovery programs. Her work, although bit dated, is well worth the read for someone whose own ethics clash with the 12 step model of recovery. I have not had a drink for over 40 years. I stopped meetings for at least 18 years with no descent back into drinking i.e. I had a satisfying life as a student learning my way to a PhD in Depth Psychology. I rejoined AA out of loneliness when school ended and found the meetings run by white male good old boys. My education led me to some different conclusions about the 12 step model, and Dr. Kasl's work validated my strong feelings. Her book is well researched and I highly recommend it.

24 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

4.0 out of 5 stars Recovery alternatives

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 12 November 2020

Verified Purchase

About 1/2 way through this one. It’s got some practical tips for recovery programs and sums them up quite well

One person found this helpful

JayTEE

5.0 out of 5 stars

A must for addicted women who don't 'get' AA / NA

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 24 February 2009

Verified Purchase

I can't put it into better words than 'A Customer' already has. If you are a woman drinking off the back of the pain of trauma, abuse, neglect, shame, or guilt, being told you don't 'get' the programme or you're not working it properly and worst of all being encouraged to feel MORE shame and told you must make amends to the people you have harmed is just more abuse. The 12-step programme is great for calculating, manipulative, sociopathic / narcissistic male abusers and completely inappropriate for victimised women. This book resonated with every criticism I ever had of the 12-step programme and was a life saver. Again, I only wish I had found it sooner.

9 people found this helpful

Helen Mahoney

5.0 out of 5 stars

The book has a lot of things to relate to when doing a group session with patients.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 22 November 2020

Verified Purchase

If the Buddha Had Kids by Charlotte Kasl | Goodreads

If the Buddha Had Kids: Raising Children to Create a More Peaceful World by Charlotte Kasl | Goodreads

If the Buddha Had Kids: Raising Children to Create a More Peaceful World

Charlotte Kasl

4.13
165 ratings17 reviews
The bestselling If the Buddha . . . series continues with some Zen wisdom for frantic parents

In an age when so many kids seem to be glued to video games and eating fast food dinners on the way to a soccer game, author Charlotte Kasl urges parents to step back and examine what is important in their lives, and to take the time to truly get to know their children.

Using spiritual guidelines as well as practical advice, Kasl encourages parents to raise their children to be peacemakers in a turbulent world. Like her previous Buddha titles, If the Buddha Had Kids includes exercises for readers to apply to their own lives, and is filled with wonderful quotes that will inspire readers and keep them coming back to this book for advice as their children grow older.

320 pages, Paperback

First published August 28, 2012

Kindle EditionPenguin Books2012

ebookAltamira
Filters

Displaying 1 - 10 of 17 reviews

Cindy Hudson
Author 14 books23 followers

Follow
January 31, 2013
There are many books to help parents decide how to raise their children. But a new book by Charlotte Kasl, Ph. D., takes an approach I haven’t seen before. It’s called If the Buddha Had Kids: Raising Children to Create a More Peaceful World. While the guide touches on the tenets of Buddhism and how they relate to parenting children, it also has lots of common sense advice for parents who are searching for ways to raise their children with both love and discipline.

Kasl starts by explaining some of the basic tenets of Buddhism, then she goes on to explore how they can be applied to common situations parents find themselves facing. Each chapter takes an issue—why children misbehave, managing emotions feelings and impulses, use of electronics, struggles over food, and more—and looks at how parents can respond.

Kasl uses examples, both good and bad, from her own parents and discusses challenges she faced raising her own daughter. The chapters are written so it’s easy to focus and reflect on a single issue before moving on to another. To help with the reflection, Kasl frequently lists suggestions and questions for parents.

You don’t need to believe in Buddhism to find the ideas helpful, and Kasl isn’t trying to convert readers to those beliefs as she writes. Rather, she provides advice that will help parents even if they don’t accept all of her suggestions.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

2 likes
Like
Comment

Kim
121 reviews2 followers

Follow
June 19, 2019
When you set out to read an "advice book" that is exactly what you are going to get, the author's personal adviced and opinions about the subject at hand. It felt really long and was a bit dry to get through. Some of the advice seemed pretty good: respect your children, be patient, listen, give them plenty of opportunities to learn and grow.

However, interspersed in the logical advice of respectful parenting, was some odd, and not at all scientifically backed opinions.

One head scratcher was the endorsement of eating for your blood type. She didn't say you had to do this, but clearly she thought it was good advice. Also, for a book about Buddhism, she references her Quaker upbringing quite a bit and it doesn't feel like this book is really grounded in Buddhism, per se.

Anyway. If you feel like you need some pointers on parenting I say it doesn't hurt to skim through and take what feels right to you and leave the rest.

Like
Comment

Alie Stumpf
69 reviews4 followers

Follow
December 31, 2018
I really loved the beginning of this book & it’s humanistic view of raising children. The author encourages parents to see their children as part of a collective rather than cherishing them simply as individuals. I really appreciate this perspective & tips on how to raise my children this way & beginning was 5 stars.

I found later chapters on school & sexuality a bit repetitive & overly simplistic. I did lots of skimming/skipping. Maybe the later parts will mean more to me when my kids are older.

Like
Comment

Stephanie
4 reviews

Follow
May 25, 2018
I love everything from this writer, she uses great examples to help you understand the concept.

Like
Comment

Allison
258 reviews

Follow
September 4, 2020
I was hoping for more Buddhist teaching and less psychology.

Like
Comment

Shawn Persinger
Author 6 books8 followers

Follow
March 3, 2022
2.75 stars. In my opinion, anyone inclined to read such a title will find the author preaching to the choir. No insights, simple reminders – be kind.

Like
Comment

Becca Crane
57 reviews4 followers

Follow
April 2, 2021
I liked this book quite a bit. The author was vulnerable about her own experiences as a mother as well as her childhood experiences.

She had the book portioned out into different topics, so you could read it in any order and easily reference.

Overall, relatable and helpful.

Like
Comment

Tracy
255 reviews1 follower

Follow
December 22, 2014
I've read a lot of parenting books, and this is in line with a lot of the books that I have liked.

Emphasizing listening and empathy and encouraging your children to express their feelings, emotions and opinions.

Based on the title I was a little worried that this book would be too idealistic and impractical, but the author did a good job of using real-world examples and situations and emphasizing that children need structure and boundaries as well as the freedom to be individuals and make choices that we might not agree with. While this isn't a book I would say everyone should read, it is definitely worthwhile if you do.

Like
Comment

Indiana Todd
1 review

Follow
January 20, 2016
One of the best "parenting" books I've ever encountered. I don't usually go for any packaged ideas about what parenting should look like from any individual or socially biased perspective - this is anything but - a philosophical approach to parenting steeped in scientific theory and the unparalleled compassionate guidance of The Buddha.

I've read it three times now in my son's three years and each time I've received guidance and encouragement to trust myself and the courage to allow my son to grow into exactly the little man he is supposed to be.

Very few books empower one to empower others - this is one of them.

Like
Comment

Tamara
301 reviews1 follower

Follow
January 25, 2015
I really enjoyed this book. It is not just a 'parenting' guide or how to, it's also a book to help you in your own journey. It is also easily implemented - you can be more peaceful immediately.

The extensive reading list at the end had me adding many many more books to the TBR shelf!
author-female library non-fiction
...more
Like
Comment

Displaying 1 - 10 of 17 reviews

====

Profile Image for Suphatra.

Suphatra

199 reviews

25 followers

January 2, 2013

Better read for parents of older children (5-18) than of a toddler (mine is 2.5 years old). I'll pick this back up again in the future.

non-fiction

Comment

Profile Image for Jamie.

Jamie

6 reviews

25 followers

January 22, 2013

This book changed my life. I am definitely going to read it again and again.

Comment

====

SomeLady

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely book to read and re-read as a reminder to ...

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on 25 November 2014

Verified Purchase

Lovely book to read and re-read as a reminder to be present and peaceful as a parent. I will often pick this book up and just read a chapter or two to keep me focused on my kids.

Report abuse

====

If the Buddha Got Stuck: A Handbook for Change on a Spiritual Path by Charlotte Kasl | Goodreads

If the Buddha Got Stuck: A Handbook for Change on a Spiritual Path by Charlotte Kasl | Goodreads

https://onecard.network/client/en_AU/campbelltown/search/results?qu=AUTHOR%3D%22Kasl%2C+Charlotte.%22

Zen and the art of getting unstuck . . .

Perennial favorites, Charlotte Kasl's If the Buddha Dated, If the Buddha Married and If the Buddha Had Kids have inspired readers with their empowering balance of spiritual and psychological wisdom. This wise yet lighthearted book extends on Dr. Kasl's trademark insight to speak to anyone who's ever experienced being stuck in life. With her signature clarity, wisdom, and wit, she presents seven simple yet profound steps on the path to change: Notice Where You're Stuck; Show Up; Pay Attention; Live in Reality; Connect with Others, Connect with Life; Move from Thought to Action; and Let Go.

Full of insight from Buddhist and other teachings that emphasize the joy that comes with letting go of fears and attachments, If the Buddha Got Stuck is an inspirational and practical roadmap to a happier, more peaceful, and more fulfilling life.

Product description

Review

Praise for If the Buddha Got Stuck and Charlotte Kasl

"If the Buddha Got Stuck provides a roadmap to freedom and greater possibilities. Regardless of your starting place, Kasl will help you achieve greater joy, authenticity, and peace of mind. . . . Encouraging, practical, beautifully written." --Laura Davis, author of I Thought We'd Never Speak Again and coauthor of The Courage to Heal

"Charlotte Kasl's new book overflows with insight, humor and eminently practical suggestions." --Anita Doyle, former Director of the Jeannette Rankin Peace Center

"[Charlotte Kasl] adds an entirely new level of understanding to our lives through love and not fear." --Geneen Roth, author of When Food is Love

"If previous attempts to work with your life from a Western philosophical or psychological perspective encountered gaps . . . [consider this] your bridge." --Rowan Conrad, PhD, Director, Open Way Mindfulness Center

"If The Buddha Got Stuck brings perspective, inspiring stories, and useful exercises to feel less overwhelmed by life's difficulties." --Lisa M. Najavits, Ph.D., Associate Professor in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and author of Seeking Safety: A Treatment Manual for PTSD and Substance Abuse

"[If The Buddha Had Kids] brings the wisdom of the ages to bear to help parents inways that are extraordinarily inspiring and remarkably practical.You discover compassion for your child and compassion for yourself." --Marti Erikson, PhD, coauthor of Last Child in the Woods

Charlotte Kasl

4.13
783 ratings68 reviews
Perennial favorites, Charlotte Kasl’s If the Buddha Dated and If the Buddha Married have inspired readers with their empowering blend of spiritual and psychological insights. Her latest, If the Buddha Got Stuck, is a wise yet lighthearted book that will speak to anyone who's ever experienced being stuck in life and wanted to break free. With her signature clarity, wisdom, and warm heart, Kasl presents readers with seven steps that tap into life’s bigger picture: Notice Where You’re Stuck; Show Up; Pay Attention; Live in Reality; Connect with Others; Move From Thought to Action; and Let Go. Full of insight from Buddhist and other teachings that emphasize the joy that comes with letting go of attachments to events and things, If the Buddha Got Stuck is an inspirational and practical roadmap to a more joyful, peaceful, and fulfilling life.

GenresSelf Help Nonfiction Spirituality Buddhism Psychology Philosophy Personal Development
...more

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 4, 2005
Original title
If the Buddha Got Stuck: A Handbook for Change on a Spiritual Path

This edition
Format
240 pages, Paperback

Published
January 4, 2005 by Penguin Books

ISBN
9780142196281 (ISBN10: 0142196282)

Language
English

Cara
776 reviews65 followers

Follow
August 30, 2013
This book is completely meh. There are good parts, helpful parts. There's also quite a bit of BS (reiki healing, dowsing, and unabashed orientalism), but mostly it's just more meh. The author quotes so much from other books, I thought I might as well put this book down and read those instead.

4 likes
Like
Comment

Kathleen
140 reviews1 follower

Follow
November 15, 2008
Normally, I LOATHE self-help books. They only seem to help the writer be able to free whatever is troubling them by writing through it and helps their bank account when people buy it. This one (which I got from the library) seems to be a bit different. More of a spiritual approach to life's path and not "here's how I got better."

That's what I said when I started. It was an interesting read but I guess not memorable because I returned it without really finishing it. I guess I dislike people who figure "it" out and have to tell me what "it" is. I might give it another try but for now, I read all that I can.
startedbutputdown
3 likes
Like
Comment

Anita Zinn
21 reviews2 followers

Follow
October 14, 2012
Read 6-2012
Please read this one! Quotes: "Our moods, our perspective, and emotional status are directly related to the chemistry in the brain, which is generally affected by exercise, restorative sleep, and healthy eating."

"A peaceful body helps us focus, concentrate, and bring a meditative mindset to what ever we are doing."

3 likes
Like
Comment

Elle
571 reviews13 followers

Follow
May 14, 2012
I wanted this too be more helpful. I was hooked by the very beginning where it gives an example of a person who isn't excited by things any more (this is a type of stuck) and I was thinking I could be more excited about the simple things in life so I wanted to know particularly about that aspect. But there was no link between the initial examples of stuck and they ways those examples would approach each of the steps ... so I found I was just sort of floating while I read this and had trouble figuring out how to apply some of the stuff to my situation.

...Maybe this wasn't the book for me and I'm not the target audience.
for-your-knowledge
2 likes
Like
Comment

Sylwia
1,132 reviews27 followers

Follow
November 11, 2017
This was a different experience from the first two books of Kasl's that I read (and rated 5 stars each) If the Buddha Dated andIf the Buddha Got Married. I strongly related and needed the information in those books, whereas as a therapist I already knew a lot of the information in this one. And as a person currently not experiencing any depressive symptoms and not "feeling stuck", I didn't necessarily "need" this book personally. So the experience was different.

Why You Might Bump This Up On Your TBR: Kasl once again teaches us how to incorporate Buddhist practices into our daily thinking patterns in order to reduce a lot of the stress and problems that we might not even realize that we have created for ourselves. She also utilized her PhD in psychology to teach us how to utilize basic therapeutic methods in order to improve our thinking patterns. I will be recommending this to everyone I know who seems "stuck" or is experiencing certain types of depressive symptoms.

Why You Might Bump This Down On Your TBR: I think sections 44 and 48 were not healthy or evidence-based. And unlike the other two books of hers that I read, this one couldn't hold my attention in the very last (7th?) part.

1 like
Like
Comment

jill crotty
131 reviews2 followers

Follow
May 7, 2022
There are 62 insights to help you stay awake through life. It is not a book to read all at once. Maybe a daily reading. In the Buddhist teachings, it is all about being in the present..right? To live in the moment and not get attached to the past or future. We only have now. So You cannot be awake and asleep at the same time. These teachings are thoughts and ideas on how to feel at ease in the world. To help us get unstuck in the habits we create that have us going through life asleep. Wake up and Be. I love this Author and her thoughts on this. A good read!

1 like
Like
Comment

Amanda
697 reviews107 followers

Follow
March 25, 2009
I wouldn't call myself stuck in a rut but I would describe my life as a bit chaotic. I have been thinking "is there more to this life deal that I should be doing?" even while moving forward towards some goals. I just didn't want to take the chaos with me.

This book is excellent! The reader is walked through how to recognize that they are stuck and then through the steps to get unstuck. I really appreciated the information and have been trying to put a lot of it into practice. Baby steps.

One piece of advice Kasl gives is to just show up to your life. To be aware of what is going on around you and to be aware and in tune with yourself. This is a surprisingly difficult task to accomplish. Even just sitting and chatting with friends, I know that my mind wanders to other things often. I'm making an effort now to be completely present. World of difference.

The reader is advised to live in reality, no more making up stories or not telling the truth. We're shown exercises to practice to connect with ourselves and with life.

Lastly, we're advised on how to get ourselves into action and just let go. Letting go is probably the scariest part, just like stepping off a cliff. Whatever the outcome of whatever our plans, we're advised to just accept them, even if things didn't go our way. But you have to move in order to change. You may lose something in the process of action - quitting a job you hate may lose you status and money - but you move forward into a life that you want to live in.

This book was very inspirational and while I have some ways to go in practicing what it preaches, I'm on the path and moving forward.

1 like
Like
Comment

Danielle Buie
1 review2 followers

Follow
March 9, 2019
I just re-read of this book after a decade+, and it still resonates. Great, quick mental health tune-up type of book, with a grounded, genuinely spiritual sensibility that many "self help" books tend to lack. This is a very accessible book full of wisdom and mindfulness - not fluff, for the most part. Even though it's a quick read, it's full of ideas that stick, and words worth coming back to from time to time.

1 like
Like
Comment

LemontreeLime
3,157 reviews17 followers

Follow
December 9, 2009
This really was an excellent book, full of thoughtful observations. Its not really so much about the spiritual path persay, but about trying to live life itself. I was impressed. (and felt better too!)
goofy-self-help-more
1 like
Like
Comment

Angela
10 reviews

Follow
February 22, 2009
Lovely, straightforward writing about buddhist ideas brought to a white middle class level. It was more self help-y than I liked with lots "you shoulds," so I abandoned it half way through. For what its worth.

1 like
2 comments
Like
Comment

Displaying 1 - 10 of 68 reviews
More reviews and ratings

====

If the Buddha Got Stuck: A Handbook for Change on a Spiritual Path Paperback – 4 January 2005

by Charlotte Kasl PH.D. (Author)

4.8 out of 5 stars 153 ratings

See all formats and editions

Paperback

$18.29

2 Used from $11.90

8 New from $18.29

Audio CD

$56.55

1 New from $56.55

Zen and the art of getting unstuck . . .

Product description

Review

Praise for If the Buddha Got Stuck and Charlotte Kasl

"Charlotte Kasl's new book overflows with insight, humor and eminently practical suggestions." --Anita Doyle, former Director of the Jeannette Rankin Peace Center

"[Charlotte Kasl] adds an entirely new level of understanding to our lives through love and not fear." --Geneen Roth, author of When Food is Love

About the Author

Top reviews from other countries

Miss Hazel Lightfoot

5.0 out of 5 stars An Accessible Buddhism-tinted Empowering Book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 7 January 2013

Verified Purchase

I am mid-way through this wonderfully frank and gentle book, and I already feel compelled to spread the word. It's an encouraging and realistic approach to improving your situation, whatever your situation is, whilst remaining grounded in 'what is'. Mindfulness, Action, Conditioning, Perception.....all sorts of subjects are touched on...a myriad of helpful advise and exercises which can only benefit each and every reader.

I give it 5 stars for it's positive and honest approach, and it's reminding us; it comes down to US to put the gentle, compassionate effort in to heal and thrive and live fully. Be gentle with yourselves.

Thank you.

4 people found this helpful

Report abuse

Mary Drienovsky

5.0 out of 5 stars ... still in the process of reading it but I love it so far

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on 13 March 2016

Verified Purchase

I am still in the process of reading it but I love it so far. The book is easy to read with sound advice and great questions to ask ourselves when we are feeling stuck.

Report abuse

4.0 out of 5 stars happy with the purchase

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on 23 September 2015

Verified Purchase

Books shipped really fast, happy with the purchase.

Report abuse

Flora Denneny

5.0 out of 5 stars re-reading again now...

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on 16 June 2016

Verified Purchase

yup a gotta read - bought more for pals

Report abuse

Gordon F. McCauley, MD

5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on 5 May 2018

Verified Purchase

Great discussion of this subject

Report abuse

====

2023/02/15

Daughter of Tibet: The Autobiography of Rinchen Dolma Taring 1970

The Supramental Manifestation Upon Earth : Sri Aurobindo

The Supramental Manifestation upon Earth

The Supramental Manifestation upon Earth

Book Details

Book Download

Contents

Sample

The Supramental Manifestation upon Earth

Mind of Light

If the Buddha Were in Love by Charlotte Sophia Kasl - Audible.com.au

Many Roads One Journey: Kasl, Charlotte S: Amazon.com.au: Books

If the Buddha Had Kids by Charlotte Kasl | Goodreads

If the Buddha Got Stuck: A Handbook for Change on a Spiritual Path by Charlotte Kasl | Goodreads