Book Recommendation: Essential Spirituality: The 7 Central Practices to Awaken Heart and Mind by Roger Walsh

Book Recommendation, Happiness

“Our lives are rich with opportunities and our challenge is to live them to the full. All of us can be the creative artists of our lives.”
― Roger Walsh

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Why Read This Book

This book covers seven practices that religions across the world include, practices that can help restore balance and create happiness in our lives. It is a book to read and then revisit to help you live a balanced and happy life.

Contents

  • Foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama
  • Introduction
  • 1.    Unveiling the Sacred
  • 2.    Discovering the Seven Practices
  • 3.    Using This Book
  • 4.    Spiritual Practices: What Do They Do and How Do They Do It?
  • The Seven Practices
  • Practice One: Transform Motivation: Reduce Craving and Find Your Soul’s Desire
  • 5.    The Secret of Happiness
  • 6.    Exercises to Reduce Craving
  • 7.    Find Your Soul’s Desire: Redirect Motivation
  • 8.    Exercises to Redirect Desires
  • 9.    The Higher Reaches of Desire
  • Practice Two: Cultivate Emotional Wisdom: Heal the Heart and Learn to Love
  • 10.    The Gift of Love
  • 11.    The Challenge of Difficult Emotions
  • 12.    Reducing Fear and Anger
  • 13.    Cultivate Love and Gratitude
  • 14.    The Higher Reaches of Love
  • Practice Three: Live Ethically: Feel Good by Doing Good
  • 15.    The Value of Virtue
  • 16.    What is an Ethical Life?
  • 17.    Exercises in Ethical Living
  • 18.    The Higher Reaches of Ethical Life
  • Practice Four: Rest in Peace: Concentrate and Calm the Mind
  • 19.    Your Meandering Mind
  • 20.    Develop a Peaceful Mind
  • 21.     The Higher Reaches of Concentration and Calm
  • Practice Five: Awaken Spiritual Vision: See Clearly and Recognize the Sacred In All Things
  • 22.    The Healing Power of Awareness
  • 23.    Exercises in Awareness
  • 24.    Seeing the Sacred in All Things
  • 25.    Exercises in Sacred Seeing
  • 26.    The Higher Reaches of Vision
  • Practice Six: Cultivate Spiritual Intelligence:  Awakening Wisdom and Understanding Life
  • 27.    What is Wisdom?
  • 28.    Awakening Wisdom
  • 29.    Exercises in Wisdom
  • 30.    The Higher Reaches of Wisdom
  • Practice Seven: Express Spirit in Action: Generosity and the Joy of Service
  • 31.    The Spirit of Service
  • 32.    Developing a Generous Heart
  • 33.    Exercises in Generosity and Service
  • 34.    The Higher Reaches of Generosity
  • 35.    Enjoy Your Self: Awakened Heart, Awakened Mind
  • Source Notes
  • Further Reading
  • Bibliography
  • Index

Summary

This book explores the different behaviours and ideas that cause us to be unhappy and to suffer, and practices to remedy them. There are seven practices, as the title of the book suggests, but there are also exercises within each chapter that are simple, but beneficial, for example “Exercise 9, Discover Your Future Self,” from the section entitled Exercises To Redirect Desires.

The author explores these subjects through the lens of the scriptures of our world religions and the writings of philosophers. It is practical, yet this book includes profound, deep wisdom. Whether you are religious or not, I recommend this book, it will apply some perspective to your life and help you find your path to a life well lived. The book is extensive, but you can dip into the section that relates to your current issues and find the guidance and exercises to help.

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