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Reviews
A Fearless Heart: How the Courage to Be Compassionate Can Transform Our Lives by Thupten Jinpa
rbogue's review against another edition
4.0
Individually, compassion and courage make sense. Compassion is the awareness of the suffering of others and the desire to minimize it. Courage isn’t the absence of fear but the willingness to overcome it. Putting these together, we discover a subtle fear in being compassionate and what can be done to develop the courage to do so. That’s what A Fearless Heart is about – developing the courage to be compassionate in the face of circumstances, thoughts, and feelings that make that difficult.
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pinayknitter's review against another edition
5.0
A very good read in this time of divisiveness and fear. Balm to the soul for people whose work entails addressing pain, discomfort, & uncertainty on a day-to-day basis. Empathy is not enough. #courageandcompassion
hainyh's review against another edition
3.0
In my job as a nurse, compassion is a very important trait to be able to exhibit, therefore I was interested to read what other people have to say on the matter in the form of this book. Not only that, but compassion is at the heart of us as human beings. The aim of this book is to 'redefine compassion as something we can all grasp'; a great concept, however it troubles me to think that there are people out there with the inability to be compassionate. And of course there are those who are not compassionate, but then they are certainly not going to be reaching for this book, so it's a bit of a moot point.
The book is divided into a number of very useful topics, such as self-acceptance (how can be be fully compassionate if we are not yet accepting of ourselves?), making way for compassionate behaviours in our lives, and what to do if we become 'unstuck'. This is a really resourceful and informative read, with lots of interesting anecdotes from the author which help to put the point across well. Each chapter lays a good grounding for the following chapter, and by the end of the book there won't be much that you don't know about compassion! With simple ideologies for implementing into your every day life, I hope that this would have as positive an impact on other readers as it did myself. The only reason for only awarding three stars, as that in parts it is a monotonous read and dragged.
(Thanks to NetGalley for this copy).
The book is divided into a number of very useful topics, such as self-acceptance (how can be be fully compassionate if we are not yet accepting of ourselves?), making way for compassionate behaviours in our lives, and what to do if we become 'unstuck'. This is a really resourceful and informative read, with lots of interesting anecdotes from the author which help to put the point across well. Each chapter lays a good grounding for the following chapter, and by the end of the book there won't be much that you don't know about compassion! With simple ideologies for implementing into your every day life, I hope that this would have as positive an impact on other readers as it did myself. The only reason for only awarding three stars, as that in parts it is a monotonous read and dragged.
(Thanks to NetGalley for this copy).
nickmiller's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this was a very important book, both for myself as well as for the world. Thupten talks at length about viewing the world through the lens of compassion, both for oneself as well as others. This is something that's been on my mind recently. One thing I didn't like was that I felt like the meditations he inserted into the chapters were not really organized well. I would have appreciated a section at the end with all the meditations collected together and more instructions on how to do them.
surabhi_11's review against another edition
3.0
How to keep compassion intact and not let the coldness and cynicism triumph over it? - I picked up this book to cultivate my curiosity to answer this question. It is both a requirement in the personal and the professional life. The book didn't get me close to the depth of the question but did offer a few simple ways of becoming better at the practice of compassion. A light and a good start towards understanding mindfulness and compassion.
The book might be a great start for anyone interested in starting meditation. Also, for the ones who want to direct their meditation towards cultivating compassion to handle the difficult emotions and life situations. The content is fairly simple to read and process. The author has tried to briefly touch upon various issues that one faces while mustering the courage to be compassionate: differentiation between self-love, self-pity, complacency, and self-compassion, self-esteem vs self-compassion, and above all, the role of mindfulness in everyday life, fighting injustice compassionately, the difference between equanimity and indifference etc.
If you have done Vipassana, this is going to be repetitive.
The book might be a great start for anyone interested in starting meditation. Also, for the ones who want to direct their meditation towards cultivating compassion to handle the difficult emotions and life situations. The content is fairly simple to read and process. The author has tried to briefly touch upon various issues that one faces while mustering the courage to be compassionate: differentiation between self-love, self-pity, complacency, and self-compassion, self-esteem vs self-compassion, and above all, the role of mindfulness in everyday life, fighting injustice compassionately, the difference between equanimity and indifference etc.
If you have done Vipassana, this is going to be repetitive.
rdebner's review against another edition
4.0
Such a good time to read a book about compassion and its focus on compassion as an active practice.
joeri's review against another edition
5.0
This book offers an accessible introduction to compassion as an important value and practice. The value of compassion is convincingly shown by the backing that is provided from Buddhist and Western philosophy, as due to the evidence that is provided from the modern life and social sciences. It is nice to read that the best of two worlds are being brought together with the purpose to improve people's wellbeing.
The exercises in the book are as accessible as the book itself and challenges the reader to apply compassion in daily life. The proof and examples that are offered in the book regarding the positive effects of compassion help to motivate you doing these exercises.
The book is a worthwhile read for anyone who seeks to create a more compassionate world.
The exercises in the book are as accessible as the book itself and challenges the reader to apply compassion in daily life. The proof and examples that are offered in the book regarding the positive effects of compassion help to motivate you doing these exercises.
The book is a worthwhile read for anyone who seeks to create a more compassionate world.
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