Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life

by Armstrong, Karen

• ISBN13: 9780307400666
• ISBN10: 0307400662
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-12-27
• Publisher: Vintage

Summary

One of the most original thinkers on the role of religion in the modern world—author of such acclaimed books as A History of God, Islam and Buddha—now gives us an impassioned and practical book that can help us make the world a more compassionate place. 

In Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life, Armstrong suggests concrete ways of enhancing our compassion and putting it into action in our everyday lives. Throughout, Armstrong makes clear that a compassionate life is not a matter of only heart or mind but a deliberate and often life-altering commingling of the two.

In November 2009 Armstrong and TED launched The Charter for Compassion (www.charterforcompassion.org), which calls upon all men and women to "restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion . . . to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings—even those regarded as enemies." To date, it's been signed by over 48,000 people, including such figures as The Dalai Lama and Queen Noor, Dave Eggers and Meg Ryan. Out of the ideals of that Charter has come this humane, accessible, indispensable short book for our times.

Author Biography

KAREN ARMSTRONG is one of the world's leading commentators on religious affairs. She spent seven years as a Roman Catholic nun, but left her teaching order in 1969 to read English at St Anne's College, Oxford. In 1982, she became a full time writer and broadcaster. She is a bestselling author of over 16 books on religious affairs, including A History of God, Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life, The Case for God, and The Great Transformation, as well as a memoir, The Spiral Staircase. Her work has been translated into 45 languages. A passionate campaigner for religious liberty, Armstrong has addressed members of the United States Congress and the Senate and has participated in the World Economic Forum.

Table of Contents

PREFACE Wish for a Better World
THE FIRST STEP Learn About Compassion
THE SECOND STEP Look at Your Own World
THE THIRD STEP Compassion for Yourself
THE FOURTH STEP Empathy
THE FIFTH STEP Mindfulness
THE SIXTH STEP Action
THE SEVENTH STEP How Little We Know
THE EIGHTH STEP How Should We Speak to One Another?
THE NINTH STEP Concern for Everybody
THE TENTH STEP Knowledge
THE ELEVENTH STEP Recognition
THE TWELFTH STEP Love Your Enemies

A Last Word
Acknowledgments
Notes
Suggestions for Further Reading