Why Is Buddha Smiling

by Magill, Mark

• ISBN13: 9781592330195
• ISBN10: 1592330193
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-08-01
• Publisher: Fair Winds Pr

Summary

In this inspired and accessible guide, author Mark Magill shows you how to root out sources of distraction and tune in to only that which is truly meaningful. Leading you through a series of practical exercises, guided meditations, ancient parables, and everyday scenarios, he challenges you to face down the daily meanderings of your mind -- not by ignoring the distractions, but by observing them from a place of stillness, the Buddhist place of peace. By following his plan to achieve mindfulness, you will increase your "center of gravity" and discover a life that is wholly more fulfilling. And in the process, you will come to understand why the Buddha is smiling. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Mark Magill is the co-author of the best-selling Good Life, Good Death: Tibetan Wisdom on Reincarnation (Riverhead Books, 2001). He has served on the board of advisors of Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. He is also a filmmaker whose work is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. He lives in New York.

Table of Contents

preface	8	(2)
introduction	10	(6)
part one discovering mindfulness
1. The Deer at the Watering Hole	16	(6)
2. Last Day, Last Breath	22	(6)
3. The Forest and the Trees	28	(6)
4. Touched to the Heart	34	(6)
5. Paying Attention	40	(6)
6. Glimpsing the Thief	46	(6)
7. Can You Get There from Here?	52	(8)
part two developing mindfulness
8. Eh? Hmm...ah!	60	(6)
9. Grass in the Wind	66	(6)
10. Center of Gravity	72	(6)
11. The Compassionate Gaze	78	(6)
12. The Need for Practice	84	(8)
13. Going the Distance	92	(8)
14. The Tools at Hand	100	(8)
part three practicing mindfulness
15. Always Present	108	(6)
16. Raising a Joyful Sound	114	(6)
17. Taming the Wild Horse	120	(6)
18. The Three Poisons and Their Antidotes	126	(8)
19. Suspending Judgment	134	(6)
20. Chasing the Thief on His Own Horse	140	(8)
21. Why Is the Buddha Smiling?	148	(4)
afterword daily practice	152	(6)
appendix the four noble truths	158