From time to time I will review books that have been important to me and that offer insights on living well.  These books will not be focused on material wealth but rather the kinds of wealth that can enrich our lives spiritually and psychologically.  I welcome readers to email me with any questions or reflections that you may have.

 
Dancing With Life:
Buddhist Insights For Finding Meaning and Joy in the Face of Suffering
By Phillip Moffitt

I have found this new book to be of great value in clarifying, understanding and integrating the four Basic Truths which constitute the basis for much of the Buddha’s teaching about how to live a happier life.

The book is written for all seekers—whether they are experienced and knowledgeable Buddhist searchers and practitioners or are unfamiliar with this approach to living a happier, more fulfilling and more meaningful life.  Moffitt’s book is based on the Buddha’s basic assumption and teaching that the primary purpose of living is to be happy.

The book is divided into four sections, each dealing with one of the Basic Truths.  
These are:

Your life is inseparable from suffering
 There is a cause of your suffering
You can end your suffering
The way to end your suffering

Each section is composed of three chapters that help the reader to understand a basic truth and learn to deal with it.  For each “truth” there is a chapter on experiencing it, another on understanding it, and a third on bringing it into your life.

Each chapter explains the teaching of the Buddha and his followers, and Phillip Moffitt expands these with his own clarifications. There are many examples, largely from people who have been his students in the many retreats and classes which he has  taught.

Dancing With Life succeeds in clarifying for the reader the essentials of Buddhist teachings and, for many, will be an inspiration to pursue this path, or, if we are already on it, to follow it more deeply and with enhanced enthusiasm and dedication.

This has been an important book for me, and I hope you will want to learn

Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die

by John Izzo 

For my first review, I want to recommend a book that I found helpful in my own life.  Written by John Izzo and titled, The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die, I found the title somewhat unfortunate because it sounds too much like other self-help books that promise instant enlightenment.  Happily, this book is different and much better.  John Izzo is described as someone who has devoted his life and career to facilitating deeper conversations about personal values, work culture, life fulfillment, leadership responsibility, and the true definition of “success.”

The author took on the daunting task of seeking out older people who were seen by those who knew them as “wise elders” and being truly happy, at least in their later years.  He began by asking some 15,000 (!) people to send him names of those they considered to be wise and happy.  The list was narrowed and he had his associate conducted intensive interviews with more than 200 persons.  The interviews mostly involved listening to what people considered to be most instrumental in bringing them to their current happy state.  Izzo then synthesized their responses to produce the “Five Secrets” that are the basis of his book.  Each of the “secrets” is presented with quotes and examples from some of the elders.  The secrets are:

1.    Be true to yourself
2.    Leave no regrets
3.    Become love
4.    Live the moment
5.    Give more than you take

Izzo concludes with chapters about preparing to die well, saying that it is never too late to live the secrets.  He also describes how writing this book has changed his life.  I won’t try to summarize the book any further but I do encourage you to consider reading it.