Developing Balanced Sensitivity: Practical Buddhist Exercises for Daily Life

Description

Alexander Berzin introduces a series of techniques for overcoming insensitivity and hypersensitivity. Based on traditional Buddhist sources, they are presented in non-traditional forms suitable for workshops and private practice. The exercises deal with difficult, everyday situations and show how to access our mind's natural talents; dispel nervousness, insecurity, and low self-esteem; make decisions; deconstruct deceptive appearances; and recognize the clear light nature of the mind.

Alexander Berzin received a PhD from Harvard University in 1972 from the Departments of Far Eastern Languages and Sanskrit and Indian Studies. A member of the Translation Bureau of the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives since 1972, he is the author of numerous books and articles. He frequently travels to the Americas, Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, lecturing on Buddhism and Tibetan culture and helping to establish programs of co-operation between the Tibetan community and academic and religious institutions.

"Alex has given us a precise, thoughtful, and sophisticated book on the central question of human sensitivity. As one of Buddhism's most knowledgeable western teachers, he creatively combines analytical Buddhist psychology, trainings of the mind, intuitive heart practices, and dozens of practical techniques to nurture a life of sensitivity."-Jack Kornfield "Berzin has pulled off the tricky feat of bringing an erudite discussion of Buddhist psychology to the here and now without falling into either psycho-babble or translationese. . . . Intellectually lucid and eminently practical."-Tricycle