Book Club: Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach

I started this book and was thinking about doing a book discussion thread about it, then saw that it came up by @VSue in @anon2074485 's thread. So it sealed the deal.

Please note/tag others with interest and then we will give people time to get the book, and I try to do a little plan, taking rough chunks at a time, allowing for people to post any thoughts they may have as they go.

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Radical Acceptance: Awakening the Love that Heals Fear and Shame Within Us

“In the West, most of us have suffered the fear of not being ‘good enough’, feeling insecure about our appearance, our sexuality, our intelligence, our spiritual progress or - often most importantly - being worthy of love. When these feelings of insufficiency or self-aversion are strong, we fear abandonment and rejection. Many people have already found the Buddhist perspective on the emotions to be extremely valuable - and this book will be a major practical contribution to the subject.”

Tagging: @VSue @anon2074485 @MandiH @anon30771928 @TMAC - in case you are interested :slight_smile:

Adding in info on latest edition:

Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha Paperback – November 23, 2004

For many of us, feelings of deficiency are right around the corner. It doesn’t take much–just hearing of someone else’s accomplishments, being criticized, getting into an argument, making a mistake at work–to make us feel that we are not okay. Beginning to understand how our lives have become ensnared in this trance of unworthiness is our first step toward reconnecting with who we really are and what it means to live fully.
—from Radical Acceptance

“Believing that something is wrong with us is a deep and tenacious suffering,” says Tara Brach at the start of this illuminating book. This suffering emerges in crippling self-judgments and conflicts in our relationships, in addictions and perfectionism, in loneliness and overwork—all the forces that keep our lives constricted and unfulfilled. Radical Acceptance offers a path to freedom, including the day-to-day practical guidance developed over Dr. Brach’s twenty years of work with therapy clients and Buddhist students.

Writing with great warmth and clarity, Tara Brach brings her teachings alive through personal stories and case histories, fresh interpretations of Buddhist tales, and guided meditations. Step by step, she leads us to trust our innate goodness, showing how we can develop the balance of clear-sightedness and compassion that is the essence of Radical Acceptance. Radical Acceptance does not mean self-indulgence or passivity. Instead it empowers genuine change: healing fear and shame and helping to build loving, authentic relationships. When we stop being at war with ourselves, we are free to live fully every precious moment of our lives.

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Just bought the book and will pick it up from the book store tomorrow :+1:

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LOLZ - we are often on the same vibe.

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Tagging @LAD

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I would like in on this!

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Seriously!! There must be something in the air. I only heard about this author in passing for the first time yesterday. And suddenly we’re all just about to read this book??? Creepy or HP??

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i’m so down! will buy!

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My therapist first recommended her to me. I often listen to her meditations on self compassion, which really help me. A few weeks ago to go to a yoga/meditation retreat on radical acceptance with her at kripalu in Oct. FINALLY I am getting that I need to think about this self acceptance stuff, after a lifetime of trying to be/do better and crushing myself in the process.

I JUST saw that she was doing a thing at Kripalu in October…and another in March. I’ve been wanting to go to Kripalu for YEARS. Maybe I’ll just have to go!! We can share a room. LOL

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I am in! I will start it tonight! I first read about this author ina yogi journal and for anxiety, I have used her RAIN approach alot!

Recognize Allow, Investigate, Nurture

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lolz! I booked the dorm option!

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How fast do you think it will fill up. I’m not sure I could go since we have a lot of vacations planned this year. But it’s only a 6 hour drive. I could decide somewhat last minute. OR, I could wait and see how much you like it and go to the March event. That one is Radical Compassion. I need that too. Compassion for others AND myself!!

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Hey all. Just coming up with a plan. If you are interested in this, I would recommend changing the setting for this thread to “watching”, as it is the type of thread that will bump down the line.

My book has arrived and I have also started listening to the audio book as well. The proposed timing is:

Chapters 1-3: by 7 July
Chapters 4-6: by 21 July
Chapters 7-9: by 4 August
Chapters 10-12: by 18 August

The above is just a target to try to keep some kind of momentum, but everyone can read at their own pace. There won’t be any formal discussion as such, but as you go through the sections, drop your thoughts on what you are reading and how it impacts you and your feelings, successes and challenges in this thread.

Happy reading!
:bird:

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I hear you on Kripalu! Why I never went when I lived up north I don’t know…oh wait, I couldn’t afford it. They have some great classes!!

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its sold out on amazon and my LBS doesnt have it :cry: amazon wont get it delivered till the 3rd of july. i hope i don’t miss this!

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It is on audible of you want to start listening!

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That’s what I’m doing.

i’ve never done that before. i should give it a try!

So I started listening to the audio yesterday/today (thought I had the book but I have her second book: True refuge; order Radical Acceptance and it will be here soon). Anyhoo, in Chapter 1, the Rumi quote about all the different emotions being house guests (the house being our beings) and we are to honour them all the same as guests. I find this very powerful but also what does it mean. If each day I am presented with a different guest (joy, anger etc) and I am to honour them, does this mean it’s ok to be angry?

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There are some good answers to this in chapter 3, about the sacred pause. Recognise and feel the feelings, but pause rather than being reactive. I’ve been working on this pause and can now tell when it has been beneficial and when i haven’t used it as necessary and then hit a backlash (ie, just because I waited a few hours, didn’t mean I got the essence of the pause).

I’ve now listened to the first 3 chapters, but am going to listen again this week to help me organise my thoughts into shareable form.

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