Radical Acceptance Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha

Written by a charismatic Buddhist leader who is also a psychotherapist, this is the first book to explore how Buddhist teachings can heal the core feelings of "not good enough" that are epidemic in our society. "Believing that something is wrong with us is a deep and tenacious suffering, " writes Tara Brach at the start of this illuminating book. This suffering emerges in crippling self-judgments and personal conflicts, in addictions, perfectionism, 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. Through personal stories and case histories, fresh interpretations of Buddhist tales, and guided meditations, Tara Brach shows how we can develop the balance of clear-sightedness and compassion that is the essence of Radical Acceptance--healing fear and shame, helping to build authentic relationships, and enabling us to live fully every moment of our lives.

Tara Brach, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist as well as a Buddhist lay priest and popular teacher of mindfulness (vipassana) meditation. She is the founder of the Insight Meditation Community in Washington, D.C., and has conducted workshops at Spirit Rock Center, Omega Institute, the New York Open Center, and other retreat centers nationwide. She lives in Bethesda, Maryland, with her teenaged son.

From the Hardcover edition.