Comments on: Awakening Joy: 10 Steps That Will Put You on the Road to Real Happiness

By: Peggy Gillespie

Peggy Gillespie — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 13:42:44 +0000

Remarkable book I took James Baraz’s online course called Awakening Joy and it was a remarkably life-changing experience. I just ordered the book and devoured it immediately and bought 3 copies to give as gifts to my friends. It captures in such a great way a path that really changed my level of daily joy. The book is beautifully written and organized and I just LOVE it. I have a feeling I will be ordering many more copies as I want to give it to everyone I know. I completely recommend it. It isn’t just a basic self-help book–it is deep, comes from a deep meditation practice that James Baraz has–and his own experiences of deepening joy that he writes about in the book. It is not superficial at all. I found that it deepened my understanding of his teachings about joy and I already feel the effects. I trust you will love it as much as I do. And I’d recommend doing the online course, or doing it in Berkeley where he teaches it live! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

By: Rob Okun

Rob Okun — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 13:35:14 +0000

Openng the Door to a More Fulfilling Life Here’s a book that works like a master locksmith’s pick: it opens a door into a more fulfilling life. An outgrowth of James Baraz’s successful online course of the same name, Awakening Joy: Ten Steps That Will Put You on the Road to Happiness is an accessible, anecdote-rich guide filled with valuable tips to understanding both the roadblocks challenging our lives and the open road inviting us for a drive on the freeway of our own personal happiness.As a longtime meditation teacher, Baraz distills three decades of inquiry into the mind into this down-to-earth primer. Written with the gifted editor Shoshana Alexander,the book evokes the warmth of a satisfying conversation–actually a series of conversations–with a wise friend. And make no mistake: Baraz is wise. And compassionate, giving and optimistic. He’s also a gifted teacher. Among his gifts? Advocating joy as a gateway to pass through on the journey to self-awareness.To those readers brought up believing in narrow-minded, “should-”oriented approaches to living, awakening joy as a means of achieving personal growth might seem contraindicated–somehow jumping ahead of struggle, pain and suffering (the trinity of stages personal growth many believe we must first pass through to reach higher states of happiness). Such an approach misses the mark–by a wide margin. Baraz is not so much suggesting an “eat dessert first” approach to living as much as saying dessert is available all the time in succulent, small bites. If we pay attention enough to notice.Rooted in mindfulness meditation practice, which Baraz has been practicing and teaching since the seventies (he is one of the founding teachers of the Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California), the book is peppered with quotes from a range of teachers, as well as participants in the Awakening Joy course. The book also draws on paths to happiness found in a range of spiritual traditions. Another of its strengths is its gentle introduction to Buddhism, presented in an accessible, open-minded and open-hearted way.While dealing with life’s adversity is certainly addressed in the book–we appreciate Baraz all the more for being open and vulnerable in sharing painful episodes in his own life–time and again he brings the reader back to an appreciation for wholesome states of living. After an eye operation left him with seriously compromised vision–”the world looked like a Jacque Cousteau underwater documentary filmed on a cloudy day”–Baraz relied on his meditation practice to see him through. When a risky operation eventually restored his vision, he felt a surge of gratitude that didn’t subside. “… [T]he gratitude I felt at my good fortune became a continuous backdrop to everything else in my life,” he wrote.Over the years Baraz has trained himself to examine his experiences carefully, “not only for my own spiritual growth but also to share my findings with students.” As a result of the appreciation he felt at his clear vision, he became fascinated with the question, “What is gratitude?” In many ways, his book answers the question,. It is Baraz’s report on his experiences as “an explorer of the landscape of the grateful heart.”HIGHLY RECCOMMENDED

By: Milkweed

Milkweed — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 13:06:11 +0000

Not for everyone There’s no doubt that many people have benefitted from this book and the online course, but it’s not for everyone. I signed up for the online course, but dropped it after one month. James Baraz simply did not resonate with me as a “teacher,” and I found that something in his personal “style,” in the way that he spoke and the way that he presented things, made me want to tune him out. In addition, the online practice letters often had a “preachy” tone that seemed to undermine the message. I know that this is an unfair judgment, but I’ll say it anyway: I found his manner to be, well, “swarmy” and “cheesy” come to mind, and I couldn’t take him seriously. There’s a lot of great information in the book, but if you’re thinking about taking the online course, I’d highly recommend that you try to watch a half an hour or so before you commit to it. I know that there are folks who think highly of James, but please don’t attack me for this review. Instead, you should recognize that no teacher is right for every student, and what works for you might not work for someone else.