Look into your own heart and discover what gives you pain and then refuse under any circumstances whatsoever to inflict that pain onto anybody else.
–Karen Armstrong
Title: Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life
Author: Karen Armstrong
Synopsis: Karen Armstrong, a religious historian and former nun, explores the notion of empathy and compassion that underlies and unifies the Abrahamic faiths as well as most other religious traditions.
Why I read this: A certain yogini inspired me to deepen my understanding of compassion.
What I loved about it: Armstrong’s conviction and intellect shine through every page. The depth and breadth of her scholarship was a nice change from my recent lighter reading. The language was scholarly, yet accessible, intelligible and beautiful.
What was unexpected: I was surprised by the depth beneath the self-help title and macrostructure. There really are twelve steps, but the history, spirit, and detail Armstrong provides were far more intriguing.
You might like this if you liked: The Lost Art of Compassion: Discovering the Practice of Happiness in the Meeting of Buddhism and Psychology
Fun coincidence: As I was reading this book, El Diablo was reading God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything
by Christopher Hitchens. The themes and events covered often coincided. It was fun to compare notes and the authors’ vastly different perspectives: enduring optimism vs. chronically quarrelsome.
5 comments
Comments feed for this article
March 22, 2013 at 3:16 am
Dana
Awesome! I’ve actually been thinking a lot about the Golden Rule myself lately… except I’m flipping it and focusing on treating MYSELF as nicely as I (usually) treat OTHERS. A recent breakthrough has allowed me to see that I’m so much more critical of myself than I am of anybody else. The self-care revolution has begun here at Chez Zona Pellucida, and I’m loving the journey so far. Thanks for yet another book recommendation (I will struggle to keep up!)
March 22, 2013 at 4:12 am
Lunar Euphoria
Your latest post emphasizing kindness to yourself is a good one. Yay for self-care revolutions and for striking out on new journeys. And no need for struggles. Go where the heart leads and take time to smell the roses along the way.
Incidentally “Compassion for Yourself” is the third of Armstrong’s 12 steps.
March 22, 2013 at 6:46 am
Dana
I guess that means I’m 25% into her program, then. Yay me– Advanced Placement. 🙂
March 30, 2013 at 5:40 pm
Kathy
Thanks for posting this, Lunar. Truly. A compassionate open allowing heart is ground we can all nurture.
January 2, 2014 at 5:18 pm
Books I Read in 2013 | My Little Spacebook
[…] Read my review HERE […]