What’s On My Bookshelf… The Tara Brach Edition. July. 47/2022.

Here I am back for the July post for What’s On Your Bookshelf, and I am devoting the post to one author, Tara Brach.  See further on…meanwhile:

 “What’s On Your Bookshelf?”

Thanks to Jo, Deb, Sue and Donna who host this.

 

More than 6 years ago, as I was struggling to manage both my emotional health and my transitions from the life of “very busy”,  I knew I had to get more help to both understand what was going on inside me (thank you Dr Psychologist, GP and counsellor trained husband) and to DO the WORK of getting to a better place in terms of becoming more mindful, more accepting of ‘what is’, and learning to be self-compassionate.

This does not happen overnight of course, nor with a course  series of 6 weeks or seeing a therapist because it HAS to become a part of the inner self. By using strategies, techniques and kindness in the pursuit of a better inner heart-felt life.

Whilst I am so much better at ‘being’ these days, it is definitely a work-in-progress and today I wanted to share, for What’s On My Bookshelf, just ONE author and four of her books.

Here’s a little about Tara Brach: from her website, and each of her books (which I have and on CD/Audible) too are listed below.

Notes under each title are from the Author’s Website.

https://www.tarabrach.com/rain/

https://www.tarabrach.com/guided-meditations/

Radical Acceptance (2003)

Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha

One of the deepest expressions of suffering is self-aversion, part of what Tara Brach calls the “the trance of unworthiness.” Drawing on the wisdom of Buddhist teachings, illustrative stories and the transformative power of meditation, Tara guides us in healing the shame and fear that bind our hearts. When we stop being at war with ourselves, we are free to live fully every precious moment of our lives.

True Refuge (2013)

Finding Peace & Freedom in Your Own Awakened Heart

Based on a fresh interpretation of the three classic Buddhist gateways to freedom—truth, love, and awareness—True Refuge shows us the way not just to heal our suffering, but also to cultivate our capacity for genuine happiness. Through spiritual teachings, guided meditations, and inspirational stories, Tara invites us to connect more deeply with our own inner life, one another, and the world around us.

Radical Compassion (2019)

Learning to Love Yourself and Your World with the Practice of RAIN

In this heartfelt and deeply practical book, Tara Brach offers a lifeline for challenging times. Each step in the RAIN meditation practice (Recognise, Allow, Investigate, Nurture) is brought to life by memorable stories shared by Tara and her students as they deal with difficult emotions and limiting beliefs, and discover step-by-step the sources of love, forgiveness, compassion, and deep wisdom alive within all of us.

Trusting the Gold. (2021)

A beautifully illustrated gift book to help you uncover and trust the innate goodness in yourself and others. In Trusting the Gold, Tara Brach draws from more than four decades of experience as a meditation teacher and psychologist to share her most valuable practices for reconnecting with the beauty of our humanity―from timeless Buddhist wisdom to techniques adapted to the specific challenges of our modern age.

A beautifully illustrated gift book to help you uncover and trust the innate goodness in yourself and others. In Trusting the Gold, Tara Brach draws from more than four decades of experience as a meditation teacher and psychologist to share her most valuable practices for reconnecting with the beauty of our humanity―from timeless Buddhist wisdom to techniques adapted to the specific challenges of our modern age.

Why Tara Brach For Me?

I found her voice to be a comforting one as I followed her for many months via weekly meditations which she offered free from her website.

She was someone who made a great deal of sense and being of a similar age too, I respected her work and study and her sense of ‘keeping it real’.

I used this method (meditation) of connecting after finding her first two books and starting to get the idea of what it was to be both mindful and a realist.

Tara is in essence a story teller and she is a very engaging one for me.

She admits her faults, foibles and frailties as it is through her having owned up to these,  she was drawn to the Buddhist beliefs which softened her self-hate and her self-admonishment.

Her words, in my ears, at times of waking early during very anxious times in 2016 into 2017 (before I knew had oral cancer) really encouraged me to be self compassionate too.

Now, some years on, I have gone back to Tara via her newer books, and the fact that she is also now a regular on the Calm app. I cannot speak too highly of her lessons for me and of her words and work.

Even though I was doing as these photos show, I was very hard on myself. I felt I needed to try better to get more mindful.

When I really, really listened and was ready to understand, I knew that I had to accept the feelings that were tough, and not to push them away. I continue to remind myself often now about this and I am waaaay further down the track of learning to accept ‘what is’ and not trying to ‘change’ what is not in my capacity to do.

She is also a colleague of and friend to others I follow and I have added this link here if you are interested in finding out more about their meditation course. I loved it and still have access to it. I think some of it can be trialled for free.

Create a Life-Changing Meditation Practice in Less Than 15 Minutes a Day!

From Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield

A 40-day online training in mindfulness meditation with two of the world’s most respected meditation teachers, Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield.

The course includes four modules:

• Mindful Basics – 13 days
• Emotional Intelligence – 8 days
• Resilience, Healing & Inner Freedom – 8 days
• Mindful Living – 11 days

 

To conclude, I wanted to share more about the practice of R.A.I.N. but not the variety we have had our share of recently.

Tara Brach:

Recognise

Allow

Investigate

Nurture

I hope you have enjoyed learning something about this favourite spiritual teacher of mine, Tara Brach, and that you may be interested in learning more if this is a path you are thinking about.

Take care,

Denyse.