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64 EASTERN HORIZON | BOOK BRIEFS

S
IN
BRIEF
BOOK REVIEW BY GARY GACH
BOOK

Ajahn Brahm, Bear Awareness. Questions and Answers Gail Andersen Stark, Creating a Life of Integrity. In
on Taming Your Wild Mind. Wisdom: USA. 2017. pp 158. Conversation with Joseph Goldstein. Wisdom: USA. 2021.
US$16.95 www.wisdomexperience.org. pp 230. US$18.95 www.wisdomexperience.org.

In this book of Q&A on meditation, Ajahn Brahm This book is a conversation between Gail, a
answers actual questions from his meditation students businessperson, and Joseph Goldstein, an internationally
from retreats he led at Jhana Grove Retreat Center in revered Buddhist scholar, teacher, and author on the
Australia. The title – typical of the author who is known core components of integrity—generosity, virtue,
for his style of delivery and sense of humor – uses the renunciation, wisdom, courage, patience, truthfulness,
word “bear awareness” rather than “bare awareness” resoluteness, loving-kindness, and equanimity. In this
as is common of mindfulness teachers - to help us make book, we discover that each component is a step on
friends with the scary things (like a bear!) that come up a path that transports us to an empowered place of
on the cushion, and he knows how to lift the mood with clarity, commitment, and, consequently, more joy. As we
a well-placed stuffed teddy bear ––or a well-timed pun! strengthen and weave these qualities into our daily lives
they become our trusted first response in a world that
The intimacy of the question-and-answer format needs our integrity now.
provides a fresh experience of learning from a master
meditator. Whether he is urging readers to fly Buddha Air For instance, on the topic of Generosity, Joseph will
(sit back and relax on your way to nirvana), giving tips relate stories from the Buddha’s time on how he would
for dealing with panic attacks or depression, or extolling teach this noble virtue to his monks. There is this monk
the bliss of meditation that is better than sex, he gives us whose generosity was very undeveloped. So the Buddha
permission to enjoy our lives and our practice. said to take a stone in one hand and practice giving it to
the other hand. Just go back and forth, practicing giving
There is also a good selection of Pali terms which are the stone to one hand, and then giving to the other
well explained towards the end of the book in the hand. Begin to train in what the movement of giving is
glossary section. EH like. Gradually the monk got used to the notion of giving,
of letting go, even on that most basic level. So we start
where we are. And it worked for the monk! As Joseph
explained in the conversation, generosity becomes
stronger and more delightful the more we engage in
it. It is the same for the other virtues taught by the
Buddha. EH