About this item
Intimately and without jargon, How to Wake Up: A Buddhist-Inspired Guide to Navigating Joy and Sorrow describes the path to peace amid all of life's ups and downs. Using step by step instructions, the author illustrates how to be fully present in the moment without clinging to joy or resisting sorrow. This opens the door to a kind of wellness that goes beyond circumstances. Actively engaging life as it is in this fashion holds the potential for awakening to a peace and well-being that are not dependent on whether a particular experience is joyful or sorrowful. This is a practical book, containing dozens of exercises and practices, all of which are illustrated with easy-to-relate to personal stories from the author's experience.
About the Author
I'm the author of four books. Three are intended to help people find a measure of peace and joy despite the many challenges posed by chronic pain and illness; the third focuses on the Buddha's path to awakening in this very life, even in the most difficult of circumstances. I write in a conversational style, with the intention of helping everyone learn to live with compassion, joy, and purpose. To this end, all of my books include easy-to-learn exercises and practices that come alive through the use of personal stories. I've been a practicing Buddhist for over 25 years. I was also a law professor at the University of California--Davis for 22 years, serving as the dean of students for six years. I live in Davis, California with my husband and our endearing, if goofy, gray lab Scout. I hope you'll visit my website at www.tonibernhard.com.