One of the most original thinkers on the role of religion in the modern worldβauthor of such acclaimed books as A History of God, Islam, and Buddhaβnow gives us an impassioned and practical book that can help us make the world a more compassionate place.
Karen Armstrong believes that while compassion is intrinsic in all human beings, each of us needs to work diligently to cultivate and expand our capacity for compassion. Here, in this straightforward, thoughtful, and thought-provoking book, she sets out a program that can lead us toward a more compassionate life.
The twelve steps Armstrong suggests begin with βLearn About Compassionβ and close with βLove Your Enemies.β In between, she takes up βcompassion for yourself,β mindfulness, suffering, sympathetic joy, the limits of our knowledge of others, and βconcern for everybody.β She suggests concrete ways of enhancing our compassion and putting it into action in our everyday lives, and provides, as well, a reading list to encourage us to βhear one anotherβs narratives.β Throughout, Armstrong makes clear that a compassionate life is not a matter of only heart or mind but a deliberate and often life-altering commingling of the two.
Media Buzz
Charlie Rose - January 12, 2011 Talk of the Nation - January 10, 2011
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