Psychologist Marvin Levine draws from a wide variety of Buddhist and Indian yogic practices, stories, personal anecdotes, and psychology to highlight the similarities and congruencies between these areas for the purpose of advancing an approach toward optimal happiness. The final section of the book focuses particularly on anger from a variety of perspectives, such as how it is expressed, how it is represented in the nervous system, and how it can be counteracted. Book includes a general bibliography and two separate bibliographies on Buddhist and yogic resources. (Zach Rowinski 2004-05-26)
Foreword ; Introduction -- Pt. 1. Buddhism : King Ashoka's question: what is your secret? ; Maturity and serenity ; The story of Siddhartha ; The Hindu context ; The core of the Buddha's teachings ; The noble truth of dukkha (suffering), part 1: suffering and transitoriness ; The noble truth of dukkha, part 2: caught in the causal matrix ; The noble truth of tanha (craving) ; The noble truth of nirvana (liberation), Part 1: conquer the beasts within ; The noble truth of nirvana, part 2: the nature of attachment ; The Buddha: the compassionate one ; Supermaturity ; Anatman reconsidered: you are not your mind ; The noble truth of magga (the path), part 1: wisdom and ethics ; The noble truth of magga, part 2: mental discipline ; Poetry interlude no. 1: transcending -- pt. 2. Yoga : Yoga and Buddhism ; I discover hatha yoga ; Savarasana ; The yogic state, part 1: immersion ; The yogic state, part 2: transforming judgment ; The yogic state, part 3: Life is where you find It ; Yogic theory: the unenlightened mind ; The eight angas, part 1: the practices ; The eight angas, part 2: the experiences ; Yogic theory: the enlightened mind ; Poetry interlude no. 2: prelude -- pt. 3. Extended supplements ; Buddhism, yoga, and western psychology ; Mindfulness and right thoughts ; Problem solving as compassionate action ; Empathic assertiveness as right speech ; Poetry interlude no. 3: the bequest -- pt. 4. Handling anger : The nature of anger ; anger: assumptions and levels of expression ; A schematic, physiological model ; General methods for decreasing anger ; Specific methods, part 1: right views of others ; Specific methods, part 2: changing one's own attitudes ; Specific methods, part 3: when anger occurs ; Afterword