Here is an extraordinarily lucid and intelligent self-help book,
inspired by the Abhidamma, an ethical-psychological teaching
presented in the body of ancient Buddhist scriptures of the same
name. Based on various techniques of Buddhist mind training, the
Abhidamma represents the systematic knowledge of the Dharma, or
"good teaching"--that is, the liberating,
happiness-promoting way of life. Dr. Fryba has designed a complete
workbook of Dharma strategies for self-transformation, including
some thirty detailed exercises that help readers feel at home in
their bodies, protect well-being through mindfulness, and perceive
reality with clarity and wisdom. These exercises show how to deal
skillfully with painful events and negative emotions, and also
offer direct ways of promoting positive emotions such as
cheerfulness, sympathetic joy, and compassion. By relating these
experiences to specific situations encountered in his work with
friends, students, patients, and workshop participants, the author
makes these ancient techniques genuinely applicable to familiar
contemporary settings whether in everyday life, in meditation
practice, or in the context of psychotherapy. At the same time, his
faithfulness to his Buddhist sources will be appreciated by
traditional-minded spiritual practitioners.
