Table of Contents
Foreword Sylvia Boorstein xv
Preface to the Revised Edition xix
Preface to the First Edition xxiii
How Everything Changed
1 Getting Sick: A Romantic Trip to Paris 3
2 Staying Sick: This Can't Be Happening to Me 11
Pain Is Part of Life
3 The Buddha Tells It Like It Is 23
4 The Universal Law of Impermanence 29
5 Who Is Sick? Who Is in Pain? 39
Finding Peace and Joy
6 Finding Joy in the Life You Can No Longer Lead 49
7 Soothing the Body, Mind, and Heart 55
8 Using Compassion to Alleviate Your Suffering 61
9 Facing the Ups and Downs of Chronic Illness with Equanimity 79
Turnarounds and Transformations
10 Getting Off the Wheel of Suffering 99
11 Tonglen: Spinning Straw into Gold 107
12 With Our Thoughts We Make the World: An Appreciation of Byron Katie 113
13 The Present Moment as a Refuge 121
14 Wise Action: What to Do and What Not to Do 135
15 Zen Helps 147
Balancing Community and Isolation
16 Communicating with Care 159
17 Connecting with Others and Appreciating Solitude 167
18 And in the End… 181
A Guide to Using the Practices to Help with Specific Challenges 185
With Gratitude 199
Recommended Reading 205
Index 207
About the Author 219