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Handbook for Hard Times

On sale

31st August 2023

Price: £16.99

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Selected: ebook / ISBN-13: 9781529370638

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‘Thubten is a very generous and kind monk who writes with the lived honesty and humour of someone who has experienced the wisdom he shares. His writing is full of inspiration but also the pragmatism needed to form a sustainable practice. He clearly illustrates why we all need meditation and mindfulness in our lives.’- Benedict Cumberbatch

We all go through hard times. We can experience moments when life feels like an uphill struggle, leading to unhappiness and stress. Perhaps we are feeling sad, anxious, or are challenged to deal with something bigger, such as a bereavement, a loss, a painful ending or a broken heart. It is during these moments when life feels difficult that we could do with some help with our thoughts and feelings.

In HANDBOOK FOR HARD TIMES Sunday Times bestselling author of A Monk’s Guide to Happiness Gelong Thubten teaches us to understand that happiness, kindness and resilience can be cultivated through reframing life’s difficulties as opportunities for transformation. Meditation and mindfulness practices help us to access deep reserves of inner strength as we learn how to ‘lean into’ our suffering. Thubten suggests how we can find meaning in pain and discomfort, transforming deeply ingrained patterns of fear and resistance.

As we discover how hard times can enhance the development of mindfulness, compassion and forgiveness, we can develop a fearless outlook on life and lasting, unshakeable happiness.

This approachable and practical book, complete with meditations, is designed for modern times, and will be a valuable resource to anyone during times of struggle, but also during all times to encourage and build resilience and help us find inner contentment and peace.

‘A most qualified guide in the journey from darkness and turmoil towards inner peace and positivity.’
ANNIE LENNOX

Reviews

Mo Gawdat
This is a timely and practical guide to help us navigate the fear and challenges of the times upon us. Uplifting and empowering!
Annie Lennox - Singer, songwriter and activist
Through his own personal experience of transformation from crippling anxiety and depression, Gelong Thubten is a most qualified guide in the journey from darkness and turmoil towards inner peace and positivity. At a time when many of us are experiencing a 'new level of societal fear', everyone can absolutely benefit from this accessible and supportive life handbook.
Andrew Bovarnick, Global Head, Food and Agricultural Commodity Systems, United Nations Development Programme
This book helps us with one of the most important aspects of our time and human existence - how we can go inside ourselves to find peace, happiness and learn about ourselves. Only by going inwards and becoming comfortable with all our emotions can we enjoy life more and enhance our contributions to the world. It is written in such an enticing and accessible manner that it really is indispensable for this journey we should all take into ourselves.
Ruby Wax
No one is more brilliant at bringing you out of the dark and into the light.
Ashish Ranpura, MD, PhD, Clinical neurologist and cognitive neuroscientist
This is the anti-self-help book that everyone should be reading. Thubten shows us that life's most important lessons are often hard won, and that embracing these experiences, while difficult, offers a path to freedom. A courageous book that inspires by example.
Melanie Reid, The Times
A powerful, personally revelatory, but above all a practical book about how to deal with adversity. This guide to survival by a Buddhist monk with a troubled back story is the real deal.