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Forgivenss	Customer Rating:
For me and the women in the Women for Sobriety group I lead, the jewel in the crown of this book is "The past is over: Forgiveness means giving up all hope of a better past." Just one beautiful observation that deserves contemplation. A gorgeously produced book, feels like you are receiving a gift when you open it. Never used the word lapidary before, but each page is a meditation.

A Present Teacher

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Jack Kornfield is one teacher who undeniably lives in my head. I first read this book over twelve hours of flying across country on three planes, and for one of the few times in my life, I looked up when finishing the book and felt disoriented! What? You mean, it's over? I wanted to keep on flying so I could find hidden pages and read some more! I wanted to read it again, front to back! That's how good this book is. One needn't be a Zen student to "get" what Kornfield is talking about. Making nimble use of marvelous quotes and his own unique wit and humor, Kornfield offers beautiful meditations on the cornerstones of any worthwhile spiritual practice. He is an author/mentor who always inspires and provokes me. I hope to meet him one day, but for now I delight in knowing he is among us, keeping the Yak butter lamps burning. --Robert McDowell, The Poetry Mentor (www.robertmcdowell.net), is the bestselling author of POETRY AS SPIRITUAL PRACTICE (July, 2008) from Free Press.

Superb, as usual	Customer Rating:
This little book packs a mighty wallop in that it speaks in a warm, loving, accepting and compassionate way about positive topics. It has helped me to think more clearly about forgiving abuse I experienced as a child. Very comforting and wise! I have used it with a group of Christian women without naming the origin. It was very well received.

Meaningful for any spiritual tradition

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I love everything Jack has written or recorded. But what's special about this book is how moving it was to my mother, and how it connected us even though we pursue different spiritual traditions (me Buddhism, her Catholicism). Because this book is divided into short paragraphs, you can read one and then meditate or reflect on it. Each story or quote is worth it. Jack has such a large and wonderful storehouse of quotes and stories from every spiritual tradition, from the Dalai Lama to Martin Luther King. Highly recommended.

Pocket-sized inspiration

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Jack Kornfield has written a small book that packs a powerful and inpirational punch. Forgiveness, lovingkindess and peace are three attributes that lead to a happy life. The 3 attributes are explained through stories and quotes from people like the Buddha, Benjamin Franklin and Nelson Mandela. And at the conclusion of the writings on each of the attributes are meditations. One comment on peace from Kornfield's book that really hit home with me was, "Peace requires us to surrender our illusions of control. We can love and care for others but we cannot possess our children, lovers, family, or friends. We can assist them, pray for them, and wish them well, yet in the end their happiness and suffering depend on their thoughts and actions, not on our wishes."