Review Detail

Everybody’s got problems. How much suffering those problems cause us is largely determined by how we perceive the situation and how tightly we clutch our faulty perceptions. Yes, we do. Most of us are actually addicted to the negative emotions and we spend our lives in a never-ending loop of anger and fear.

For well over 2000 years, Buddhists have sought to understand, befriend, and tame the mind that contributes to our suffering. What they’ve learned along the way is that there is no single technique to achieve uninterrupted happiness, and that mastering our emotions requires diligent and ongoing practice. Not what you wanted to hear, is it?

Here’s the good news: THE MISLEADING MIND provides us with “a set of ideas and tools so we can begin the gradual process of becoming happier….” These steps are easy to understand and we needn’t be Buddhists in order to engage in the act of training.

Clearly described techniques for re-training your mind are presented in the opening chapters and constitute a quick-start approach to the immediate need. Later chapters provide more detail about how and why our minds mislead us with faulty perceptions about ourselves and the world around us.

This succinct guide is a non-intimidating introduction to the basics of Buddhist psychology written by Karuna Cayton. Cayton is a psychotherapist and a student of Buddhist master Lama Zopa Rinpoche. He has studied mental and emotional wellness from several angles and uses “his knowledge of Buddhist psychology to enhance the understanding of its principles within modern cultures.” Cayton’s training and personal journey allow him a degree of insight that draws from a number of traditions. That plus his vast experience as an instructor and coach allow Cayton to write in a way that is both uplifting, empowering, and thoroughly digestible even to readers who have never encountered the concepts presented in THE MISLEADING MIND.

When you’re ready to move beyond the addiction, have a look at THE MISLEADING MIND. You’ll find there an explanation of the basic nature of problems and unhappiness, as well as a gentle guide for a journey of self-discovery.