City Dharma

Book excerpt: It's one thing to lead a focused and peaceful life in the quiet seclusion of an ashram or monastery, but what about where most of us actually live--in a noisy metropolis or bustling suburb, constantly inundated with the world's latest disturbing news? Hip, helpful, and humorous, City Dharma teaches you how to keep your cool even when the road to enlightenment leads you straight through downtown at rush hour. When we're cut off in traffic, crammed on the subway, or elbowed aside on a crowded street, such thoughtless or aggressive behavior can make our blood pressure rise and our serenity disappear. But it doesn't have to be this way. In City Dharma, Arthur Jeon suggests that it’s not what happens to us, but how we react to events and thoughts that causes most of our suffering. City Dharma is the essential guide for everyone living in the accelerated world most of us call home. Offering smart, practical ways to overcome daily stresses and the crazy-making reactivity of our own minds, Jeon explores the most challenging aspects of modern urban and suburban life, including: Another Day, Another Dollar Avoid Working Stiffness Walking Down a Dark Alley Awareness and Violence Sex and the City Dharma Seeking Love vs. Expressing Love Scaring Ourselves to Death Transcending Media Negativity Road Rage Dealing with Mad Max Within and Without Drawing wisdom from the ancient Eastern teachings of Advaita Vedanta and filled with engaging stories, City Dharma offers a new way of seeing the world--one that is based on connection rather than separation, direct experience rather than belief, and love instead of fear. From the Hardcover edition.