Seeing Clearly
A Buddhist Guide to Life
Of the many positive things to say about Buddhism, the most meaningful may be that Buddhists readily admit that life is very, very hard. By facing that fact head on, rather than denying or ignoring it, Buddhists can quickly get on with “the business of diagnosing the subtle and fundamental mistakes our minds make,” in the words of Nicolas Bommarito. Not surprisingly, in the 2600 years since Buddha walked the earth, his followers have identified plenty such mind mistakes. Humans struggle because the world is different from how our experiences make it seem, and “you fix [the problem] by changing your outlook so it better matches the way things really are,” says Bommarito.
In Seeing Clearly: A Buddhist Guide to Life, Bommarito offers frank, incisive commentary on many of Buddhism’s greatest insights—what he thinks are the best versions of the varying teachings from Buddhism’s many schools. The book’s goal is to interpret a wide variety of Buddhist practices “in a way that will be relevant to the lives of modern people,” and Bommarito excels at demystifying some of Buddhism’s harder to grasp concepts. He further provides specific techniques to help readers move beyond philosophy into the actual practice of quieting anxiety, embracing change, and, yes, seeing the world more clearly.
Reviewed by
Matt Sutherland
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
