Tiny Buddha: Simple Wisdom for Life's Hard Questions

by Lori Deschene

“ Tiny Buddha is a moving and insightful synthesis of evocative stories and ancient wisdom applied to modern life. A great read!” — Jonathan Fields , author of Uncertainty From the mind of TinyBuddha.com, Lori Deshene brings us the latest edition of her guide on how to throw off stagnation and walk into a happier and healthier life. Feeling good is a choice, the possibility of it is up to you! You are in control of your purpose. Life has a way of giving us more questions than answers. Especially this one we hear all too Why am I here? People all over are wondering that very thing. With Tiny Buddha , learn how we can choose the meaning behind our place in this vast universe. Learn how to transcend happiness from feeling like a chore to being an active daily practice. Jump into your life purpose. Featuring straightforward and practical advice based on Taoist practices and her own personal journey, author Lori Deshene explores universal aspects that help uncover your life purpose. By breaking down hard yet revealing questions about life, love, happiness, and change; Tiny Buddha provides all sorts of down-to-earth wisdom and ways for knowing and feeling good about your place in this crazy, complicated universe now and moving forward. Inside, you’ll If you like self-help books or advice blogs, or if you enjoyed Living on Purpose, The Soul’s Human Experience, or The Tao of Influence , then you’ll love Tiny Buddha .

Genres: Self Help, Buddhism, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Philosophy, Religion, Meditation

310 pages, Paperback

First published December 8, 2011

About the author

Lori Deschene is the founder of Tiny Buddha, an online community that enables participants to share their experiences and insights to help themselves and others. Since launching the site in 2009, she has helped over a thousand writers tell their stories, attracting more than three million monthly readers.

Lori is the author of Tiny Buddha: Simple Wisdom for Life’s Hard Questions and Tiny Buddha’s Guide to Loving Yourself. She has presented at the Wisdom 2.0 Conference, and her writing has been featured in Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, Shambhala Sun, Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, and Chicken Soup for the Soul. Lori lives in San Mateo, California.

Reviews

[Michael Huang · Rating 1 out of 5]

I stumbled on the tiny buddha website (or something like that), read a paragraph (or a blog) that felt surprisingly wise and down-to-earth. I immediately bought the author's book and -- uncharacteristically -- didn't put it on a pipeline. I read it as soon as I got it. It unfortunately is without a doubt the worst book I've read in 2014, and possibly in the past 10 years. Save yourself the time.

[강거 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really hate when a memoir is parading as a self help book.

[R.C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great mostly-self-help book with a dash of memoir. The principles discussed are a great non-religious introduction to mindfulness and how to look at life's troubles in a healthy way. The gimmick of organizing the book around Twitter's answers to her questions worked surprisingly well. The author did a lot of legwork beyond just picking the pithiest 140-character mottos: she grouped them into categories that actually demonstrate different ways to answer the deep question she was asking. Sometimes these answers even contradict each other, and she goes out of her way to say that this, too, is OK. She also backs up the ideas with studies, related reading, etc, making it feel really meaty. The author's voice is very honest and open, which makes you feel like you're talking to a friend rather than reading a book.

[Cloris Kylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tiny Buddha: Simple Wisdom for Life’s Hard Questions by Lori Deschene is more than a book for personal growth; it’s a companion. If I had wanted to underline it, I would’ve underlined most of the book because it’s so full of wisdom. The way that Lori Deschene contemplates universal topics such as pain, meaning, change, happiness, love and money is enlightened and also realistic. She analyzes her past struggles and the struggles of those around her with remarkable insight. The tidbits of wisdom from Twitter collaborators make the book dynamic and fun to read. Offering a relatable and thought-provoking message, the book has a clear and inviting structure that makes it a pleasure to read. Tiny Buddha: Simple Wisdom for Life’s Hard Questions has become one of my top favorite books!

[debbicat *made of stardust* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of great wisdom here. I will refer to it often.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

The majority of the book is the typical self-helpy fare with uninspired tweets of the 'love yourself' and 'bring joy' variety thrown in at random intervals. Blah. The website is much, much better.

[Taylor · Rating 1 out of 5]

Incredibly dry and boring. I only read a few pages and then skimmed and just read the Tweets. Even the Tweets were dull! There are much better philosophical books out there!

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely going to be a future purchase. I must own this awesome little book.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Big Ideas:

+ It’s not enough to read about wisdom, you must practice it.
- I felt very convicted by this quote: “Sometimes when we gorge ourselves on meaningful words, we fall into an attention coma - too overwhelmed by other people’s thoughts to identify the right choices for ourselves.”

+ There are effective ways to deal with pain:
- Give it time AND effort: “Everything gets better with time; how much time is up to us. It’s dependent on when we choose to change the stories we tell about our lives; when we decide to spend more time creating the life we want than lamenting the hand we’ve been dealt; and when we realize that no one’s love, forgiveness, or acceptance can be as profoundly healing as our own.”
- Learn from it even though you don’t like it or want it: “We can take almost anything that hurts and recycle it into something good once we’re ready to learn from it. If you’re hurting over trouble in your relationship, your pain may be teaching you that you need to find the strength to walk away. If you’re hurting because people don’t seem to like you, your pain may be teaching you that you need to stop depending on approval for your overall well-being. If you’re hurting because your thoughts are tormenting you, your pain may be teaching you that you alone are the cause of your deepest suffering, and that in accepting that, you have the power to set yourself free. Of course this all depends on the most important question: are you ready to be free?”
- Recognize its inevitability: “The only mistake when it comes to pain is to assume life shouldn’t involve it… Pain often starts to dull when I decide to embrace it, acknowledge it, and grow from it.”
- Don’t get hung up on the ‘why’: “It’s more useful to find benefit than seek cause.” @jesusina
- Choose an effective response: “Realize that things aren’t happening because of external factors - they are happening because of how you respond to those external factors.”

+ Characteristics of happiness:
- Gratitude: “Happiness isn’t getting everything you want. It’s appreciating what you have and staying open to the limitless possibilities before you.”
- Growth: “Implicit in learning and growing is the idea that we’ll continually transform our understanding of our purpose and intentions.”
- Self-determined: “No amount of learning, striving, or fighting can change the fact that only we can choose to be happy. Only we can decide what to do with our energy, time, and money, and only we can decide whether to fight our reality or let go and be present with what is.”
- Purpose: “People often assume that not having to do anything is the surest path to bliss. But the reality is that time is the ultimate asset, and we’re more likely to experience happiness if we spend it in a way that fulfills us, whether we need the money it generates or not.”
- Not guaranteed by money: “Money can’t buy feelings. No amount of success can erase pain from the past. The only thing that allows us to fully appreciate and enjoy good fortune is a sense of peace with who we are, regardless of what we have or gain.”



Potent Quotables:

*“Pain passes but beauty remains.” Auguste Renoir

*“Freedom is what you do with what’s been done to you.” Jean-Paul Sartre

*To live life to the fullest, we need to balance two simultaneous needs: the desire to reach our full potential and the instinct to enjoy today.

*We are all people worth loving, regardless of what behaviors we may want to change - and we all have the power to change, even if on some days our resistance feels about as overpowering as a riptide.

We are all made of the same stuff, and we all have the same potential to make both mistakes and miracles. The only differences between us revolve around where we focus our attention and what we choose to do.

[Adrienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gets you thinking

This book is structured in a way where it poses questions about some of life’s most contemplated topics and provides groupings of answers the author received on Twitter. Whether you agree or disagree with the various responses presented, it will get you thinking about the questions, what beliefs you hold, and how you want to live your life. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s a quick easy read that is a good conversation starter.

[Luisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It approaches to the main questions we have in life about love, happiness, money, control, meaning of life. Giving us an extended view of each theme that maybe we already know but don't recognize. Totally recommended for all type of readers who want to discover or rediscover the answers.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was given this book years ago - and it has sat on my bookshelf, sadly forgotten. I picked it up the other night and am so grateful I did. Gentle insights into some of the big questions we ask. It doesn't pretend to know everything, rather, it gently reminds us that we know some things - and trusting those things will bring us peace.

[Kaleb Phillips · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are some really good things to take away from this book, and some that are extremely tone deaf and judgmental. Unfortunately this made it really difficult to connect with and continue reading at times.

I would highly recommend The Headspace Guide to Meditation & Mindfulness by Andy Puddicombe instead.

[Mo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Each section is too long and reads more like a textbook. Every one of her books drones on about how miserable her childhood and early adulthood was, as if she feels she needs an extreme low start for contrast. I appreciate Tiny Buddha tweets online, but her books are just not my cup of tea.

I recommend reading the You Are A Badass series by Jen Sincere instead.

[Kristin Drafts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some parts of this book (especially in the middle) I found hard to keep interest and chugging along without deep focus - more so an attention span issue than narrative problem. I received a lot of good and value from this read.

[Jodell · Rating 5 out of 5]

On my book journey I search for meaning in my books something that inspires me or changes me or alters my view. This book gave all these things to to me and so now I pass it along. As i skip joyfuly to the next book that im searching for that gives me what i desire or need.

[Judi · Rating 3 out of 5]

What is life? What is happiness? What is peace?

Understanding not through Zen koans, but through Twitter responses…

Thinking through choices (risks, opportunities, mindsets) then acceptance based on/through our decisions… all contribute to answering those questions.

[Greg D · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Tiny Buddha on social media and it's website. So much great wisdom and quotes. So naturally I bough this book hoping for the same. I was completely disappointed. I read the first two chapters and could not connect. A lot of "me" talk about the author's journey. Having to weed through her "me" story to find very rare glimpses of wisdom. It was tiring actually. Admittedly, I could not finish this book. It was nothing awe-inspiring. Do not recommend.

[Sandra Crane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the book! I have been working on being a better, caring and happier person. This book with its wonderful stories and words of wisdom is a huge help. Thank you Goodreads Giveaway for this book.

[Crystalyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I come back to this book again and again when I need some advice on life.

[Edward L.]

139

[Ankur · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best thing are the tweets.

[Chérie A. · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars

[V.Shanmugam · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a self help book. Many pages are personal account. Difficult to read, bit dry.

[Stefano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gli argomenti sono interessanti, ma non ho trovato spunti particolari.

[Stephanie Coffin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author comes across as caring and authentic. I didn’t care for the tweets. There’s not explicit Buddhist content but rather Buddh-ish views on life and living.

[Mrunmayi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should read this book. Everyone!

[Edith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't looking for answers but I am glad I came across this book nonetheless. Love, love, loved this book!

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book, which is full of essays that are similar to the posts that you can read on www.tinybuddha.com

The woman who wrote this book really struggled, and she's very honest about her struggles and her quest to turn her life around. I could have done without the twitter excerpts from other readers of Tiny Buddha, but I loved reading about how Lori changed her mind and used Buddhist/spiritual thinking to change her life.

If you're curious about this book, I suggest you check out www.tinybuddha.com first. That'll give you a flavour of what you'll be reading.

I know it's not for everyone, but I enjoy and www.tinybuddha.com is one of my daily reads. It really helps me to reframe difficult life situations.

[Melanie Reno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lori is creator of Tiny Buddha, this badass spiritual blog a good friend of mine turned me on to. The blog rocks—all of the stories are so relevant to today's world & today's issues—here in america—pain is pain; we have it too, even though we have it all.

Lori is someone who truly walks the talk. She also just so happens to be a really really fantastic authentic writer.

This book helped me deepen my own spiritual practice, it's very personal. It also offered me something different than all the other books in this genre that I own & regularly read.