Just Add Buddha!: Simple Buddhist Solutions for Everyday Life

by Franz Metcalf

Start your path toward happiness and inner peace with the essential guide to Buddhism from bestselling author Franz Metcalf.

Written for spiritual seekers who deal with unenlightened coworkers and inconsiderate bank tellers more often than Zen masters and Tibetan monks, this book demonstrates the practical side of Buddhism.

Author Franz Metcalf shows how to weave simple vows, quick rethinks, instant relaxations, fast visualizations, and many other stripped-down Buddhist practices into every area of life. Individually, Metcalf's techniques work as quick fixes for specific dilemmas, but woven together, they gradually strengthen one's spiritual base when one day a habitual way of being has been quietly transformed.

While not written to impress pure Buddhists, this book takes Buddhism seriously. Approachable sections on Buddhism's rich tradition and a sprinkling of quotes from ancient scripture and contemporary teachers connect the book's practices to the deeper wisdom underlying them.

Always, Just Add Buddha remains squarely focused on daily life, drawing out the most practical aspects of Buddhism.

Genres: Buddhism, Philosophy, Spirituality

216 pages, Paperback

First published April 12, 2004

Reviews

[Libby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Accessible, practical, funny and pragmatic. This book gave me some great ideas on how to deal with tricky everyday situations that I would normally react badly too. The sections on getting impatient in traffic and dealing with aggressive authoritarian types were really useful. It gave me perspectives that I had not ever considered before.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading about Buddhist ideas and approaches to different situations. I liked this book because I could read the chapters out of order, according to which ones interested me most, and the advice and explanations were straightforward.

[Manette · Rating 5 out of 5]

practical and funny, a wonderful riff on the fact that there's no problem until we make one.

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the best daily advice I have seen in a long time. Buddhist philosophy has always intrigued me but seemed so complicated and time-consuming. Metcalf has presented it in such a way that it never felt out of reach. I actually found myself trying out some of his mindfulness practices for some "hellish" situations and was overjoyed when I found they were easy and successful. I am going to seek out his other books and might just consider buying this one.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb! Truly practical, brilliant solutions.