Janet’s review of Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening > Likes and Comments
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Had no idea you were Taoist inclined! You describe basically how I read all religious/spiritual books; there's aspects I don't click with but there's usually a lot I still find worthwhile. I read a lot of Buddhism but there is that basic repulsion from life that "bristles".... it's more muted in some later schools (Zen, some Tibetan schools) but it's usually present at least in subtle ways. On the positive side there's this huge lineage of people who sat down and looked at their mind and experience for years on end to see how it worked...which is pretty cool :)
Just something to chew on - it might be my Mahayana background speaking, but I have found that the Buddhist concept of renunciation clearly turns out to be working to abandon what is negative about our experience of things and the world, not what is positive. It sounds at first like a kind of asceticism or self-denial, but it's not that at all, practically speaking. Just a thought, in case it's useful.
Shashank wrote: "Had no idea you were Taoist inclined! You describe basically how I read all religious/spiritual books; there's aspects I don't click with but there's usually a lot I still find worthwhile. I read a..."
well said. I think all nonfiction should be read this way.
Mesoscope wrote: "Just something to chew on - it might be my Mahayana background speaking, but I have found that the Buddhist concept of renunciation clearly turns out to be working to abandon what is negative about..."
Always useful!
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Shashank
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Jan 09, 2026 10:12PM
Had no idea you were Taoist inclined! You describe basically how I read all religious/spiritual books; there's aspects I don't click with but there's usually a lot I still find worthwhile. I read a lot of Buddhism but there is that basic repulsion from life that "bristles".... it's more muted in some later schools (Zen, some Tibetan schools) but it's usually present at least in subtle ways. On the positive side there's this huge lineage of people who sat down and looked at their mind and experience for years on end to see how it worked...which is pretty cool :)
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Just something to chew on - it might be my Mahayana background speaking, but I have found that the Buddhist concept of renunciation clearly turns out to be working to abandon what is negative about our experience of things and the world, not what is positive. It sounds at first like a kind of asceticism or self-denial, but it's not that at all, practically speaking. Just a thought, in case it's useful.
Shashank wrote: "Had no idea you were Taoist inclined! You describe basically how I read all religious/spiritual books; there's aspects I don't click with but there's usually a lot I still find worthwhile. I read a..."well said. I think all nonfiction should be read this way.
Mesoscope wrote: "Just something to chew on - it might be my Mahayana background speaking, but I have found that the Buddhist concept of renunciation clearly turns out to be working to abandon what is negative about..."Always useful!
