Way of the Peaceful Warrior discussion

this is one of my favorite books that i must read every five years. i find i am becoming a better person each time i read this book and integrate it's teachings into my life. but...i have a hard time separating the fiction from the reality. how do i establish this books teachings more firmly into my life while remaining logical, realistic?

I think one of the greatest things about this book is it's almost mythic feeling. I found it enthralling to just read this book, found myself breathing more deeply, experiencing my environment more thankfully, and a host of other wonderful changes. I would recommend not thinking too hard on separating the fiction from the reality... The reality we should all be focusing on is this holy reality we exist in. When we are ready, these disciplines should become inherent... But perhaps some people need an entire lifetime to fully learn these lessons (I am raising my hand). As we each come to grips with our own paths, it seems as though all of this will become clear... Be patient.

"Twirling round in this familiar parable, spinning, weaving round each new experience. Recognize this as a holy gift and celebrate this chance to be alive and breathing. This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality. Embrace this moment. Remember: We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion."

thanks ben. i just watched big fish the movie. i never got the hype of the movie. i guess i am more like the son then the main character. but today i watched the ending. and i realized that when the son is describing the end of his fathers life to the father that in reality that is how it went. he escaped the hospital/this mortal body...at the funeral/at the lake...all his friends were there by the lake to see him off/all his friends were at the funeral....and they laughed and thought of all the stories and times that he was in their lives.
i think that is the same for the peaceful warrior. i think i was trying to so hard to find out the difference between the fantastical and the reality that really it is all a matter of perspective. we see what we see. we believe what we believe. two people can have the same expierence and remember/feel it in two different ways. life is individual perspective.

yeah, good old perspective... it's funny how it has the power to bring people together or push them so far apart. i guess it's having a firm grip on our own realities that will help us embrace others'. big fish is a great movie... i love tim burton, he has such a great directing style. it's such a wonderful and over the top story, very well done.

I think one of the best things about this book is that you can't. I love how out of this world this book feels. You just want to wrap yourself up in it and remain in Dan's world for as long as possible.

Hunh, I was left with a totally different impression. I swear the author had lifted some parts of the novel from Disney's "The Sword in the Stone".

Actually, according to what the author says, it's completely true. Everything in the book really did happen. I think the reason we can't quite tell is that a lot of the time he's describing his feelings and thoughts and that just as often he's making it seem like an optical illusion.

Heather wrote: "Actually, according to what the author says, it's completely true. Everything in the book really did happen. I think the reason we can't quite tell is that a lot of the time he's describing his fee..."

After perusing the beginning again, he mentions that Socrates includes other things he learned. I seriously think that he is including a lot of things he learned off of pop culture.

I realize that some people love this book... but I really couldn't.

People are always complaining about the rain, when it rains, how much, where etc. etc. but they continue to live in climates and countries where rain occurs, I personally love the rain so I particularly enjoyed the picnic scene - how can one be angry with what is natural? Brilliant.