The Challenge of the Mind
An Essential Guide to Buddha’s Teachings: Zen, Karma, and Enlightenment
by Ryuho Okawa
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Pub Date Nov 15 2018 | Archive Date Sep 26 2019
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Description
The Challenge of the Mind is an excellent guide to exploring the infinite potential of our mind from Buddha’s perspective. In this book, author Ryuho Okawa shows how we can apply the essential teachings of Buddha to our lives and cultivate deep wisdom and promote a happy, peaceful everyday life.
Through expounding such principles as the laws of cause and effect, egolessness, and the middle way, in simple, clear, but thoughtprovoking language, Okawa imbues a new life into the traditional Buddhist teachings, and offers a solid basis of reason and intellectual understanding to oftenovercomplicated teachings.
Chapter 1 focuses on the topic of the law of cause of effect, which essentially says that the seeds we sow and grow will determine the kind of life we will lead. In Chapter 2, Okawa shows how we can develop our Buddhanature, or a divine nature, so we can cultivate our potential for living fully at the highest level and at the same time achieve harmony with others in society. Chapter 3 discusses the essence of meditation. Okawa shows how we can receive light and guidance from heaven and use it as a source of power to spread goodness in this world. Chapter 4 is about achieving transcendental wisdom, which is a state of enlightenment that lets us see ourselves and the world from a broad perspective with a selfless heart. In Chapter 5, Okawa expounds on the teaching of egolessness, which leads us to experiencing oneness with Buddha and lets us discover the strong power of enlightenment that dissolves all worldly sufferings, pains, and attachments. Chapter 6 focuses on the teaching of the middle way. It shows how we should avoid extremes and discover our true nature as children of Buddha. In Chapter 7, Okawa discusses that, although spiritual experiences are vital to acquiring a higher state of mind, spiritual power alone does not lead us to the attainment of enlightenment. Chapter 8 defines karma as the tendencies of our mind and heart. Karma, whether individual or collective, is formed by the choices we make and the actions we take. To improve our karma and create a brighter future, it is vital that we share the spiritual truths with as many people as possible and pursue our spiritual growth in the way that benefits others.
Enlightenment is not just an abstract idea but is a state of mind that we can achieve as long as we continue our endeavor to seek higher awareness earnestly and honestly. By applying these fundamental principles to our lives, we can direct our minds to higher ideals and carve out a path to a bright future.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781942125457 |
| PRICE | $16.95 (USD) |
Featured Reviews
Kat N, Librarian
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the E-Arc copy of this book.
Personally, I didn't know a lot about this type of spiritual teaching before I read this book. It is a very easy to follow and enlightening book about spiritual teaching for your own personal development. I really found the ability to understand the teaching of Buddhism and great foundational point for me. The Chapter on Egolessness was important because we view ourselves so centrically that we cannot fathom the idea of being without ego. The author delves into the fact that without ego we wouldn't need discipline, so in actuality ego does exist in Buddhism. I think for anyone who truly wants to understand, maintain, or explore the mind this book is a great addition to the world of grasping new teachings.
Bookseller 363602
I really enjoyed this book and took away many learnings and an appreciation for other religions and cultures. The thought of returning to the original teachings of the Buddha has been with me for a long time and I’m glad to see it was mentioned in this book. This is a path and this is work to develop ones mind and the book lays it out very clearly.
debra m, Reviewer
I wanted to read this book because I have been trying to meditate and I felt this would be a unique approach. This book was an enjoyable exploration of finding contentment in daily life. The discussion of the middle way was one of my favorite chapters. I found it interesting tolerant more about the teaching of Buddhism.
I received this galley from NetGalley.
Karen T, Librarian
I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. This is my first book by Ryuho Okawa. I see online that he has authored many books. He’s a class and concise writer. I may read more of his books in the future.
This book is divided into short sections. The first section emphasis the law of cause and effect. I’ve never heard the dharma be described this way and it makes sense. The second section discusses Buddha-nature, and this particularly interested me because of the correlation between my happiness and the happiness of other living beings. The third section focuses on Zen meditation. I didn’t realize the importance of self reflection when beginning a meditation. The fourth section is on transcendental wisdom and the fifth section is on egolessness. Sections 6-8 are among the same lines.
I like the teachings of Buddhism but I’m not on board with reincarnation, which this book talks about a lot. So, in that sense, I may not be the right audience. If you have faith in life after desk, you may like this book.
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