Venerable Yifa

Authenticity is a slim book (113 pages) that seems ‘larger on the inside than the outside”. Its value and wisdom cannot be judged by its physical size.

This book addresses getting rid of the junk in all aspects of your life—the junk that does not serve you in your quest to live the life that can be authentically yours It begins by addressing the physical clutter in your life. It then expands this theme to address other junk: junk communication, junk food, junk relationships, and junk show more thoughts and feelings. It ranges from the personal extra clutter in your home and your body to the emotional clutter that brings war and human-caused environmental problems.

Although I do not claim to be Buddhist, I enjoy reading Buddhist philosophy and teachings. Venerable Yifa is a Buddhist nun belonging to the Fo Guang Shan order, which seeks to make Buddhist practice relevant to contemporary life. She has succeeded very well in this task. Her words are upbeat, thought provoking and very clear. Her explanation of the practice and benefits of meditation is one of the most memorable I have read.

I would highly recommend this book and am looking forward to reading more of Venerable Yifa’s writing. show less

I really enjoyed this book, it covered Buddhist principles in a practical way, and the cheerful, easy-going style of the author was a pleasant change from some of the more didactic Buddhist books I've read.

She discusses various ways we allow "junk" into our lives, from the foods we eat to the people we choose to associate with, to the thoughts that poison our behavior. And after pointing out how all of us have junk, she offers advice on how to lessen its effect in our lives, and how by show more combining meditation and mindfulness, we can ultimately eliminate it and live truly authentic lives.

One uplifting thing about reading the book for me, was I found out I'm not too far off track, I do have things I still need to work on, but compared to some of the examples in the book, I seem to be on the right track to eliminating the junk from my life. Sometimes books on Buddhism can seem overwhelming in the requirements of practice, but this book made me realize that even small, easy to manage changes can, over a lifetime, have a major impact on our happiness and connection to others. So, I recommend this book to everyone, even those not normally interested in Buddhism, as it is practical, non-preachy advice on how to live a happier, more authentic life. show less

What a gem this book is! One might doubt that a Buddhist nun could have anything useful to say about having too much junk in our lives. Yet the Venerable Yifa writes simply and elegantly on junk relationships, junk food, junk communication, junk emotions, etc. in this slim volume. The ideas she discusses are not new, particularly not to anyone familiar with Buddhism. However, one need not be familiar with Buddhism or even care about Buddhism in any way to benefit from what she has to say. show more While her ideas are not ground-breaking, her discussion of them is refreshing. This is a book that would be a welcome text for anyone looking to live a more authentic life, no matter what one's spiritual path is. I was impressed with her writing style, particularly her clarity and her conversational and friendly tone; it does not sound like she's preaching or being judgmental. This is a nice change from other texts about 'improving' one's life that start by telling the readers just how horrible and pathetic their lives are.

This book is a fast read, but it also seems the sort of book that I will be happy to read again, if I feel I need a little pep talk sometime in the future about ridding myself of more junk. show less

Once again I was gifted with a book through the wonderful Early Reviewers Program at LibraryThing. This time it is Authenticity: Clearing the Junk: A Buddhist Perspective by Venerable Yifa (Lantern, 2007). Speaking unpretentiously, like a wise sister, Yifa looks at junk in many manifestations: junk food, stuff, communication, relationships, emotions and thoughts.

This slim volume does not have practical tips for dealing with clutter, nor does it advocate asceticism for all, but takes more of show more a typically Buddhist approach that involves changing attitudes, working from the inside out. One aspect of the Buddhist approach is to evaluate how behaviors affect the mind, seeking to promote those that are conducive to mental equanimity. Another is to look at whole systems, focusing on the interdependence of all things.

The rest of the review is here:

http://mymindonbooks.com/?p=579 show less