A Call to Compassion: Bringing Buddhist Practices of the Heart Into the Soul of Psychology

by Robert A.F. Thurman and Aura Glaser

Aura Glaser wrote this book to remedy a deficiency she discovered while engaged in psychological research-a nearly complete omission of the importance and cultivation of compassion. Other books exploring Buddhism and psychology have focused on what the Theravada school of Buddhism--which teaches personal liberation through enlightenment--can offer psychology. A Call to Compassion works with Mahayana Buddhism, in which practitioners commit to the liberation...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0892541164
• ISBN13: 9780892541164
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Nicolas-Hays
• Length: 241 Pages
• Weight: 0.96 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

An Answer to the Call

Though I ordered this book when it came out it is unfortunate for me that I didn't begin to read it until now. It fills and illuminates gaps that you hadn't realized were present until Ms. Glaser articulates them. It is an excellently written, learned, and ardent, volume that ought to be read by each of us as we are all affected by by the consequences of a world that has yet to emphasize a dearth of compassion. A beautiful, much recommended, publication.

A Book that Can Transform You & Your LIfe

What a beautifully written, and inspiring "call to compassion" this book is! Aura Glaser presents nothing less than the revolutionary idea that Freud and Jung stopped short of exploring the power of compassion in the true transformation of suffering. It took an accomplished psychologist, teacher and Buddhist practitioner, someone with 25 years of meditation experience, to call us to experience a total, radical replacement of our troubled minds and closed hearts, with wisdom and compassion. Her eloquent voice, her depth of insight into Freud's and Jung's work, her easy way with the wisdom tales of old, and her obvious clarity and fullness of heart shine through on every page. She weaves an exquisite tapestry of erudite and practical understanding, using myths and stories, and offering big-hearted solutions and understanding of how we can come into our wholeness. I unequivocally, whole-heartedly love and recommend this book. Rochelle Winter, M.S.W.

A search to better understand the workings of the human mind

Author Aura Glaser combines her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and her long-term study of Buddhism to present A Call To Compassion: Bringing Buddhist Practices Of The Heart Into The Soul Of Psychology, a discussion that blends revelations of Freud, Jung, and the Buddha in its search to reveal better ways of helping oneself and others in need. Various chapters discuss the "compassionate revolution" of Tibetan Buddhism, a comparison of what Freud and Buddhism both reveal about human desire, the "alchemy" of the feelings within the heart, and more. A deeply spiritual search to better understand the workings of the human mind and apply transcendental wisdom.