A New Book, The Daily Buddhist, Will Become a Classic

Each day, we delay the meaningful things in life believing that tomorrow will offer us a fresh chance. Fortunately for us, tomorrow has always arrived. But just because tomorrow has come every day does not mean that it will arrive again in the morning. In fact, we can say with absolute certainty that one day, tomorrow will not come. — Pema Sherpa and Brendan Barca in The Daily Buddhist

Beautifully written and wisely organized, with well-chosen quotations, this new book will become a classic. Reading a page or two has become part of my daily practice. The book’s full title is The Daily Buddhist: 366 Days of Wisdom for Happiness, Inner Freedom, and Mindful Living. I noticed it as it appeared in the “Customers also bought or read” list under my book with a “Just released” tag. Reading the sample hooked me. I had to have the hardback and follow the book’s path, maybe more than one page a day.

I don’t know if this is true for other religions and spiritual paths, but well-written books that are great for beginners are superb also for experienced practitioners. Here’s what Matthieu Ricard said about it:

A precious manual that guides us to develop the inner strength to use life’s ups and downs as sources of inspiration for cultivating compassion and wisdom.

The book’s introduction clearly lays out the basics of Buddhism, then organizes the daily readings into a themed bundle for each month:

• Reflections on Impermanence

• Reflections on Interdependence

• Reflections on Nature of Mind

• Cultivating Patience and Diligence

• Antidote to Negative Emotions

• Fostering Vigilance and Awareness

• Exchanging Self and Others

• Embodying a Generous Way of Being

• Generating Joy Through Compassion

• Practicing with Mind

• Practicing with Action

• Practicing with Meditation

The Daily Buddhist is available in ebook, hardback, and audiobook versions. The harback will be on my bookshelf and in my heart-mind for a long time.

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I have no dreams of my The New Middle Way becoming a classic, but I hope it serves to introduce regular folks in the West to Buddhism for years to come and to be an enjoyable, informative read for those already familiar with the basics. A bit of news is that the Kindle version is on sale for $1.99 until August 1. You can learn more about it here.