Life Without A Self

“Who am I?” “From whence am I?” These perennial questions have plagued mystics, philosophers, theologists and scientists since time immemorial. Mankind is still grappling with the mystery of the self and consciousness. And many have given up and declared, “One cannot know!” This book unravels the mystery of the self and consciousness, and elucidates it in a comprehensive fashion supported by scientific research. An explanation is provided about the state of enlightenment, which mystics have attempted to expound in the absence of modern empirical knowledge. Upon the discovery of one’s real nature, the pressure of living ceases to exist and the conflict within subsides. Disturbing questions regarding love and relationships, behaviour and morality, and the search for enlightenment are investigated and resolved in such a manner to remove the burden they impose. This publication does not propose to change you, rather it questions the concept of self. Who is this ‘you’? It highlights that the focus should be elsewhere and offers a new perspective.

Why you don’t have a self—and why that’s a good thing In Losing Ourselves, Jay Garfield, a leading expert on Buddhist philosophy, offers a brief and radically clear account of an idea that at first might seem frightening but that promises to liberate us and improve our lives, our relationships, and the world. Drawing on Indian and East Asian Buddhism, Daoism, Western philosophy, and cognitive neuroscience, Garfield shows why it is perfectly natural to think you have a self—and why it actually makes no sense at all and is even dangerous. Most importantly, he explains why shedding the illusion that you have a self can make you a better person. Examining a wide range of arguments for and against the existence of the self, Losing Ourselves makes the case that there are not only good philosophical and scientific reasons to deny the reality of the self, but that we can lead healthier social and moral lives if we understand that we are selfless persons. The book describes why the Buddhist idea of no-self is so powerful and why it has immense practical benefits, helping us to abandon egoism, act more morally and ethically, be more spontaneous, perform more expertly, and navigate ordinary life more skillfully. Getting over the self-illusion also means escaping the isolation of self-identity and becoming a person who participates with others in the shared enterprise of life. The result is a transformative book about why we have nothing to lose—and everything to gain—by losing our selves.

If you want to be encouraged; this book is for you! Kathy Slamp blends her unique story-telling ability with her keen insight of the Scriptures to create an honest and vulnerable sharing of life experiences. Each of the 12 chapters is told with her down-to-earth style, and each chapter has a specific message that is relevant in today's complicated world. You'll laugh at the Smithsonian Chair, and the Hooterville Express, and you'll cry at the messages Kathy captures from them! You'll love this pick-me-up book.

The 10th Anniversary Edition of the book that has given hope and inspiration to thousands who are dealing with eating disorders "If you or someone you love has an eating disorder, this is the book to read." —Dr. Phil Jenni had been in an abusive relationship with Ed for far too long. He controlled Jenni’s life, distorted her self-image, and tried to physically harm her throughout their long affair. Then, in therapy, Jenni learned to treat her eating disorder as a relationship, not a condition. By thinking of her eating disorder as a unique personality separate from her own, Jenni was able to break up with Ed once and for all. Inspiring, compassionate, and filled with practical exercises to help you break up with your own personal E.D., Life Without Ed provides hope to the millions of people plagued by eating disorders. Beginning with Jenni’s “divorce” from Ed, this supportive, lifesaving book combines a patient’s insights and experiences with a therapist’s prescriptions for success to help you live a healthier, happier life without Ed. This 10th anniversary edition features a new afterword as well as sections devoted to family, friends, and supporters; how treatment professionals can use the book with their patients; and men with eating disorders. "Of all the great books written on eating disorders, none has had a wider reach than Life Without Ed. Those suffering have found connection and hope, family members have found understanding and empathy, professionals have learned from it and praised it. It will remain a classic for decades to come." —Michael E. Berrett, PhD, psychologist; CEO and cofounder of the Center for Change; coauthor of Spiritual Approaches in the Treatment of Women with Eating Disorders "[Life Without Ed] was the first [book] to teach readers that they can not only separate from their eating disorder, but also disagree with and disobey it. I wholeheartedly recommend this witty, hopeful guide to patients, carers, professionals, and anyone else who wants to understand what it's really like to live with an eating disorder and ultimately triumph over it." —Jennifer J. Thomas, PhD, assistant professor of psychology at the Harvard Medical School; co-director of the Eating Disorders Clinical and Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital "This uplifting book’s intimate inner dialogue has energized countless young women—and men—in their own recoveries from eating disorders." —Leigh Cohn, MAT, CEDS, coauthor of Making Weight: Men’s Conflicts with Food, Weight, Shape & Recovery "Jenni is truly a remarkable woman. She unselfishly shares her struggles and triumphs in something that will probably affect all of us in one way or another in our lifetime. Her candid and inspiring story will truly help those suffering from their own "Ed." I feel privileged to know her and her story." —Jamie-Lynn Sigler, actress

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “This is the most important book ever written about time management.” —Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and host of WorkLife What if you stopped trying to do everything, so that you could finally get around to what counts? Nobody needs to be told there isn’t enough time. Whether we’re starting our own business, or trying to write a novel during our lunch break, or staring down a pile of deadlines as we’re planning a vacation, we’re obsessed with our lengthening to-do lists, overfilled inboxes, work-life balance, and ceaseless struggle against distraction. We’re deluged with advice on becoming more productive and efficient and life hacks to optimize our days. Still, we rarely make the connection between our daily struggles with time and the ultimate time management problem: the question of how best to use our ridiculously brief time on the planet, which amounts on average to about four thousand weeks. Drawing on the insights of both ancient and contemporary philosophers, psychologists, and spiritual teachers, Oliver Burkeman delivers an entertaining, humorous, practical, and ultimately profound guide to time and time management. Rejecting the futile modern obsession with “getting everything done,” Four Thousand Weeks introduces readers to tools for constructing a meaningful life by embracing finitude, showing that many of the unhelpful ways we’ve come to think about time aren’t inescapable, unchanging truths, but choices we’ve made as individuals and as a society—and that we can do things differently. Embrace your limits. Change your life. Make your four thousand weeks count.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “From The New Yorker’s beloved cultural critic comes a bold, unflinching collection of essays about self-deception, examining everything from scammer culture to reality television.”—Esquire Book Club Pick for Now Read This, from PBS NewsHour and The New York Times • “A whip-smart, challenging book.”—Zadie Smith • “Jia Tolentino could be the Joan Didion of our time.”—Vulture FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE’S JOHN LEONARD PRIZE FOR BEST FIRST BOOK • NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY AND HARVARD CRIMSON AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review • Time • Chicago Tribune • The Washington Post • NPR • Variety • Esquire • Vox • Elle • Glamour • GQ • Good Housekeeping • The Paris Review • Paste • Town & Country • BookPage • Kirkus Reviews • BookRiot • Shelf Awareness Jia Tolentino is a peerless voice of her generation, tackling the conflicts, contradictions, and sea changes that define us and our time. Now, in this dazzling collection of nine entirely original essays, written with a rare combination of give and sharpness, wit and fearlessness, she delves into the forces that warp our vision, demonstrating an unparalleled stylistic potency and critical dexterity. Trick Mirror is an enlightening, unforgettable trip through the river of self-delusion that surges just beneath the surface of our lives. This is a book about the incentives that shape us, and about how hard it is to see ourselves clearly through a culture that revolves around the self. In each essay, Tolentino writes about a cultural prism: the rise of the nightmare social internet; the advent of scamming as the definitive millennial ethos; the literary heroine’s journey from brave to blank to bitter; the punitive dream of optimization, which insists that everything, including our bodies, should become more efficient and beautiful until we die. Gleaming with Tolentino’s sense of humor and capacity to elucidate the impossibly complex in an instant, and marked by her desire to treat the reader with profound honesty, Trick Mirror is an instant classic of the worst decade yet. FINALIST FOR THE PEN/DIAMONSTEIN-SPIELVOGEL AWARD FOR THE ART OF THE ESSAY

Cut the crap and cut to the chase with this fun self-care guide parody that features 150+ ways to actually live your best life. Self-Care (n): The act of engaging in activities or behaviors that help one achieve or maintain good physical or mental health, especially to mitigate the effects of stress or trauma. [Anti]Self-Care (n): The act of engaging in (potentially dangerous) activities or behaviors that help one achieve or maintain a good time, especially to mitigate the effects of being stressed the f*ck out. (Warning: may cause trauma). Which sounds more fun? It’s time to be selfish about our self-care and do things we actually want to do. Self (Don’t) Care isn’t anti-you—it’s pro-doing what you damn well please to feel good and enjoy life, rather than being told what’s right for you. So put up your feet, pick up a pint, and browse through these 150+ suggestions for letting loose—it’s the only self-care guide we all actually need.

A system of support designed to help us develop and sustain a true sense of self-worth when shaken by professional or economic upheaval. Millions of people confuse who they are with what they do. When faced with the loss of their job, home, or life savings, many struggle not only to keep their head above water financially, but also to maintain a healthy, positive view of themselves and their value in the world. Whether you are out of work or money, or are afraid of ending up there, Without a Job, Who Am I? offers a system of support to help you stay motivated and persevere, as well as develop and sustain lasting values and a solid sense of identity no matter what your material circumstances happen to be.With more than forty years of experience as a psychological, medical, and spiritual counselor, renowned psychiatrist and author Abraham J. Twerski, M.D., offers time-tested principles and practices for successfully coping with grief, hardship, and trauma to help us rise personally from professional or financial loss. Twerski gives us the tools to stay centered on what really matters by helping us identify what positive self-esteem really is and define the personal values needed to sustain it, deal with the depression and grief that often follow economic loss, examine what worry does for and to us, manage the stress caused by negative emotions, and find familial and spiritual support.Focused on the central question "Who am I?" Twerski uses actionable advice complemented by inspirational stories to guide us in rediscovering our self-worth when shaken by economic upheaval.