A n intimate guide to self-acceptance and discovery that offers a Buddhist perspective on wholeness within the framework of a Western understanding of self. For decades, Western psychology has promised fulfillment through building and strengthening the ego. We are taught that the ideal is a strong, individuated self, constructed and reinforced over a lifetime. But Buddhist psychiatrist Mark Epstein has found a different way. Apart shows us that happiness doesn't come from any kind of acquisitiveness, be it material or psychological.
Happiness comes from letting go.
He encourages us to relax the ever-vigilant mind in order to experience the freedom that comes only from relinquishing control. Drawing on events in his own life and stories from his patients, Epstein leads us through a series of intimate and emotionally resonant chapters that explore key psychological and spiritual experiences such as emptiness, connection, passion, and relief. Apart teaches us that only by letting go can we start on the path to a more peaceful and spiritually satisfying life. Buy This Book About the Author Mark Epstein, M.D., is a psychiatrist in private practice and the author of Thoughts Without a Thinker . He lives in New York City.