Living as a River: Finding Fearlessness in the Face of Change

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Living as a River: Finding Fearlessness in the Face of Change

4.33 of 5 stars 4.33 · rating details · 24 ratings · 7 reviews

To face reality is to embrace change; to resist change is to suffer. This is the liberating insight that unfolds with Living as a River. A masterful investigation of the nature of self, this eloquent blend of current science and time-honored spiritual insight is meant to free us from the fear of impermanence in a world defined by change. An interesting, lively, and genuine...more

ebook, 400 pages

Published October 1st 2010 by Sounds True

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Oct 25, 2011 Peter Clothier rated it 5 of 5 stars

Sometimes I wonder what the New York Times bestseller list would look like if it reflected true quality of writing and the substance and value of important and challenging ideas, rather than celebrity, noisy political rhetoric, easy answers to complex questions, and of course the money that flows freely in commercial hype. I wrote a while ago about a novel, Driftless, by David Rhodes, a profound, thoughtful and beautifully-written book, broad in its sweep and understanding of humanity, which sho...more Sometimes I wonder what the New York Times bestseller list would look like if it reflected true quality of writing and the substance and value of important and challenging ideas, rather than celebrity, noisy political rhetoric, easy answers to complex questions, and of course the money that flows freely in commercial hype. I wrote a while ago about a novel, Driftless, by David Rhodes, a profound, thoughtful and beautifully-written book, broad in its sweep and understanding of humanity, which should rightfully have been close to the top of that list. So far as I can tell, it did not even warrant a mention. I’m just now finishing another book which to my mind should be at the top of the non-fiction list. But isn’t.

A while ago, before leaving on our trip, I mentioned the book in an entry in "The Buddha Diaries." It’s called Living as a River: Finding Fearlessness in the Face of Change, and it was written by Bodhipaksa, a Buddhist author and teacher who runs Wildmind, a site for meditation studies, and practices at Aryaloka Buddhist Center in New Hampshire. Distracted by our travels, I put it aside for further reading on our return, and I have been chewing on it slowly since then. This is not the kind of book you read from cover to cover and put back up on the shelf when you’re done. It’s the kind of book that needs closing frequently along the way; it requires the allowance of time for reflection and a practical testing of the ideas that its author proposes. You need to work them through, to see how they work for you.

That said, I have to admit that I myself did not, actually, read the book slowly enough. In my judgment, that would take a good few weeks—including the not-reading time, of which I had little at my disposal. Or else it could be the subject for a ten-day retreat, with no other commitments to divert the attention from its themes. Read properly, it is a life-changer, and is intended as such.

We are much concerned, in our culture, with what we are pleased to imagine as our selves. We spend a great deal of energy cultivating and maintaining them, too often without remembering that they are merely the fabrications of our own needy minds. Put simply and in a nutshell, this book brings our attention to the ways in which we construct these selves, how they cause us suffering when we cling to them and, most importantly, how we can live happier, healthier, more productive, more compassionate lives if we learn to deconstruct them.

Bodhipaksa’s study centers on the traditional Buddhist Six Element Practice, an analytical study of the self in the form of “a reflection specifically designed to undermine our delusions of separateness and of having an unchanging self. It’s a practice of letting go.” The first step in letting go, of course, is a clear understanding of the nature of our delusion, and Bodhipaksa brings a wealth of scientific knowledge to demonstrate, persuasively, that all of our perceptions are illusory and that everything about us is transitory. Examining each of the six elements in turn (earth, water, fire, air and, in Buddhist thought, space and consciousness) as they exist in both the external world and the internal world of the mind-body complex, he exposes the fallacy of our sense of a “self” as distinct from the flow of the river of perpetual change. The metaphor for the self to which he constantly returns is that of the eddy, which may appear to have a distinguishable form but which is in reality no more than the illusion of a form, never the same from one moment to the next and inseparable from the water whose flow defines its fragile existence.

No scientist myself, I can only marvel at Bodhipaksa’s easy dance with both the history of scientific knowledge and its most current advances. His is essentially a phenomenological study of the elemental structures of reality, of our nature as human beings in the world, and of our place in the universe; in the course of it all, he ranges happily from esoteric physics (Loop Quantum Gravity, anyone?) and biochemistry to the intimate functioning of the human body (ever wonder why shit is brown?) and the brain, and out into the cosmic view of astrophysics. He is equally familiar with a great range of current social science research and with the history of human thought from the Buddha and (who else?) Heraclitus, to this day. He amasses his evidence patiently, and brings his reader along with a light touch, clear explanations, and a lively pace.

Unqualified to judge the quality of Bodhipaksa’s science, obviously, I’m comfortable in asserting that it’s always persuasive—and enjoyable to read. And always the bottom line is the mantra to which I myself return frequently in my own meditations: This is not me, this is not mine, I am not this. (I actually learned a slightly different construction: This is not me, this is not mine, this is not who I am.) It's at once a humbling and empowering realization. When arrived at with full understanding, it has a wonderfully liberating potential, releasing us into the stream of a reality where our experience is no longer hampered by that dualistic distinction between “self” and “other” that is the cause of so much human suffering and confusion.

Had I such power, I would make “Living As a River” mandatory reading for all those whose delusional egos dominate our discourse and the direction of the world in this day and age. And that would include the vast majority of political, business and religious leaders whose self-important selves inflict their own certainties and absolutes on others, to the detriment of our species and our planet. Alas, I have no such power. But I do recommend this book to anyone engaged in the genuine search for a release from the suffering we all experience. If your goal is freedom and serenity, if you're looking for a conscious and fearless path forward toward the end that meets us all, there's no better place to start. As I said earlier, this is a book that is capable of changing lives.(less)

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Dec 21, 2010 Lira rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: personal-development

One of the greatest books on living your life with ease, grace, and the understanding that all things will change. The eddy metaphor truly delivers and the scientific examples send home the message that we can either embrace change or fight a loosing battle with the river of life.

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May 21, 2011 Sparrow rated it 5 of 5 stars

So you've been meditating. Focusing on the breath, mind drifting, bringing attention back to breathing. Now what? Do you want to go deeper? Here's a path. Well written, easy to understand. Bodhipaksa backs up Buddhist technique with science, and backs that up with compassion.

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Jan 01, 2011 Steve rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was taught the 6 element practice by Bodhipaksa. I've had mystical experiences doing this meditation. The only problem is it's really only a meditation I want to do on retreat, it's too intense for me to do this meditation in regular life, my life just isn't that supportive.

I got to read some of this book when Bodhipaksa was writing, so I was very excited to get my copy in the mail.

This books is a cleanly and clearly written tour de force. I vote for it as book of the year.

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Feb 05, 2012 Bob rated it 5 of 5 stars

Very good. go back to it frequently

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Jul 26, 2012 Lois rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: buddhism

I'm only on the early chapters because it is not an easy read, although very readable! I am enjoying it very much, very thought provoking!

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Dec 24, 2012 Alan Divack rated it 4 of 5 stars

Provocative critique of notions of the self drawing on the deeply embodied side of Buddhism. Enlightening!

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About Bodhipaksa

I’m a Buddhist teacher and author living in New Hampshire, but originally from Scotland.

I got the Sanskrit name (which means “Wings of Enlightenment,” incidentally) when I joined the Western Buddhist Order in 1993, after 11 years of Buddhist practice. I practice at Aryaloka Buddhist Center, which is just down the road.

I run Wildmind, which has a mission to spread compassion and mindfulness through...more

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Books by Bodhipaksa

Guided Meditations: For Calmness, Awareness, and Love

Vegetarianism: Living a Buddhist Life Series

Wildmind: A Step By Step Guide To Meditation

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