Ghidul unui călugăr pentru vremuri grele

by Gelong Thubten, Cosmin Nedelcu (translator)

Călugărul care nu a vorbit timp de 9 luni împărtășește cu tine lecțiile pe care le-a acumulat în tăcerea sa spirituală.

„Dacă pătrundem mai profund în nefericirea noastră, vom descoperi o ușă secretă către o putere ascunsă adânc în noi. Dorința mea este ca această carte să te ajute să intri pe acea ușă.” — Gelong Thubten

Cu toții trecem prin vremuri grele, în care viața pare o luptă continuă, iar stresul ne însoțește la fiecare pas. Poate ne simțim triști, anxioși sau ne confruntăm cu o situație dureroasă, precum o pierdere grea sau o inimă frântă. În astfel de momente, avem nevoie de sprijin și îndrumare pentru a depăși gândurile și emoțiile negative.

Ghidul unui călugăr pentru vremuri grele ne arată cum să îmbrățișăm suferința și să transformăm dificultățile vieții în oportunități de creștere personală. Practicile de meditație și mindfulness ne pot ajuta să accesăm resurse nebănuite de forță interioară și să cultivăm reziliență, fericire, compasiune și pace interioră. Gelong Thubten ne ghidează cum să găsim sens în durere și disconfort, renunțând la vechile tipare de frică și rezistență.

Pe măsură ce învățăm cum să facem față mai ușor provocărilor, vom dobândi o perspectivă neînfricată asupra vieții și o fericire durabilă, de neclintit.

Genres: Buddhism, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Mental Health, Philosophy, Self Help, Audiobook

200 pages, Hardcover

Published June 6, 2024

Reviews

[Joanna K]

Brilliant! Accessible and easy to follow, makes for a nice evening read. Will definitely read his other book. Contains some really nice prompts for your own meditation practice - actually makes you want to try it.

[Nalu]

Bought this because the cover perfectly fits into my interior design choices. However, this holds a lot of wisdom and I did learn some valuable lessons!

[Gijs Limonard]

Practical and no nonsense guide to putting Buddhist meditative practices to good use in real life; the narrative is pleasant, clear and easy to follow; along the way the core Buddhist principles are loosely discussed; recommended reading/listening.

[Ellen Marie]

This was very accessible and one of the least intimidating books on meditation I’ve come across.
I liked the wee exercises after each chapter, and found them really practical.
I did struggle with the more philosophical/esoteric parts, but otherwise I found this to be a helpful book.
Definitely a book I’d to own.

[Aleksandra]

ta książka wiele uświadamia i i myślę że jest dobrym wsparciem dla osób stawiających pierwsze kroki w medytacji. zawiera trafne spostrzeżenia oraz ciekawe spojrzenie na współczesne problemy i nieustanną gonitwę za pragnieniami

[Vanessa Longley]

This book changed my motivation for meditating. It’s early days but I’m feeling the benefits already.

[Lucy Pilkington]

3.5 - only cos it felt kind of repetitive of his last book but nonetheless still very good!

[Kelly Rambarran]

There are some really beautiful ideas in this book. I will for sure be taking some of them to try to apply to my own life. However I do feel there was a certain perspective that was missing. It feels as if the overall theme was about the need to devote time to meditate and develop that practice. But what a privilege it is to have that kind of time….

[Jess K]

i did like it but i wanted to do the meditation exercises as they came up and never found the time. i do want to pick it back up in the future.
11/11/24 - 2/12/25
dnf @ 25%

[Boogie]

⭐ Rating: 5/5

Handbook for Hard Times isn’t just another “feel good” self-help book — it’s a quiet, grounding companion for anyone who’s been through storms and is still learning how to walk in peace.

I went into it expecting some spiritual clichés or simplified “Buddhist wisdom,” but instead I found something much deeper — a gentle guide for facing pain without running away from it, for living with courage instead of constant control. The monk’s words don’t try to fix you. They meet you where you are — tired, hopeful, still trying — and remind you that growth doesn’t come from perfection, but from presence.

What struck me most was how simple yet disarming the lessons are. They make you slow down and actually look at your reactions — fear, frustration, disappointment — not to fight them, but to understand them. There’s something beautifully liberating in realizing you don’t need to “win” against life’s hardships; you just need to learn how to stay open through them.

Reading this came at a time when I’ve been working on emotional control, keeping promises, and becoming more balanced — both for myself and for the people I love. This book felt like the perfect companion for that journey. It’s not preachy, it’s not idealistic — it’s compassionate and deeply human.

I finished it feeling calmer, more accepting of imperfection, and oddly… lighter. If you’re the kind of person who overthinks, who carries guilt or pressure to always do better, this book will feel like someone taking your hand and reminding you: you’re already enough, even in hard times.

Thank you and have a good read ! 😊

[lak]

it genuinely felt like fate placed this book into my hands when i was at the lowest point of my life. i found it at a time when everything felt heavy and meaningless, and somehow every page said exactly what i needed to hear. it didn’t just comfort me, it changed the way i see suffering, pain, and life itself. i walked away from this book feeling softer, wiser, and a little less afraid of the things that hurt me.

[Emily Lauren]

Explains some of the concepts of Buddhism, broken down into chapters for key concepts. Interesting to hear the authors story of how he found Buddhism. Lots of scripts for different types of meditations. Found myself switching off in some of the chapters and a little too prescriptive, although definitely contains some interesting concepts.

[Julie]

Very good. Basic, straightforward, user friendly.

[Andru]

Gelong has made me rediscover meditation. I have always felt like it was not for me. But in one of his interviews, he mentioned that nobody can fail at meditation, because you are literally doing nothing. Nobody can fail at doing nothing. Another misconception of meditation is that you’re supposed to “clear your mind”; which is one of the things that made me feel meditation was not for me because I could never. Instead, he mentioned having those distractions is the exact thing we need to meditate. (PS he did not mention this in the book specifically, but would like to highlight what I like about him in general)

The book contains a few stories from Gelong’s past and he matched them with meditation techniques that can help during similar situations. I think the book would be most effective to meditation beginners. It might not be the best book to start if you have no idea what meditation is, but it would be an amazing read for someone like me, who tried and felt like meditation failed me. I am picking meditation up again and having a much different appreciation towards it. 😊

[Ephena]

The audiobook spoken by the author was a most helpful and consoling experience. I came prepared by similar books for example by Pema Chödrön ( lojong teachings and tonglen in „start where you are“), which made this an even more enriching experience for me, because some explanations and and background informations fall a bit short in the handbook for hard times. Practicing the meditations that are an extra of the audiobook contributed to the understanding and the helpfulness and also listening to podcasts with Gelong Thubten. His kind and compassionate ways are so healing.
Well if I could I would gift this audiobook to everyone I know and a few more, still I think they won’t have the same transformative experience. Let’s see how the ones that are actually interested are taking it 😉
So much thankfulness for this experience ❤️
I will continue these parctices

[Kai Waluszewski]

A distillation of Buddhist wisdom for hard times, laced with glimpses into Thubten’s own journey of self-acceptance.

I greatly respect the author, his quest and his honesty. His prose is to-the-point, his message clarion. The techniques he describes are incredibly practical.

With that being said, two points of respectful criticism:

1. Being based on the author’s ‘extreme’ journey (an adjective Thubten himself uses), the book’s message can sometimes feel Manichean. Life is presented as either “chasing goals and people that never make us happy” OR “meditation”—no middle ground.

Most Terrestrians could probably benefit from a daily practice, but—unless aiming for enlightenment—may also find great fulfillment in meaningful relationships and aspirations. Frankl’s “Man’s Search For Meaning” could complement this book well.

2. Intensive meditation retreats (especially lasting 4 years) won’t necessarily benefit everyone—and might not be the healthiest way to meditate.

The author’s experience is a great personal triumph—but organizations like Cheetah House suggest more measured practices—or even just simple mindfulness—may suit many people better. This is coming from someone with a daily practice and interested in trying a retreat (hopefully led by Thubten)—know thyself!

[Eduardo Santiago]

Moving and unexpectedly accessible combination of personal memoir alongside Buddhist teachings and practices. "Unexpectedly," because the life of an Oxford graduate who switched to monastic living at age 21 would seem to be not at all relatable to my life or that of anyone I've ever known... but some basic truths are universal, and Thubten manages to cut to the heart of them.

I gained insights, learned, remembered, and have some exercises to add to my meditation practice. Most importantly, I've seen glimpses of how much work I have left to do, but am recognizing that without any sense of frustration or despondency. His voice is kind and patient, and (mercifully) there's no karma or reincarnation bullshit. Just simple humanity.

[Adam Madalina]

💙💙"Durerea este inevitabila, suferinta este opționala."- Haruki Murakami
"Adevărata neinfricare nu consta în reducerea fricii, ci în depășirea ei."- Chogyan Trungpa
"Oportunitatea de a te percepe diferit pe tine însuți îți este mereu la îndemâna"- Mingyur Rinpoche
O carte chiar interesanta din care, dacă ai citi-o capitol cu, capitol, lasand timp între ele pentru a asimila și a pune în practica sfaturile din ea, te-ar ajuta în timp.
Nu as putea spune ca, cred în meditație, dat as putea spune că dacă ai vrea, cu siguranță ai putea schimba multe în percepția și mentalitatea ta fata de viata. Oricum ar acționa alții fata de tine, doar de tine depinde cum reacționezi la adresa lor.
Nu citesc astfel de cărți de obicei, dar aceasta chiar a fost ceea ce trebuie pentru a nu fi un chin lecturarea ei.💙💙
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[Magdalena]

Insgesamt viel positiver Input. Ich bin froh, das Buch gelesen zu haben.

Dennoch fand ich es oft schwierig, mich auf den Text zu konzentrieren. Ich hatte den Eindruck, vieles hat sich in Nuancen immer wieder wiederholt.
An einigen Stellen finde ich die Ansichten von Thubten zu streng. Vor allem am Anfang hat mir ein bisschen eine mitfühlende Anleitung gefehlt.

Viel vom Inhalt steht auch schon im vorher veröffentlichten Buch „Der Weg des Mönchs zum Glück“ drin. Wer das bereits gelesen hat, kann sich evtl. dieses Buch fast sparen.

[Tony]

Beautiful book. From cover to cover. This is the kind of book you want to carry around and stop wherever you find yourself and read!
Points out all the benefits of meditation and the techniques. Gelong explains that meditation is not easy...even he struggles sometimes. This was a relief to me.
I'm not going to become a monk BUT this book did change my life. How much has it changed my life? Time will tell!

[Rona]

An excellent guide to meditation with easily relatable metaphors and images. There are themes in each chapter, with some real stories around the theme, then a sample meditation at the end on that theme.
The epilogue contains a few more meditations.
A really accessible book if you are tempted to try to find another way through the hard times in life without self medicating on shopping, alcohol, drugs etc

[Ilaria Valenti]

Buon libro introduttivo al tema della meditazione. Personalmente l'ho trovato un po' ripetitivo e a tratti pesante (probabilmente la lettura in inglese non ha aiutato), ma non si trattava dello mio primo libro sul tema ed essendo quasi tutti i concetti noti ho faticato un po' ad arrivarci in fondo. Ci sono alcuni spunti stimolanti e alcune delle meditazioni proposte sono interessanti. Lo consiglierei più come libro introduttivo che come approfondimento per chi già conosca il tema.

[Roger M]

GT is the real deal in communicating ´Buddhist’ principles and meditation practice to a secular western audience. He is a very genuine, humble and likeable chap with a lovely sense of humour. Attend one of his events if you get the chance. He’s an excellent communicator. This is a simple book with profound implications. A good introduction and foundation for those interested in meditation and a useful reference for those more experienced. The world needs more people like GT.

[Andrea Q]

Simple, clear explanations make this book a winner in my eyes, no gobbledygook! A really nice touch are the excellent meditations found at the end of each chapter. To be honest the audiobook has been superb for the meditations alone which have helped me tremendously. So much sensible wisdom has been packed into each chapter which can be easily applied to life. Huge thank you Thubten! ♥️

[Michael Moseley]

This was such an inspirational book to read. So many thoughts & ideas of how to live a happy life. I have read it twice and still think a need to research and adopt a lot more of the teachings than I have, A must read for anyone who wants to live a better life.

[Jools]

Clear and approachable, putting across the necessity of slowing down and turning inwards to improve our mental and physical health. Loved it, the book felt like sitting down and listening to him talk over a cup of tea.

[May S]

Great book, beautifully written and very accessible. As a long term meditator (although not a Buddhist), I’ve found this book enlighten and helpful and it’s refreshed my practice.

[Josephine]

One of the best books on meditation I've read.

[Owen Summerscales]

A great read but left me wanting more!

[Rhoda Groody]

Absolutely thought-provoking. Insightful, comprehensive stroll around mindfulness. Loved it!