If the Buddha Got Stuck Lib/E: A Handbook for Change on a Spiritual Path

by Charlotte Kasl

Perennial favorites, Charlotte Kasl's If the Buddha Dated and If the Buddha Married have inspired readers with their empowering blend of spiritual and psychological insights. Her latest, If the Buddha Got Stuck, is a wise yet lighthearted book that will speak to anyone who's ever experienced being stuck in life and wanted to break free. With her signature clarity, wisdom, and warm heart, Kasl presents readers with seven steps that tap into life's bigger picture: Notice Where You're Stuck; Show Up; Pay Attention; Live in Reality; Connect with Others; Move From Thought to Action; and Let Go. Full of insight from Buddhist and other teachings that emphasize the joy that comes with letting go of attachments to events and things, If the Buddha Got Stuck is an inspirational and practical roadmap to a more joyful, peaceful, and fulfilling life.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Buddhism, Psychology, Philosophy, Personal Development

Audio CD

First published January 4, 2005

About the author

Charlotte Sophia Kasl, PhD, is a U.S. psychologist and author.

She pioneered the 16-Steps for Discovery and Empowerment as an alternative to the Twelve-step program for recovery from addiction, compulsion, or other behavioral problems.

She wrote several books based on some aspects of Sufi, Quaker, and Buddhist spiritual beliefs and traditions.

Reviews

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Normally, I LOATHE self-help books. They only seem to help the writer be able to free whatever is troubling them by writing through it and helps their bank account when people buy it. This one (which I got from the library) seems to be a bit different. More of a spiritual approach to life's path and not "here's how I got better."

That's what I said when I started. It was an interesting read but I guess not memorable because I returned it without really finishing it. I guess I dislike people who figure "it" out and have to tell me what "it" is. I might give it another try but for now, I read all that I can.

[Cara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is completely meh. There are good parts, helpful parts. There's also quite a bit of BS (reiki healing, dowsing, and unabashed orientalism), but mostly it's just more meh. The author quotes so much from other books, I thought I might as well put this book down and read those instead.

[Anita Zinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read 6-2012
Please read this one! Quotes: "Our moods, our perspective, and emotional status are directly related to the chemistry in the brain, which is generally affected by exercise, restorative sleep, and healthy eating."

"A peaceful body helps us focus, concentrate, and bring a meditative mindset to what ever we are doing."

[Tess Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

You are just a channel. This book is about letting go, realizing that most of suffering comes from attachments, and going past the individual self to attain the energy of All That Is and the aliveness that comes along with attaining that. The book emphasizes that every time you reveal yourself there’s more flow on the inside, and there’s less to hide or be afraid of. While reading this book, I’m proud of how I handled the process of revealing my tale of depression, stress, and a job search. How fitting that the day I was rendered speechless by a new job opportunity was the day I started the book section entitled: “Move from thought to action.” Fear gripped me in the moment, as Kasl says it will often, but one must stay the course when it all gets real. At the end of the day, I felt more greatly the “inner swirl” of not taking action.

Buddhism shares that there is no goal of meditation. Allowing your mind and body to sit in a state of nothing may bring upon something, or nothing. Regardless, you will find that the longer you stay in a “wordless fascinated state” there is more and more to explore. Slowing down everything inside of you is a key to getting unstuck. I am eternally grateful for my Wednesday Ridman’s slow down, which helped me in feeling less stuck. (S/o to the new friend I made too @maroline)

Inner peace comes alongside feeling unstuck. To feel peace is to be in the present moment and to be prepared to face anything head on. The ability to listen attentively is a measure of inner peace. As I have risen from my state of depression, I am more comfortable with silence, uncertainty, and letting others control the flow. I am along for the ride.

[ “launch me into your sky;
remind me I’m alive” 🫶🏼 ]

// “All we can do is step from one moment to the next, make our best decision with what we know, and breathe.”

// “Hello and goodbye all come together.”

// “Hello, you’re beautiful, good bye. Impermanence.”

// “No grasping, no holding on. Just bringing our full attention to what we are doing, and when we are done, we go home. But we are forever changed— while the performance is over, the music now lives within us.”

[Elle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted this too be more helpful. I was hooked by the very beginning where it gives an example of a person who isn't excited by things any more (this is a type of stuck) and I was thinking I could be more excited about the simple things in life so I wanted to know particularly about that aspect. But there was no link between the initial examples of stuck and they ways those examples would approach each of the steps ... so I found I was just sort of floating while I read this and had trouble figuring out how to apply some of the stuff to my situation.

...Maybe this wasn't the book for me and I'm not the target audience.

[Sylwia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a different experience from the first two books of Kasl's that I read (and rated 5 stars each) If the Buddha Dated andIf the Buddha Got Married. I strongly related and needed the information in those books, whereas as a therapist I already knew a lot of the information in this one. And as a person currently not experiencing any depressive symptoms and not "feeling stuck", I didn't necessarily "need" this book personally. So the experience was different.

Why You Might Bump This Up On Your TBR: Kasl once again teaches us how to incorporate Buddhist practices into our daily thinking patterns in order to reduce a lot of the stress and problems that we might not even realize that we have created for ourselves. She also utilized her PhD in psychology to teach us how to utilize basic therapeutic methods in order to improve our thinking patterns. I will be recommending this to everyone I know who seems "stuck" or is experiencing certain types of depressive symptoms.

Why You Might Bump This Down On Your TBR: I think sections 44 and 48 were not healthy or evidence-based. And unlike the other two books of hers that I read, this one couldn't hold my attention in the very last (7th?) part.

[jill crotty · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are 62 insights to help you stay awake through life. It is not a book to read all at once. Maybe a daily reading. In the Buddhist teachings, it is all about being in the present..right? To live in the moment and not get attached to the past or future. We only have now. So You cannot be awake and asleep at the same time. These teachings are thoughts and ideas on how to feel at ease in the world. To help us get unstuck in the habits we create that have us going through life asleep. Wake up and Be. I love this Author and her thoughts on this. A good read!

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wouldn't call myself stuck in a rut but I would describe my life as a bit chaotic. I have been thinking "is there more to this life deal that I should be doing?" even while moving forward towards some goals. I just didn't want to take the chaos with me.

This book is excellent! The reader is walked through how to recognize that they are stuck and then through the steps to get unstuck. I really appreciated the information and have been trying to put a lot of it into practice. Baby steps.

One piece of advice Kasl gives is to just show up to your life. To be aware of what is going on around you and to be aware and in tune with yourself. This is a surprisingly difficult task to accomplish. Even just sitting and chatting with friends, I know that my mind wanders to other things often. I'm making an effort now to be completely present. World of difference.

The reader is advised to live in reality, no more making up stories or not telling the truth. We're shown exercises to practice to connect with ourselves and with life.

Lastly, we're advised on how to get ourselves into action and just let go. Letting go is probably the scariest part, just like stepping off a cliff. Whatever the outcome of whatever our plans, we're advised to just accept them, even if things didn't go our way. But you have to move in order to change. You may lose something in the process of action - quitting a job you hate may lose you status and money - but you move forward into a life that you want to live in.

This book was very inspirational and while I have some ways to go in practicing what it preaches, I'm on the path and moving forward.

[Danielle Buie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just re-read of this book after a decade+, and it still resonates. Great, quick mental health tune-up type of book, with a grounded, genuinely spiritual sensibility that many "self help" books tend to lack. This is a very accessible book full of wisdom and mindfulness - not fluff, for the most part. Even though it's a quick read, it's full of ideas that stick, and words worth coming back to from time to time.

[LemontreeLime · Rating 5 out of 5]

This really was an excellent book, full of thoughtful observations. Its not really so much about the spiritual path persay, but about trying to live life itself. I was impressed. (and felt better too!)

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lovely, straightforward writing about buddhist ideas brought to a white middle class level. It was more self help-y than I liked with lots "you shoulds," so I abandoned it half way through. For what its worth.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book for the same reasons that I liked "if the Buddha Married." It's written in a clear and succinct style that lends itself to reading a chapter or two every couple of days. It's a good reference work too, when you're feeling stuck in your journey.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amazing book! It gives great insight and ideas for really moving your life forward and creating space to make things happen.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Charlotte Kasl's outlook on how our thoughts are the only thing that holds us back.

[Sean Spooner · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was yet another "spiritual/self-help" style book that really didn't resonate with me. Overall, the book was okay. The book isn't that long, and it took me a good while to finish it as I found myself dreading picking it up at times. There were a few interesting points that I enjoyed hearing about. Beyond that, the book felt quite repetitive at times, and felt very surface-level. I understand that this type of book can only provide a general guide, and that each individual needs to go on their own journey. I just really didn't feel that this book moved me along at all on my personal journey, or gave me any deeper perspectives that I can work on to make meaningful change.

I did find the discussions about the baggage that we acquire during our lives to be a helpful perspective. An important aspect of "getting unstuck" is consciously examining your thoughts to see where past beliefs influence your thinking and perspectives.

[Gabriela · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first read it as a teen i found this book to be worldview-lens-shattering. It drastically changed the way I perceived and engaged with the world. I tried to read it again years later and was sad to find it to be mostly a dry book of common sense.

Sounds to me like the context of my life during the initial reading was the exact fertile ground for the flower of this book. Years later I have a garden and am taking that original ground for granted. Overall, a recommended reading that I'm keeping for my future progeny and then for my geriatric self.

[Svein Gjøsund · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was a mishmash of anecdotes, questionable pseudoscience sprinkled with some buddhist wisdom.

I find it hard to believe the high rating.
Oftentimes I find myself thinking that books sprinkled with Buddhist philosophy get an inflated rating. Perhaps due to some form of a halo effect? I find that ironic considering core paradigms within Buddhism.

I would not recommend this book for most due to its noncoherence and its wishy-washy content.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading many Buddha books, and doing my own investigation into Buddhist practices, I just couldn't find much in this book to excite my curiosity. I even started it a 2nd time, fearing that maybe I had missed something important. Not that it's a bad book. Just not a good fit for me at this time. For somebody else out there it might meet their needs.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised by this little book. I bought it over a decade ago and I thought it wouldn't have much substance but what a wonderfully wise and insightful little read. Dividing into 62 chapters and 7 parts, I think these are wonderful and succinct insights rooted in Buddhism to help us with life's problems.

[Ala · Rating 5 out of 5]

"If the Buddha Got Stuck" by Charlotte Kasl is an enlightening journey into self-discovery and resilience.
Kasl's blend of Eastern wisdom and Western practicality creates a refreshing perspective on breaking through life's obstacles, making it a must-read for those seeking a unique and transformative experience.

[Jackie Henrion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insights and Thought-Provoking

Kasl must have been a wonderful therapist, because this book reflects a humanistic, gentle way to consider the symptoms of being stuck, and suggestions for how to let go of those behaviors. I have gifted this book to many people without any expectation. But I have faith that when they are ready - Kasl will be on their shelf.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was loaned to me by a good friend. I highly enjoyed reading. I have been struggling with loss and it's associated grief. This book was great at encouraging new perspectives. Highly recommend. Easy and light while thought provoking.

[Elaine Green-soder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Need to read it again.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

[Cherith Keeton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Ordered the print copy! Need to reread occasionally.

[Felicia Horch · Rating 4 out of 5]

beginner’s mindset. I don’t know it all. Simplicity. Minimalism. Find peace in the small things.

[Michelle Tempted By Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

A VERY insightful and enjoyable book.

[Ivy Murillo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2

[Samantha Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really valuable read grounded in Buddhist/Taoist principles but too heavy on the diet culture, in my opinion.

[Hanna Cote · Rating 3 out of 5]

aliveness