A review by aaronkarp123
Training in Compassion: Zen Teachings on the Practice of Lojong by Norman Fischer

5.0

This book doesn't expound for pages and pages on heady philosophy or religious theory. It is concise and straightforward, and yet manages to present its insight in a way that makes you want to keep reading. The explanation of each point and slogan found its way directly to a very central place in my being, and I felt unexpectedly joyful as I read and absorbed. As Fischer says himself many times, our brains are not perfect memory machines and our habits are slow to change, so I do not doubt these lessons will take (endless?) repeating for them to sink in. But I am comforted knowing I can flip to any page in this book and be reminded of an insight that can help me feel happier, more at ease, or simply kinder. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone, whether experienced in Zen Buddhist practice or not.