A Fearless Heart Why Compassion Is the Key to Greater Wellbeing

In 1979 Jon Kabat-Zinn popularised the Buddhist practice of mindfulness when he revealed that it could alleviate depression. While mindfulness is a powerful tool, it will only take us so far. Now the highly acclaimed thought leader and English translator for His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Thupten Jinpa Langri (known as Jinpa) teaches us to take the next step. He shows us that compassion correlates strongly with happiness, stress reduction, a sense of purpose, better health and a longer life. Self-compassion is the overlooked key to achieving our goals. Yet many of us resist compassion, worrying that if we are too compassionate with others we will be taken advantage of and if we are too compassionate with ourselves we won't achieve our goals in life. We can actually fear compassion. Using the latest science, psychology (from contemporary Western and classical Buddhist sources) as well as stories from others and his own extraordinary life, Jinpa shows us how to train our compassion muscle. Jinpa's programme derives from a remarkable course in Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) that he developed at Stanford University Medical School. Much like Jon Kabat-Zinn's landmark Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction programme, CCT has already had profound effects on the many participants. Thupten Jinpa is the perfect guide to achieving a greater sense of wellbeing.