Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life - Karen Armstrong

Category: Adults, Self-help, Spiritual & Religious
Language: English
Keywords: Every Day Life

Written by Karen Armstrong
Read by Karen Armstrong
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Publisher: Books on Tape
Release date: December 28, 2010
Duration: 06:19:05

Karen Armstrong believes that while compassion is intrinsic in all human beings, each of us needs to work diligently to cultivate and expand our capacity for compassion. Here, in this straightforward, thoughtful, and thought-provoking book, she sets out a program that can lead us toward a more compassionate life.

The twelve steps Armstrong suggests begin with “Learn About Compassion” and close with “Love Your Enemies.” In between, she takes up “compassion for yourself,” mindfulness, suffering, sympathetic joy, the limits of our knowledge of others, and “concern for everybody.” She suggests concrete ways of enhancing our compassion and putting it into action in our everyday lives, and provides, as well, a reading list to encourage us to “hear one another’s narratives.” Throughout, Armstrong makes clear that a compassionate life is not a matter of only heart or mind but a deliberate and often life-altering commingling of the two.

“—Armstrong proudly describes how contributors to the charter include influencers from the Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, and Hindu religions. Her insights and broad research provides listeners with diverse viewpoints from both ancient philosophers and modern leaders, resulting in valuable life lessons. Armstrong’s passionate and intelligent delivery convinces listeners that there’s a better way to live and that compassion is the key.”—-AudioFile