Publishers Weekly
★ 09/12/2022
Buddhist monk Paley Ellison (Wholehearted) delivers an outstanding guide to the essentials of Buddhist practice. To counter the “tangle” of fears and resentments engendered by modern life, Paley Ellison urges readers to follow the Eightfold Path of Buddhism. “We’re not ever going to actually get good” at following the Path, Paley Ellison asserts, emphasizing that Buddhism is a way of life rather than a goal to be achieved. The author recounts how, early in his Buddhist practice, he lost sight of Buddhist principles in his eagerness to please his instructors and suggests that to achieve “right intention”—a tenet of the Eightfold Path—one must stop seeking validation in others and accept “life as it is.” He tells of getting chased through the woods by teenagers shouting “hunt the Jew” when he was 10 and shares how he learned to “regulate” his lingering fear through meditation. Such reflection questions as “What do you conceal about your life?” and “Are there stories or thoughts you use to beat yourself up?” encourage readers to consider how to integrate Buddhist principles into their lives. Paley Ellison’s candid anecdotes show the principles in action and his passion comes through on every page. Additionally, his theology manages to be accessible without oversimplifying. This walks the walk. (Nov.)
From the Publisher
"Buddhist monk Paley Ellison (Wholehearted) delivers an outstanding guide to the essentials of Buddhist practice." "Paley Ellison’s candid anecdotes show the principles in action and his passion comes through on every page. Additionally, his theology manages to be accessible without oversimplifying. This walks the walk."—Publishers Weekly
“Reading Untangled, I felt as if Koshin Paley Ellison was sitting right next to me: telling his stories, sharing his friendliness, offering his down to earth wisdom. This is an indispensable new guidebook to Buddhism’s eightfold path.”—Susan Cain, #1 New York Times bestselling author of BITTERSWEET and QUIET
“Koshin Paley Ellison engages us from a life of hard-earned wisdom, showing us a way out of our countless tangles to a path to freedom.”—Daniel Goleman, author, Emotional Intelligence
“Koshin is a visionary spiritual leader who brings together the medicine for fear—bridging the divide between our values and our actions. He gives us the soulful prescription and the companioning needed for integration of personal awareness, social healing and global connectedness.”—Van Jones, Founder of Dream Corps
“Leave it to a monk to write an unusually thoughtful book about how to stop being controlled by your emotions—and start learning to observe, embrace, and harness them.”—Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of THINK AGAIN and host of the TED podcast WorkLife
"Oh, what a tangled web we weave when we believe our own thoughts! Koshin Paley Ellison shares his wisdom and passion in Untangled. Written with truth, humor, sometimes revealing pain, always manifesting compassion, Untangled is a gem.” —Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness and Real Change
“Koshin is one of my most important teachers and friends. He’s also very funny and courageously candid about his own personal history and personality quirks. If you’re looking for somebody to teach you how to do life better, Koshin is an ace."—Dan Harris, author, 10% Happier
“With humor, compassion and the knowingness of decades of practice, Koshin Paley Ellison continues to be one of our wisest guides. Untangled is an honest, accessible, funny, loving, slapping-you-around-a-bit roadmap to help us face that which we want to turn from, and hold that which feels impossible…together.”—Priya Parker, author, The Art of Gathering
