How Not to Be a Hot Mess: A Buddhist Survival Guide for Modern Life

by nico hase, devon hase, Rhonda V. Magee (Foreword by)

Overview

The dumpster fire of life rages on, but you got this. Practice six rules to keep you grounded, weather the storm, and actually be a decent person.

It may seem like the world is going to hell in a hand basket right now. Whether it's big stuff like politics and climate change, or just the daily spin of paying your bills, getting to work on time, and fending off social media trolls, we can all admit, modern life ain't easy. Here are six really good guiding principles, inspired from the ancient wisdom of Buddhism and mindfulness practice, to keep you anchored and steady amidst the chaos.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781645471998
Publisher:	Shambhala
Publication date:	09/12/2023
Pages:	184
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.00(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

DEVON AND NICO HASE mentor dharma practitioners online, teach meditation on the Simple Habit app, and lead meditation retreats throughout North America and Europe. Devon teaches at the Insight Meditation Society and Spirit Rock and mentors mindfulness teachers for Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach's Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program. Nico spent six years in a Zen monastery and then completed a PhD in counseling psychology before making his topsy-turvy transition into teaching mindfulness, meditation, and dharma full time. Devon and Nico have studied closely with Joseph Goldstein, Tara Brach, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, and many others in the Insight, Zen, and Vajrayana traditions. These days they live together in urban retreat in Ashland, Oregon, splitting each week between retreat practice and dharma mentoring. Their first book, How Not to Be a Hot Mess: A Survival Guide for Modern Life, offers six prime pieces of semi-Buddhist advice to keep you anchored and steady amidst the chaos of modern life.

Editorial Reviews

Smart, deep, and inspiring, this ‘survival guide’ shines a light on the societal forces that confuse our minds and close our hearts, and offers doable and rewarding ways to clear, heal, and free ourselves. You have in your hands a fun-to-read book that can up-level your game as an awake, honest, kind, generous, happy being.”—Tara Brach, author of Radical Acceptance
 
“Modern life is messy, aggravating, even injurious. Despite this truth, the authors show us how to see the goodness. This book is part of that goodness—transforming the ability to survive into the ability to thrive.”—Larry Yang, author of Awakening Together
 
“For Devon and Craig Hase, a clear mind and wise choices are what enable us to define ourselves in a frenetic world. Writing with a combination of wit, refreshing honesty, and wisdom, they give us a guide to reclaiming our true selves from the definitions of the world, so that we can enjoy the happiness this brings.”—Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness and Real Happiness
 
“In their excellent first book, Devon and Craig Hase offer a remarkably effective roadmap to living life with greater ease and full integrity. I’m delighted to recommend this new book to absolutely everyone—especially millennials.”—Susan Kaiser Greenland, author of Mindful Games and The Mindful Child, founder of Inner Kids
 
“How Not to Be a Hot Mess by Craig and Devon Hase is an engaging exploration of how to bring dharma practice into the nitty-gritty of our lives. It offers a clear-sighted view of the challenges of these times and the potential for living with integrity and deepening understanding in the midst of them. As its subtitle suggests, it is indeed a survival guide for modern life—a guide written with insight, humor, and great friendliness.”—Joseph Goldstein, author of Mindfulness
 
“This book is more ‘walk’ than ‘talk,’ though it's backed by serious Buddhist philosophy, scientific research, and personal stories. Mindfulness is just the beginning—if we're still acting like messes or jerks, as if our practice is all about ‘me’ feeling better, then we probably need to attune more deeply into our innate goodness and make a few changes. In a sweetly humorous tone, Devon and Craig invite us to take a super-serious look at how we live.  A long-overdue contribution to the mindfulness conversation.”—Kate Lila Wheeler
 
“In this animated debut, the Hases, a married couple and cofounders of a company that offers mindfulness classes and retreats, pinpoint six core principles inspired by Buddhism that will serve readers who feel ‘blinded by the blizzard of information, the typhoon of opinion and judgment.’ Studding each of their steps with mindfulness exercises, the authors stress that present, clear thought and action remain their guiding principles. Aiming to help readers ‘live an ethical and energized life,’ this should appeal to those interested in the potential benefits of mindfulness.”—Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

From the Publisher