Bear Awareness : Questions and Answers on Taming Your Wild Mind

The bestselling author of Who Ordered This Truckload of Dung? and one of the world’s most beloved Buddhist monks answers meditators’ questions.


“The Buddha said the cause for being a dummy in your next life is . . . not asking questions in this life.”

—AJAHN BRAHM, from his preface


In Bear Awareness English monk Ajahn Brahm answers actual questions from his meditation students—questions you may have had as well. While most mindfulness meditation teachers praise the benefits of bare awareness, he teaches bear awareness. He helps us make friends with the scary things that come up on the cushion, and he knows how to lift the mood with a well-placed stuffed teddy—or a well-timed pun.


The intimacy of the question-and-answer format provides a fresh experience of learning from a master meditator. Whether he is urging readers to fly Buddha Air (sit back and relax on your way to nirvana), giving tips for dealing with panic attacks or depression, or extolling the bliss of meditation that is better than sex, he gives us permission to enjoy our lives and our practice.