True Refuge: Finding Peace and Freedom in Your Own Awakened Heart

I've reread Tara's "Radical Acceptance" several times; once it literally saved my life (one of those Midnights of Despair, several years ago.) So I couldn't wait to begin "True Refuge." I LOVE this book!I'm blessed to live in DC, so I've attended several talks and one retreat led by Tara. Imagine a loving presence, filled with wisdom and humor, speaking right to you, about how to move through your deepest sufferings till you find love on the other side of the moment. And what a story teller! Each story (of her own experiences and those with whom she has worked) illustrates the point she is making in such a real way that I can't help but take it in. And she doesn't preach; she invites you to consider her words, and try those practices that have made a difference in her life. To me, that's Tara. And her special gift is that she writes as she speaks, as though she is right there in the room, sharing her wisdom and deep love with me personally.Just recently, at a book signing, I got to ask Tara why I have “failed” so many times in trying to let go of using food as my “false refuge.” She looked at me, in this audience of hundreds, and with her loving smile, told me that forgiveness is my first step. That food is the earliest “false refuge” that we find as little ones wanting to feel loved, and therefore most deeply entrenched. And that I’m already on the path. (Progress not perfection as they say in the 12 Step programs!) I believed her!I fully recommend "True Refuge" to all who are seeking a wise path in life, one that can be filled with love and joy and service and even fun, as well as relief of suffering - not by numbing it (with "false refuges" like too much food, sex, money, drugs) but by becoming Present to each moment in a compassionate and forgiving way - coming home to our "true refuge,” our true selves, who we really are beneath all the suffering. I'm still stumbling/soaring/stumbling along this path. Tara makes me believe it's real and possible, no matter how many times I "fail/fall." And I know she wouldn't call those moments falling or failing! Thank you, beloved Tara!--

First, a disclosure: I came across Brach's earlier book, Radical Acceptance, around 2010, and reading it was one of the major things that started me down a meditation path that has since taken me to some amazing places. I've since attended several silent meditation retreats taught by Brach and others. I've become fairly plugged into the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, which she started in the DC area some years ago. In short, I'm a big fan.A fan, but no follower. Tara Brach has gotten a lot of good press (deserved) in the Washington Post lately and is becoming even more of a "star" in meditation circles, but in my experience that arises very much from the quality of her work and humanity, and not from any kind of "guru" status or pretense that she has all the answers. Indeed, much of her teaching style seems to focus on helping a person find what works for him/herself. Brach is all about keeping with the tradition of try for yourself and keep what is wholesome and works for you, and discard the rest.And I think that approach affects what she writes in True Refuge and elsewhere. She shares what she has discovered for herself and what she has seen others discover. And what she shares is not so much "the answer" or even answers, but rather suggested ways that one can use to find what works for oneself.I bought True Refuge when it first came out, and work and other stuff has only recently allowed me to complete my reading of it. I think True Refuge is a great book. Radical Acceptance for me was a very compassionate and "feeling" oriented book. This one, True Refuge, certainly has that, but to me seems a bit more systematic and practice oriented: a collection of many of her "best practices" and tips, some of them developed since her last book, all in one place. True Refuge is certainly a great stand-alone work, but once could hardly go wrong by reading both it and Radical Acceptance.

Tara never disappoints. I love having this book handy alongside the current fiction novel I’m reading at the time, helping me to maintain mindfulness.

A sequel to her fine book "Radical Acceptance" that continues her practical discussion of mindfulness for our daily lives. In this book, Brach once again links the practice of mindfulness to psychotherapy and to her own personal sitting practice but this time she talks about her struggle with a degenerative connective tissue disease and her need to deal with the grieving for the loss of the physical things she can no longer do. I think this real-life issue takes mindfulness practice out of the concept/good idea stage and moves it into the "useful in daily life" mode. The discussion of "false refuges" I thought was very good and gave me some insight into how we can create all kinds of illusionary safe places for ourselves in our minds where we can avoid the pain of our lives. Many of the ways she described surprised me but I know are true.On a side note, I am a Christian and the whole idea of "refuge" really echoed that idea from the Psalms and gave a useful new interpretation (e.g., Psalm 119:114 "You are my refuge and my shield"). Not sure most people would make the connection I did but it seems to be there to me.

I liked the meditations at the end of each chapter. This book is for anyone searching for true happiness in their lives, no matter their spiritual path, and those interested in Buddhism.

Well written, easy to read, inspiring and truly life changing. Tara is a genius and I’d thoroughly recommend to anyone looking to deepen their awareness of themselves, their actions and the wider community.

This book gives specific examples on how to apply the Buddha's teachings to your life. The author is honest in her own struggles, which makes her teachings relatable. Excellent book, I would recommend it for anyone who wants to know how to bring presence into their lives.

Un livre merveilleux, chaleureux, encourageant. Engagée dans le bouddhisme, l’auteure s’adresse à un public aux croyances et appartenances multiples, dans un grand respect de l'héritage religieux (ou non) de chacun. Tara Brach a un site où on peut vérifier si son style et son message vous conviennent. Si oui, le livre permet d’approfondir à votre rythme. Un premier ouvrage a déjà été publié en français, on peut espérer que True Refuge se traduira aussi.

仏教の教えですねやや冗長なきらいはありますがまあそういうことかなと思います

Tara writes so beautifully. Easy to understand. The book helps facing difficulties with loving kindness.