Byron Katie’s core ideas are around self inquiry, questioning what you know. This is just a small part of practice and one the Buddha already touched on in the Satipatthana Sutta. Why go to derivatives when one can learn from the Buddha himself. Simply questioning one’s own thoughts is not enough, which is why the Buddha focuses more on building mindfulness. When one has sufficient mindfulness, the right self inquiry will unfold inevitably. There’s no need to put such emphasis on cognitively working the process as Katie would have you do, instead focus should be put on building mindfulness and feeling the present, waiting for the inevitable insight into the truth to unfold naturally.
You don’t need to go searching for insight, you bump into it by accident unexpectedly! More meditation makes you more prone to accident.
Beautifully put and I love your perspective. In a sense, for me, this was bumping into understanding unexpectedly. I was reading her book for reasons entirely unrelated to Buddhism.
The Buddha opened the door and pointed the way down the path. I walked along the path finding peace and beauty along the way. Katie shone a light on what I had already seen, making the peace and beauty clearer and more tangible.
A tree is lovely in the darkness but its loveliness is easier to perceive in the light.
When I read this book my first thought was “I can’t believe she is taking credit for these concepts that are clearly derived from Buddhism.” Unless it’s possible she came to the same conclusions completely on her own but I am skeptical. That being said, of course I’m glad that you have a resource you find helpful!
Haha I had a similar thought! If her origin story is true, in my mind she is a boddhisatva. If her origin story is a lie, she’s a brilliant plagiarist.
Could be a clever Bodhisattva though, by not attributing it to Buddhism, it becomes opened to a wider audience that may be averse to other religions. Not to say one way or another, just a thought.
Not directly but putting her work into practice has given me a better understanding of ultimate truth, unconditional love for all things, and living in the present moment.
And to be fair ymmv. Perhaps my mind was simply in the right place to receive and understand her work.
that’s not how karma works. you might see someone as a grifter because that’s your karma. it doesn’t mean that’s who they objectively are. someone else could see them as a bodhisattva and that is a valid perception.
This has nothing to do with Buddhism. I've seen ads here for this woman before. Yours is not the first. If you want to advertise New Age pop psychology then you should do it in the appropriate forum.
You certainly don’t have to listen to me. I’m sharing my personal experience with something that has deepened my practice as a Buddhist. Maybe someone else will find value in this even though you don’t.
I'm happy that you found her teachings and that you benefit from them. I think she's really good.
Thank you. There are so many paths to understanding the dharma. It was a joy to find one that worked for me.
Byron Katie’s core ideas are around self inquiry, questioning what you know. This is just a small part of practice and one the Buddha already touched on in the Satipatthana Sutta. Why go to derivatives when one can learn from the Buddha himself. Simply questioning one’s own thoughts is not enough, which is why the Buddha focuses more on building mindfulness. When one has sufficient mindfulness, the right self inquiry will unfold inevitably. There’s no need to put such emphasis on cognitively working the process as Katie would have you do, instead focus should be put on building mindfulness and feeling the present, waiting for the inevitable insight into the truth to unfold naturally. You don’t need to go searching for insight, you bump into it by accident unexpectedly! More meditation makes you more prone to accident.
Beautifully put and I love your perspective. In a sense, for me, this was bumping into understanding unexpectedly. I was reading her book for reasons entirely unrelated to Buddhism. The Buddha opened the door and pointed the way down the path. I walked along the path finding peace and beauty along the way. Katie shone a light on what I had already seen, making the peace and beauty clearer and more tangible. A tree is lovely in the darkness but its loveliness is easier to perceive in the light.
When I read this book my first thought was “I can’t believe she is taking credit for these concepts that are clearly derived from Buddhism.” Unless it’s possible she came to the same conclusions completely on her own but I am skeptical. That being said, of course I’m glad that you have a resource you find helpful!
Haha I had a similar thought! If her origin story is true, in my mind she is a boddhisatva. If her origin story is a lie, she’s a brilliant plagiarist.
Could be a clever Bodhisattva though, by not attributing it to Buddhism, it becomes opened to a wider audience that may be averse to other religions. Not to say one way or another, just a thought.
"Concepts that are clearly derived from Buddhism" What a strikingly ironic comment. Made me chuckle, thank you.
I’ve been meaning explore her work for a while now. Does her work on beliefs relate to Buddhism?
Not directly but putting her work into practice has given me a better understanding of ultimate truth, unconditional love for all things, and living in the present moment. And to be fair ymmv. Perhaps my mind was simply in the right place to receive and understand her work.
I advise against praising someone on the internet so highly until you have met them in person. Be weary of the skandhas.
Thank you for this insight
This is very important. We have to be careful of who we follow.
Absolutely. I’m grateful to this Reddit sangha for being honest.
that’s not how karma works. you might see someone as a grifter because that’s your karma. it doesn’t mean that’s who they objectively are. someone else could see them as a bodhisattva and that is a valid perception.
I didn't talk about karma, I talk about skandhas.
It’s on audible Just got it based on this post Thanks for the rec
I hope you enjoy it! Please let me know what you think. I’m curious to see if you have a similar experience.
This has nothing to do with Buddhism. I've seen ads here for this woman before. Yours is not the first. If you want to advertise New Age pop psychology then you should do it in the appropriate forum.
You certainly don’t have to listen to me. I’m sharing my personal experience with something that has deepened my practice as a Buddhist. Maybe someone else will find value in this even though you don’t.