The Zen Monkey and the Lotus Flower: 52 Stories to Relieve Stress, Stop Negative Thoughts, Find Happiness, and Live Your Best Life / Tempe Yeshe

RATINGS

Overall: 4/ 5 stars

Text Level: Easy

Entertainment: High

Self-Help: High

Page Count: 158

Is this book right for me and my inmate?

If you want short stories for daily moments of peace this will be a good read.

Buy on: Amazon

Review By: Blackbird (Inmate)

52 lessons of wisdom to make you think.

There are some days that I am just not in the mood to spend all day reading. It might be that I am busy with other things or that mentally I can not concentrate. This is the perfect book for days like that. It is made up of 52 short stories that are meant to bring deeper peace and understanding of the world and ourselves. Each story is a simple parable about a page in length. After each story The author offers a brief insight into the meaning of the story with some ways to have better insight. I find this book to be great on days when I am feeling stressed. I think that for many inmates dealing with stress is a real daily problem. These stories help to teach valuable life lessons that can really change lives for the better.

All of these stories are based in Buddhist principles that have a goal of finding a life of balance. I think for many inmates they get to a point where they want to find an inner and putter life of balance. Even if you are not Buddhist these stories ring true and offer a lot of value. For myself I have found answers to obstacles I am facing in life through these parables. They have been incredibly helpful for me when I become frustrated over something has happened in my day. The stories really work to build a level of gratitude for the world and life that hopefully you can carry forward.

With so much stress and setbacks in life being part of incarceration it is amazing to have small books like this to help you cope. The book doesn't demand hours of reading at a time to gain knowledge. It reward you with real life long wisdom by being able read for a couple minutes at a time. This book has been something I can go back to numerous times to find new answers. I think of of the best things is that it gets me thinking about life in calm ways, which a skill I feel many inmates need.

Book Quotes

"Freedom is more that physical independence."

"It is often our perspective that determines whether we are happy or unhappy."