Seeing Clearly

Many of us, even on our happiest days, struggle to quiet the constant buzz of anxiety in the background of our minds. All kinds of worries--worries about losing people and things, worries about how we seem to others--keep us from peace of mind. Distracted or misled by our preoccupations, misconceptions, and, most of all, our obsession with ourselves, we don't see the world clearly--we don't see the world as it really is.

In our search for happiness and the good life, this is the main problem. But luckily there is a solution, and on the path to understanding it, we can make use of the rich and varied teachings that have developed over centuries of Buddhist thought.

With clarity and compassion, Nicolas Bommarito explores the central elements of centuries of Buddhist philosophy and practice, explaining how they can improve your life and teach you to live without fear. Mining important texts and lessons for practical guidance, he provides a friendly guide to the very practical goals that underpin Buddhist philosophy. After laying out the basic ideas, Bommarito walks readers through a wide range of techniques and practices we can adopt to mend ingrained habits.

Rare for its exploration of both the philosophy that motivates Buddhism and its practical applications, this is a compassionate guide to leading a good life that anyone can follow.

"Many of us, even on our happiest days, struggle to quiet the constant buzz of anxiety in the background of our minds. All kinds of worries-worries about losing people and things, worries about how we seem to others-keep us from peace of mind. Distracted or misled by our preoccupations, misconceptions, and, most of all, our obsession with ourselves, we do not see the world clearly-we do not see the world as it really is. In our search for happiness and the good life, this is the main problem. But luckily there is a solution, and on the path to understanding it, we can make use of the rich and varied teachings that have developed over centuries of Buddhist thought. This book explores the central elements of centuries of Buddhist philosophy and practice, explaining how they can improve life and teach how to live without fear. Mining important texts and lessons for practical guidance, it provides a guide to the very practical goals that underpin Buddhist philosophy. After laying out the basic ideas, the text walks readers through a wide range of techniques and practices we can adopt to mend ingrained habits"--

Bommarito clearly sees the need for a thorough, thoughtful treatment of basic Buddhist thought and practice, one well-grounded in philosophy. He does a lovely job of satisfying that need. The book does not focus on the tenets, philosophy, practice, or history of any one school of Buddhism nor on Buddhism as practiced in any one land. Rather, it provides a perspicuous view of what one might call core and peripheral aspects of Buddhist philosophy and various Buddhist practices. This prepares readers to go on to study particular schools with a solid background in both their practices and the philosophy that grounds them. ... An outstanding feature of the [Practice] section is Bommarito's explicit explanation of how and why practices are done. The tone of the book is quite personable, and the language will appeal to students put off by formality. ... Seeing Clearly is a book this reviewer would have liked to have had in his own early forays into Buddhism. -- CHOICE

Nic Bommarito's Seeing Clearly is a crystal clear manual on how to actually feel, think, and live as a Buddhist. It manages the rare feat of providing a sophisticated and crystal clear introduction to Buddhist philosophy, psychology, and practice. There is no better book available that explains what it means to feel, think, and act as a Buddhist. For 21st century adventurer who want to try on the Buddhist form of life, even if only for a while, this remarkable book should be your guide. -- Owen Flanagan, James B. Duke Professor of Philosophy, Duke University, and author of The Geography of Morals (OUP, 2017) and The Bodhisattva's Brain (MIT Press, 2011)

Knowing and doing inform and enrich one another. Speaking based on this acknowledgement that is at the heart of Buddhist insight and practice, Seeing Clearly is not just a book about Buddhism, nor is it a teaching of doctrine. Encouraging us to look at ourselves and the world with fresh and caring eyes, this book comes as a sincere and unassuming friend-and so helps reinvent the genre of the Buddhist treatise in our present global context. --Thomas H. Doctor, Associate Professor, Rangjung Yeshe Institute, Kathmandu University

Buddhism is both a philosophy teaching us what there really is and a set of practices to get and keep our minds in sync. By turns insightful, witty, elegant and sophisticated, there is no better guide to see what Buddhism is really all about, and why it continues to matter, than Nicolas Bommarito's wonderful Seeing Clearly. --Jonardon Ganeri, Bimal Matilal Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, University of Toronto

[T]his useful work provides a happy harmony of temporal wisdom and transcendent habits for Buddhist beginners. -- Publishers Weekly

In Seeing Clearly: A Buddhist Guide to Life, Bommarito offers frank, incisive commentary on many of Buddhism's greatest insights--what he thinks are the best versions of the varying teachings from Buddhism's many schools. The book's goal is to interpret a wide variety of Buddhist practices 'in a way that will be relevant to the lives of modern people, ' and Bommarito excels at demystifying some of Buddhism's harder to grasp concepts. He further provides specific techniques to help readers move beyond philosophy into the actual practice of quieting anxiety, embracing change, and, yes, seeing the world more clearly. --Foreword