Paul Gilbert is world-renowned for his work on depression, shame, and self-criticism. He is head of the mental health research unit at the University of Derby and the author of The Compassionate Mind and Overcoming Depression. Choden is a former monk in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Together, their goal is to map the mental abilities that comprise compassion as they engage with suffering and use skillful means to alleviate it. Another goal is to train the mind in hopes of creating well-being.
Gilbert and Choden do a fine job explaining the many positive aspects of mindfulness as a skill that amplifies our attention and enables us to act on purpose and without judgment. They give a rounded portrait of compassion with segments on our fears and resistances to it, its cleansing and purifying powers, and its immersiveness whereby it descends into the mud of suffering and refuses to flee upward in ascent.
The last part of this book contains accessible practices for both compassion and mindfulness. We were impressed with the substantive materials on imagining our compassionate self, working with the angry self, practicing compassion for others, and tonglen on the spot. Gilbert and Choden make it quite clear that the compassionate mind "can invigorate and energize us. The compassionate mind makes it possible for us to have a relationship with ourselves that is genuinely friendly, supportive, and encouraging on this difficult journey called life."
